24/02/2020 - SANCTIFY TO DRAW NEAR TO GOD

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So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem. Genesis 35:4

The incident with Dinah the daughter of Jacob, which was abused by the son of Shechem, made Jacob to hear the voice of God, saying to him, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there; make there an altar to the God who appeared to you when you fled before the face of your brother Esau (Gen. 35.1). This altar today is built in our hearts as gratitude for the Lord’s work begun in us. In moments of loneliness and crisis, He guarantees to be with us, to rid us of evils and lead us to where we must dwell.

The first attitude of the Hebrew patriarch was to have the strange gods removed from among his people, because future events at Bethel could not be thwarted by abominable things in the eyes of the Most High. What has kept you from enjoying God’s presence? By clearing from these hindrances, the Lord will keep His promises for your life. He is faithful always!

In addition to removing useless idols that irritate the Lord because of His zeal for us, we should ask Him to completely cleanse us of all the stain brought on by sin. Only God can do that. Just remembering the times when you were carried away by the lying stories that these “gods” helped you somehow separate you from the Most High and also function as a gateway to evil.

The people who were accompanying Jacob also had to change their garments (Gen. 35:2); After all, it is impossible to enter into the error-filled Kingdom of God. There should be no remnant of the old evil and evil nature. For those who have found the salvation of their souls in Jesus, it is difficult to bear the smell of sin. Now, one should not only change one’s clothes, but take a “bath”, freeing oneself from any “dust” of the devil. Purification must be total!

Going back to the biblical narrative, the inhabitants of the land from which Abraham’s relatives came were mystical; therefore God commanded him to leave and to a place that would be shown him (Gen. 12: 1). Jacob and his men were to go to Bethel and report to the Lord who began with him the building of the Israelite nation. From it, the Messiah would come, to perform the true purification through His blood. Nothing from Hell should remain in them; otherwise a little leaven would leave the whole lump (1 Cor. 5: 6).

Everyone must surrender to God their imaginary gods, idols, and concepts acquired in families, schools, and even churches. Everything that represents real or unreal power must be taken from the heart and mind. Thus nothing will condemn people before Who is a consuming fire (Heb 12:29). Remember what you did in the time of ignorance so that you would never offend divine holiness.

The fact that Jacob hides them under a tree shows that the Lord will not destroy the false gods – the demons – but will lock them in the lake of fire and brimstone, where they will be tormented forever. We will be in eternal glory! In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares