Back to Bethel

Back to Bethel

Excerpts from the sermon by Lester Roloff

There are four or five people involved in the heart of this story. Others will join us as we journey. One of them is Isaac; one is Rebekah—that’s the mother and dad. They had two boys named Esau and Jacob. One day Isaac said to Esau, “Go and kill a deer, and make me that favorite venison that I like so well. Bring it to me, and I’m going to give you the blessing that falls on my oldest son.” Esau was elated and considered it a real privilege to get that kind of blessing.

But things didn’t go as were planned, because the mother said to Jacob, “Jacob, with your cooperation, we’ll get you the blessing. You go kill one of the goats. Bring it to me, and I know how to fix it up. Isaac won’t know the difference.” So, Rebekah fixed what tasted like savory venison.

Jacob took it in, and as you know, his dad was blind. Isaac felt Jacob, but they had covered his arms with hair. Then his dad said, “You feel like Esau, but you sound like Jacob.” He went by feeling, but he was wrong. In a little while, Esau came in with the venison, and you know the story. Jacob had to leave home. That night, out in the wilderness, Jacob laid down, and he had a vision where he saw angels coming down a ladder—we call it “Jacob’s ladder.”

As he journeyed on, he met a young lady named Rachel, and her sister, Leah. Their daddy was Laban, who was Rebekah’s brother. Jacob wound up working for Laban fourteen years in order to get Rachel as his wife, because Laban had deceived him by giving him Leah, his oldest daughter, after the first seven years.

Now after twenty years, Jacob had accumulated so many cattle and camels and sheep and oxen that Laban and his sons were looking strangely at Jacob. Laban’s countenance wasn’t toward Jacob like it had been before. And the Lord said to Jacob, “Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.” So, Jacob said to Leah and Rachel and his children, “I believe we’d better be pulling out of here.”

You know, the Lord uses various things to get us back to Bethel, doesn’t He? Sometimes it is sorrow. Other times, it is reverses and finances. He can use anything to get us back.

While Laban was gone to a big pasture to shear some sheep, Jacob said, “This would be a good time to leave, while he’s gone. That’ll give us a good lead on him.” They were gone three days before Laban ever knew about it. When Jacob first came to work for Laban, probably the only thing he had with him was a paper sack with an extra shirt in it, and maybe a few clothes. Now he had one mighty herd of cattle and camels. They were leaving in style—Rachael and Leah and all the children, with ser­vants and a great herd.

One of Laban’s boys came in one day and said, “Dad, that sorry Jake’s gone—old Jake pulled out and took every­thing he had with him.” Jacob had been gone three days, but he was making good time, because it took Laban seven days to catch him. I believe Laban intended to get rid of Jacob, but one night while Laban was asleep out on the prairie, the Lord visited him in a dream and said, “Laban, I’m going to let you go on. You’re going to see your son-in-law and your two daughters and your grand­children, and you’re going to take a long, last look at your cattle that Jacob worked for. He worked for you twenty years. You changed his wages ten times. You made him work seven years for Rachel, and you deceived him and gave him Leah and made him work seven more years. Your chickens are coming home to roost. You can’t say good, and you can’t say bad. In other words, get on over there, and get it over with, and leave him alone.” The Lord put a restraining order on him.

During their meeting, Laban told Jacob, “I’m going to set up a pile of stones. On this side, the direction I’m going, is ‘No man’s land’ for you. You have no guarantee of protection when you come on this side of the stones.” I think Jacob might have said, “The same thing goes for my side.” So they had a parting of the ways, and Laban told his daughters and grandchildren goodbye forever.

One of the first things you’ve got to do to get back to Bethel is to leave Laban. You’ve got to leave some of your old connections. But that’s still not the end of the story. Jacob was headed for another confrontation. The person he most dreaded to meet was Esau. When Jacob heard that Esau was coming with four hundred big men, and realizing he couldn’t go back, Jacob knew that he was in serious trouble. Poor old Jacob was fixing to get high-centered. Backsliders get into a lot of trouble, don’t they? Nothing bothers lost people—they don’t have any conscience. But if you’re really saved and you disobey the Lord, you’ve got some confessions to make. Jacob knew he had to meet his brother. Everybody is going to have to meet their Esau.

I think Jacob did a little floor walking, or ground walking, and said, “I’m going to get some presents lined up for him. Knowing Esau like I do, I believe I can buy him. He doesn’t know what all I’ve got.” Jacob sent his servant to Esau to say, “This is from your loving brother. This is from Jacob, and there’s more coming.” But Esau was not to be bought. God was going to have to handle this problem.

If you ever get back to Bethel, you’re going to have to let God get you back there and take care of the stumbling blocks and the difficulties on the way back. It’s easy to get away from the Lord, but oh, it’s a long trip back. It’s hard for the old flesh to ever get back.

The devil will say, “Nobody will ever forgive you. They’ll never forget it. You’ve played the fool. Here, you used to speak, to preach, to witness, and do everything, and now you know there’s no place for you. God will not forgive you. The people will never forgive you.” But that’s a lie!

Jacob lined up all his presents and sent them on but still didn’t have the victory inside. He wanted to be alone. He got out there alone that night and had an experi­ence that I think was the secret to the rest of his life. The average Christian can’t stand to be left alone, but Jacob got alone and wound up meeting God face to face. That’s the way you get back to Bethel.

A man wrestled with Jacob until dawn, and finally the man touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh, which put it out of joint. As he wrestled with him and said to Jacob, “Let me go, for the day breaketh.” Jacob said, “I will not let Thee go except Thou bless me!”

When the man who wrestled with him asked, “What is thy name?” he said, “Jacob,” which means “supplanter.” “I’ve been a cheater—I cheated my brother out of his birthright and out of the final blessing that belonged to him.” Then the man told him, “You’re not going to be Jacob anymore—you’re going to be Israel. After a life­time of striving with men, you have now striven with God and prevailed.”

So the man blessed Jacob there. Now Jacob wanted to know His name. I believe it was the preincarnate Jesus. Jesus is permanent. Jesus didn’t just come into being over in Bethlehem’s manger. “In the beginning, God…” (Genesis 1:1). And “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Who better could have come and had a wrestling match with Jacob? “And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”

The next morning, when he met Esau, I imagine Esau asked, “What’s wrong with your legs?” Jacob answered, “I had a meeting with the Lord last night, and He fixed me where I couldn’t run. I’m a crippled Jacob, but I’m trusting God. I’ve given you these gifts. I know that’s not the answer. I’ve tried to outsmart you every time, and I was going to do it again, but then the Lord taught me something last night.”

Something happened to Esau. It wasn’t the cows and the camels. It was the power of God. While Jesus wrestled and dealt with Jacob, I think he also paid a visit to Esau. When Esau saw his brother coming, the Bible says he ran to him and gave him a kiss and hugged his brother.

I think Jacob realized that God was going to get him back to Bethel, but he had to get some things fixed with Laban and with Esau, and he had to get himself crippled up before he could move on back to Bethel.

Now, we’re going to get the next call. God said, “Jacob, I want you to rise and go back to Bethel and dwell there, and I want you to change your garments and to get rid of your gods and idols.” Brother, if you want to get back to Bethel, you’re gonna have to get rid of those old idols. What’s an idol? Anything that you love more than you love the Lord. You’re gonna have to leave your Laban, meet your Esau, cross your brook to be alone, let God touch you, let Him give you a new name, and not be ashamed.

Bethel is a sweet place. It’s the place where you’ve met the Lord. And that’s the sweetest place and the sweetest experience you’ve ever had or ever will have down here—when you meet the Lord Jesus. Folks, do you want to go back to Bethel? You may have to tell Laban goodbye. You may have to meet members of your family, and friends, and be willing to forgive and to get the hatred out of your heart so you can get your prayers answered. When Jesus comes in, that goes out. God may need to touch the hollow of your thigh, but you’ll be limping for Jesus. I close the message by saying, when God says, “Go back to Bethel,” head out immediately. You’ll be glad the rest of your life that you did.

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