When Jacob had his dream where he saw a stairway into heaven with angels ascending and descending, God spoke to him and promised to bless him. After Jacob awoke he called the name of that place “Bethel,” which means “House of God,” and said “surely the Lord is in this place” (Gen. 28:16). It was a life-changing moment. Yet, the focus was more on the place and the blessing he heard God speak. Good as far as it went.
Over twenty years later, and experiencing much blessing from the Lord, God called Jacob to return to where God first appeared to him. He did. He led his family back to Bethel, and he built an altar there. But this time Jacob called the name of the place “El-Bethel,” which means “God of the House of God” (Gen. 35:7). His focus now switched from just the blessings to the God of the blessings.
Do we focus merely on the blessings God gives us, and He does bless us abundantly and we should be grateful, or do we focus the person of God who gives the blessings? I suppose for most believers, like Jacob, we first focus on the blessings God gives us. But maturity brings light on the far greater blessing—the Blesser Himself. O to be enthralled with God!
John Van Gelderen
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