Alone with God

"Alone with God" - Genesis 28:16-18 Attachment, affection, love, is to be "voluntarily" subject to the obedience of our God. Jacob has had a real, continuous, intimate communion between heaven and earth, between God in His glory and "Jacob in his solitude." You must enjoy fellowship with the Lord at every moment.

I. A wonderful, extraordinary, supernatural dream.

A. Jacob's experience is supernatural, because of those wonderful dreams.

1. Jacob was in a dream that was wonderful, something totally supernatural: heaven.

2. He was amazed at the signs he had had of God's special presence with him in that place: Surely Jehovah is in this place and "I did not know it"; Maybe it happens to you.

3. God can give demonstrations of His presence to those who receive it.

4. As we see with Jacob, there is no unsuitable place for God's visitations (Genesis 28:1112); wherever we are, God is there.

5. (Genesis 28:17) Well, is reverent fear: He was afraid and said, How terrible this place is!

6. He was afraid, it was terrible for him, because the glory of God was there with him and an ordinary body cannot assimilate it (understand what happened).

7. It is nothing other than the house of God and the gate of Heaven; It is the Church.

8. It was not in another atmosphere; it was the same sky that absorbed it.

9. (Genesis 28:18) He preserved a memory of it in two ways; He raised the stone as a sign, reason; he did not have the time now to erect an altar there, as Abraham did in the places where God appeared to him.

10. He poured oil on the earth, both to distinguish it from the others and to leave there a pledge and foretaste of the altar he intended to build there when he had opportunity, as he did afterwards (Genesis 35:7) in gratitude to God for this vision (35:7).

11. (2 Chronicles 29:20) It was a solemn (formal) assembly to meet with the king in the temple.

12. No doubt every good person in Jerusalem would come gladly.

13. As soon as Hezekiah heard that the temple was ready, he lost no time, but rose early to go there, he let it be seen to show that his heart had been set on the work done there.

14. Atonement was to be made for the sins of the previous reign.

15. They thought that it was not enough to mourn and turn away from sin and therefore, they presented a great sacrifice as atonement (elimination of guilt or sin through a third party).

16. (Job 1:5) He had a holy zeal that they should be kept pure and unspotted "in the midst of all their feasts."

17. Job exercised priestly functions in his family, for: (Job 1:4) As soon as the feasting days were over, "he sent for them to purify them."

18. He made them examine their consciences and repent of all that they had done worthy of "reproof."

19. Thus he "retained his authority over them for good," and they willingly submitted," even though they had already formed their own family.

20. Job continued to be the priest of the family, and his sons came to his altar, and they appreciated partaking of his prayers more than partaking of his property.

21. He offered sacrifices for them.

22. Like Abraham, Job had an altar for his family.

23. On such extraordinary occasions, he offered a greater number of sacrifices than ordinary, according to the number of all of them.

24. He got up in the morning and got up early for it "as if he had his heart set on the work".

25. "This is how he did every day."

26. He was persevering in his priestly functions.

27. Acts of faith and repentance are to be renewed very often, "for we too often renew our transgressions."

28. Whoever is to serve God rightly must serve Him continually.

29. (Psalm 57:8) Awake, my soul; awake, psaltery, and harp.

30. We must sing with grace and enthusiasm.

31. Not only with the usual grace, but with enthusiasm as well; The music of the instruments delights only when they are played.

32. (Mark 1:35) Jesus prayed early in the morning, when it was very dark.

33. We are to approach "the throne" of grace every day of the week.

34. He went to a lonely place.

35. Private prayer is to be done in private.

36. Those who are busier in public, and all the more so the higher the occupation, should spend more time alone with God. Amen