HOW TO HAVE POWER WITH (versus “from”) GOD

03-10-19 This message may be viewed live streaming video at www.tabernacleofmoses.org commencing today Sunday at 11:00 am, and repeated 24/7 for one week; thereafter, the video, audio, and study notes are archived.

THE DREAM

(Gen 28:10-15)  And Jacob [1] went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed [2], and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels [Heb: messengers] [i.e., messages] of God ascending and descending on it [3]. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said [messages], I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

1.     Jacob = Heb: heel catcher (supplanter) [Dict. syn: displace, replace, unseat], cheater, deceiver.

a.      Commentary: Jacob was a trickster, a type and shadow of our natural man before Christ.

2.     (Job 33:14-18)  For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction, That he may withdraw man from his purpose [Heb: activity: deeds], and hide pride from man. He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.

3.     (John 1:51)  And he [Jesus Christ] saith unto him [Nathanael], Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels [Gk: messengers] [i.e., messages] of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

(Gen 28:16-22)  And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel [Heb: house of God]: but the name of that city was called Luz [Heb: (growing there): some kind of nut tree, perhaps the almond] at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep [Heb: guard, protect] me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth [Heb: the tithe] unto thee.

HOW JACOB WAS BLESSED WITH POWER WITH (versus “from”) GOD

Gen 32:24,25)  And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man [“the angel” Hosea 12:4] with him until the breaking of the day. And when he [the angel] saw that he prevailed not against him [Jacob], he [the angel] touched the hollow [Heb: fig. power] of his [Jacob’s] thigh [the strongest muscle in the body]; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint [Heb: dislocated; fig. abandoned: alienated, departed] [i.e., literally the sinew shrank (v32); fig., Jacob’s great pride was diminished into humility], as he wrestled with him [the angel].

(Gen 32:26-32)  And he [the angel] said, Let me go, for the day [Heb: dawn] breaketh [Heb: to ascend, mount: arise up] [i.e., “the morning star” (Rev 2:28) is about to ascend]. And he [Jacob] said, I will not let thee go [Mat 6:48-50], except thou bless me. And he [the angel] said unto him, What is thy name [Heb: position, honor, authority, character]? And he said, Jacob. And he [the angel] said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel [Heb: Prince with God, he will rule as God]: for as a prince hast thou power with God [Hosea 12:3] and with men, and hast prevailed [Heb: overcome] [i.e., overcome yourself]. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name [i.e., do you not understand Who I am]? And he [the angel] blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel [Heb: face of God]: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved [Heb: recovered, rescued, saved]. And as he passed over Penuel [Heb: face of God] the sun rose upon him, and he halted [Heb: limped] upon his thigh. Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew [Heb: a tendon] which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.

1.     (1 Thes 5:17)  Pray without ceasing.

HOSEA’S PROPHECY, AND ENCOURAGEMENT ON HOW TO OBTAIN POWER WITH GOD

(Hos 12:2-6)  The LORD hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob [the unsaved people] according to his ways; according to his doings [“according to their works” Rev 20:12,13] will he recompense [Heb: reward] him [“eye for eye” Exo 21:24; John 12:48]. He [Jacob] took his brother [Esau] by the heel in the womb [Gen 25:26], and by his strength he had power [Heb: to prevail: have power (as a prince)] with God [POWER WITH GOD]: Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication [1] unto him: he found him in Bethel [Heb: house of God] [Gen 28:10-22], and there he spake with us; Even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial. Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.

1.     supplication = Heb: to implore (move to favor by petition): beseech, entreat, pray.

Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary: The socket of Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he struggled with this mysterious stranger, but he refused to release his grip until he was given a blessing. For the first time in the narrative of Genesis, Jacob had been unable to defeat an opponent. When asked to identify himself in the darkness, he confessed he was Jacob – the heel-grabber. But Jacob’s struggling [praying] earned him a new name. For his struggle in which he prevailed, his name was changed to Israel (literally, Prince with God). In these first two instances, a deep spiritual sensitivity is evident in Jacob. He appears outwardly brash and grasping, always enriching himself and securing his future. Yet he responded readily to these night experiences – the dream and the wrestling contest – because he apparently sensed “the presence of the holy” in each of them.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT (A PROGRESSING COMPILATION)

God is Love. The brightness of our revelations depends upon the correctness of our doctrines, our building blocks. God is Thought. We who are saved, redeemed, imputed for righteousness, born-again, are spiritually ascending and descending Jacob’s ladder (Gen 28:12; John 1:51) in meditation (inner thoughts) and prayer (manifested thoughts). Thoughts are Life (they move). Words are a product of thought. God’s angels are His manifested Thoughts (His Words). God is Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God is the conglomerate of all His Angels (all His Holy Thoughts) who are created as Spirits (Psa 104:4; Heb 1:7). Angels are His manifested Spirit. God is the eternal Spirit from which all things that are the entire manifested universe was/is being created. All S(s)pirits originate as God’s Thoughts. You are a transitional part of God’s Spirit (Eccl 12:7); you will become either an eternal Heavenly Spirit, or an eternal fallen spirit. The Garden of Eden is a type and shadow of Heaven. All the trees in the Garden of Eden are fruit trees (Gen 1:11,12,29; 2:9,16,17) symbolizing Angels (Heb: messengers) whose fruit is God’s message (Gal 5:22,23; Eph 5:9 & Rev 22:2). Men are fruit trees (Mat 7:15-20; 12:33; Luke 3:9). The S(s)pirits of men are A(a)ngels (Rev 19:9,10; 22:8,9).

Amen