Two Encounters with the Divine

Rabbi Ken Alpren
Sermon Notes Teresa Bennett, Pharm.D.
12/10/11

Ya’akov had two encounters with the Divine; one at Beit-El and another at P’ni-El. When G-d visits us He transforms us! He wants to be with us. We may be wrestling, troubled or have perpetual struggles with the L-rd, like Ya’akov. But G-d doesn’t give up on us!

Genesis 28:15, “Look, I am with you. I will guard you wherever you go, and I will bring you back into this land, because I won't leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

Ya’akov had a dream at Beit-El.

Genesis 28:11-12, ‘He came to a certain place and stayed the night there, because the sun had set. He took a stone from the place, put it under his head and lay down there to sleep. 12 He dreamt that there before him was a ladder resting on the ground with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of ADONAI were going up and down on it.’

Dreams can be prophetic but they can also be derived from fleshly or even satanic influence. We have an ‘ear gate’ and an ‘eye gate’ both of which should be guarded. If we have allowed negative influences in to our hearts and minds, we can repent and be restored and be free of those influences.

It is interesting that the only time the Hebrew word interpreted as ‘ladder’ is used in the Bible is to describe the method or instrument upon which the angels were ascending and descending Heaven. The Hebrew word is ‘sullam’. This ladder originated in Heaven and demonstrates to us G-d reaching down to us! Our remedy is G-d initiated.

2 Corinthians 5: 18-19, ‘And it is all from God, who through the Messiah has reconciled us to himself and has given us the work of that reconciliation, 19 which is that God in the Messiah was reconciling mankind to himself, not counting their sins against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.’

ADONAI appeared to Ya’akov at Beit-El and gave him a promise!

Genesis 28:13-15, ‘Then suddenly ADONAI was standing there next to him; and he said, "I am ADONAI, the God of Avraham your [grand]father and the God of Yitz'chak. The land on which you are lying I will give to you and to your descendants. 14 Your descendants will be as numerous as the grains of dust on the earth. You will expand to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. By you and your descendants all the families of the earth will be blessed. 15 Look, I am with you. I will guard you wherever you go, and I will bring you back into this land, because I won't leave you until I have done what I have promised you." 16 Ya'akov awoke from his sleep and said, "Truly, ADONAI is in this place - and I didn't know it!"

We need to seek G-d presence while in our congregation as well as personally.

1 Corinthians 5:4, ‘In the name of the Lord Yeshua, when you are assembled, with me present spiritually and the power of our Lord Yeshua among us.’

Five times in the vision at Beit-El, the Hebrew word “hinneh” is used impressing upon the reader the perceptive substance of the promise G-d was making to Ya’akov. When G-d was introducing His promise to Ya’akov he kept using this word as emphasis. It can be translated ‘behold’. Where else do we see this perceptive substance used?

John 1:29, ‘The next day, Yochanan saw Yeshua coming toward him and said, "Look! [Behold] God's lamb! The one who is taking away the sin of the world!’

Even with this dramatic experience, Ya’akov didn’t remember so well. Sometimes we are unaware of G-d’s activity and forget!

Genesis 28:16, ‘Ya'akov awoke from his sleep and said, "Truly, ADONAI is in this place - and I didn't know it!"’

Are we aware when G-d reveals Himself to us and even more, do we always remember?

Albert Einstein described time as the fourth dimension. But there is another dimension; the fifth dimension where G-d lives, and He reveals His activity and Himself to us in our four dimensional world!

Isaiah 57:15, ‘For thus says the High, Exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy: "I live in the high and holy place but also with the broken and humble, in order to revive the spirit of the humble and revive the hearts of the broken ones.’

We all need a revelation or encounter with G-d. Can you remember receiving an encounter with G-d and experiencing the House of G-d and Gate of Heaven?

Ya’akov seemingly forgot the promises of G-d and encounter he experienced as recorded in Genesis 28 and we see in Genesis 32, he prays to G-d. He is struggling over Esav’ and he is afraid!

Genesis 32:9-13, ‘Then Ya'akov said, "God of my father Avraham and God of my father Yitz'chak, ADONAI, who told me, 'Return to your country and your kinsmen, and I will do you good': 10 I'm not worthy of all the love and faithfulness you have shown your servant, since I crossed the Yarden with only my staff. But now I have become two camps. 11 Please! Rescue me from my brother 'Esav! I'm afraid of him, afraid he'll come and attack me, without regard for mothers or children. 12 You said, 'I will certainly do you good and make your descendants as numerous as the grains of sand by the sea, which are so many they can't be counted.'" 13 He stayed there that night; then he chose from among his possessions the following as a present for 'Esav his brother.’

We certainly tend not to trust or remember!

Isaiah 30:15, ‘For this is what Adonai ELOHIM, the Holy One of Isra'el, says: "Returning and resting is what will save you; calmness and confidence will make you strong - but you want none of this!’

But G-d promises, Isaiah 32:18, ‘My people will live in a peaceful place, in secure neighborhoods and tranquil dwellings.’

Ya’akov was operating between the flesh and the spirit. He was in trouble! The Hebrew word is ‘t’sara’ which means narrowed, tight, crisis. What is threatening you right now?

Our answer to t’sara is to pray. The Hebrew word is ‘t’filah’.

1 Timothy 2:1, ‘First of all, then, I counsel that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all human beings.’

Our first response should be to pray, not to talk about our issue or to scheme about solving it!

As Ya’akov felt unworthy, he attempts to solve the problem with Esav’ using three strategies:

He prays, he sends gifts and he plans to either fight Esav’ or to escape him.

Based on the strategies he had, he demonstrated that he wasn’t truly trusting G-d. G-d had already appeared to him at Beit-El and given him promises. But now he was scheming in fear of Esav’s potential aggression.

What he didn’t know was that G-d had already changed Esav’s heart! It wasn’t Ya’akov’s plans that saved him but it was his prayer that worked as recorded in Genesis 33.

Before Ya’akov met Esav, it is recorded in Genesis 32:24, ‘and Ya'akov was left alone. Then some man wrestled with him until daybreak.’

Ya’akov was left to himself and look what happened!

G-d contended with Ya’akov and demonstrated that He was truly going to fulfill His promise to Him.

Genesis 32:25-32, ‘When he saw that he did not defeat Ya'akov, he struck Ya'akov's hip socket, so that his hip was dislocated while wrestling with him. 26 The man said, "Let me go, because it's daybreak." But Ya'akov replied, "I won't let you go unless you bless me." 27 The man asked, "What is your name?" and he answered, "Ya'akov." 28 Then the man said, "From now on, you will no longer be called Ya'akov, but Isra'el; because you have shown your strength to both God and men and have prevailed." 29 Ya'akov asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he answered, "Why are you asking about my name?" and blessed him there. 30 Ya'akov called the place P'ni-El [face of God], "Because I have seen God face to face, yet my life is spared." 31 As the sun rose upon him he went on past P'ni-El, limping at the hip. 32 This is why, to this day, the people of Isra'el do not eat the thigh muscle that passes along the hip socket - because the man struck Ya'akov's hip at its socket.’

Looking closely we see that Ya’akov won the match! But sometimes we have to lose in order to win. Our greatest hindrance can be our own strength!

So, ‘the man’ struck Ya’akov’s hip socket. So, in winning he did not really lose because G-d prevailed in his life.

This is where he met G-d and named the place P’ni-El. He had wrestled with G-d and seen His face. Interestingly, the word for face is plural. So really he had seen the ‘faces’ of G-d. G-d doesn’t always reveal Himself the same way all the time. But praise His Name He does reveal Himself to us!

Further Reading: Hosea 12:4-6, 1 Corinthians 15:46-51, Hebrews 13:5, Job 33:16, Numbers 12:6, Hebrews 10:25, Psalm 27:4-6, Psalm 84, Isaiah 14:24,27, Daniel 6:23, Psalm 91:11, Ephesians 3, Isaiah 32:18, Hosea 24:4,