Bethel And Peniel

Bill Somers

03/11/02
A look at Jacob's two encounters with the Lord and their prophetic implications
for end time understanding.
Bethel [House of God]
Genesis 28:
10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
11 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.
12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and
the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God
ascending and descending on it.
13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, 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;
14 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.
15 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.
16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the
LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
17 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.
18 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.
19 And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of
that city was called Luz at the first.
There is something very profound in this story, actually several things. Let's ask
ourselves first: isn't is odd for someone to use a stone for a pillow? Couldn't
Jacob have found something just a little bit softer and more comfortable to use?
Sure he could have. The Lord is using the stone pillow to get our attention to his
use of symbols and types here.
A Symbol can be a thing or object that is used to represent some thing or
someone else. A Type is usually a person who has similarities to someone else,
and is used to illustrate some point about that someone else. A allegory is a story
using symbols and types, used to present some lesson about the things
represented.
In this story about Jacob resting on a stone pillow, Jacob is being used as a type
of Jesus. The cross reference verse that gives us a clue is this:.
And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of
the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his
head. (Matthew 8:20 KJV)
The use of a pillow speaks of finding a place to lay one's head.
So when Jacob finds this place to rest his head it speaks of Jesus finding a place
to rest his head. In the context of Matthew 8, where Jesus says he has no place
to rest his head, the discussion is about following Jesus. For in the verse just
before we read:
And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow
thee whithersoever thou goest. (Matthew 8:19 KJV)
Here we see a man claiming he would follow Jesus wherever.
And what does Jesus answer?
And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of
the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his
head. (Matthew 8:20 KJV)
So what kind of an answer is that? It seems that Jesus is changing the topic and
talking about something totally different! Well consider that the followers of Jesus,
which is what this section of Matthew is about, make up the 'body of Christ'.
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head
of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. (Ephesians 5:23
KJV)
Now look at these other selections from Ephesians.
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow
citizens with the saints, and of the household of God
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone
In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy
temple in the Lord
In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God
through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22 KJV)
 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things,
which is the head, even Christ
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by
that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working
in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the
edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:15-16 KJV)
In Ephesians 2:21 we see the phrase "fitly framed together"; and in 4:16 we read
"fitly joined together". This is talking about the members of the body finding their
proper place in Christ. And the Body of Christ being attached to the Head of the
Body, Jesus.
When he talks about the fox holes or the birds nests, you think naturally that this
is where they go to sleep for the night. So if the Son of Man has no place to
sleep, is he some kind of homeless person? Well in a sense, yes he is. But He is
also talking about laying his head on his body! So what is it that keeps him from
laying his head on the body? The foxes and birds? Yes exactly, because they are
symbols of demons. Look at this parable of the sower from Matthew 13.
And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the
fowls came and devoured them up: (Matthew 13:4 KJV)
When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and
understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth
away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received
seed by the way side. (Matthew 13:19 KJV)
Here the fowls of the air are the forces of the wicked one that resist those who
would follow Jesus.
Then he uses the same symbol in the parable of the mustard seed, where the
birds nest in the branches of the mustard.
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of
heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and
sowed in his field
Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the
greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of
the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. (Matthew 13:31-32
KJV)
Here the kingdom speaks of the church, seed sown is the mustard seed of faith
dealt out to every man who hears the word. Now if the church is symbolized by a
tree with birds nesting in it, and the birds are the forces of the wicked one, what
does all this tell us? It says that there are demonic strongholds in the church that
hinder the people from being true followers of the Lord. I don't think that is too
surprising!
As for the foxes, we know that it's the foxes that spoil the vine and the vine is
another symbol of the church.
Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines
have tender grapes. (Song of Songs 2:15 KJV)
Then the talk about foxes' holes and birds' nests is describing something [the
influence of the enemy] that prevents the followers from being true followers. This
then prevents Him from coming to his resting place, and indwelling in his body.
So what is it saying when Jacob finds a place to rest his head. Well look at
Jacob's dream.
And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the
top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God
ascending and descending on it. Genesis 28:12
To see the full import of this we need another cross reference.
And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye
shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and
descending upon the Son of man. (John 1:51 KJV)
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and
the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with
me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which
must be hereafter. Revelation 4:1
Jacob dreams of seeing into heaven. John has a vision of a door opened in
heaven. Jesus speaks of heaven being opened hereafter. The hereafter then
clearly speaks of the end times or latter days. So this is telling us that hereafter,
in the latter days, the son of man will find the place to lay his head.
Therefore we can conclude that this passage is prophesying that there will be a
time when the influence of the enemy will be removed from the church. And then
the Body of Christ will come together in unity.
So that still leaves the question of Why Did Jacob Use a Stone Pillow? And the
answer here is that God is having a little fun with a pun. If a stone is where you
lay your head, then you can call it a head-stone. And that gets you right into the
meaning of the last section of the story where Jacob takes the rock and sets it up
and anoints it.
Here Jacob is used as a type of the Father. There are three passages relevant to
this. First in Zechariah,
Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt
become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof
with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. (Zechariah 4:7 KJV)
Here the Father is setting the Head in place. And the place is on top of the 'Great
Mountain mentioned here namely Mt. Zion, i.e. the church, i.e. the body of Christ.
Next, Psalm 2 shows this, the Father sets His King in place, the King is the Son.
And Mt. Zion is the Kingdom.
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my
Son; this day have I begotten thee. (Psalms 2:6-7 KJV)
Then third, Jacob anoints the stone, this is seen in Psalm 133, where the
anointing, the precious ointment, is poured on the head of the high priest Aaron
[Jesus is our high priest] and this is likened to the dew on Mount Zion.
Psalm 133:1 A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and
how
pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon
the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his
garments;
3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the
mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing,
even life
for evermore.
Here we see the anointing on the head, which is the rock, which is Jesus. It
happens in a place of unity, again Mt. Zion, where the Body of Christ comes
together, resting in Him!
What about the rest of the passage? Verses 13-15 are where God declares his
covenant promises to Jacob. We are going to see those promises fulfilled in the
latter days. Then in verse 17 we read: And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful
is this place! This clearly speaks of a great Fear of the Lord that will be present in
that place. And what is the place? " this is none other but the house of God, and
this is the gate of heaven.
Of course the House of God is exactly what he is talking about over in Ephesians
where we read this.
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow
citizens with the saints, and of the household of God
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone
In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy
temple in the Lord
In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God
through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22 KJV)
Then He named the place Bethel, which means House of God. That is God's
resting place, where he chooses to dwell. And when we come to rest in him, we'll
find our resting place, our place of peace, which can only be in Him.
Peniel [Face of God]
Genesis 32:
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him
until the breaking of the day.
25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched
the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of
joint, as he wrestled with him.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will
not let thee go, except thou bless me.
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but
Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and
hast prevailed.
29 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? And
he blessed him there.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen
God face to face, and my life is preserved.
31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he
halted upon his thigh.
Here is Jacob wrestling with God in Genesis 32. You know some people say that
it was not God, but an angel or a man. Even though it plainly says, I have seen
God face to face! I think it's one of those things that you have to get your own
revelation on.
The breaking new day is the third day, the new millennium.
The breaking of day is the dawning of the third day. Here Jacob is of course
renamed Israel. As Israel, he is a type of the church or people of God and this
wrestling speaks of the shaking of all things that God will use to bring his people
to the place of obedience. What is very clever here is the point about touching
Jacob's thigh. Here is the relevant scripture that provides the clue to the meaning
of this incident.
He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not
pleasure in the legs of a man.
The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope
in his mercy. (Psalms 147:10-11 KJV)
The thrust of verse 10 is strength. The strength of a horse is compared to the
legs of a man. Our legs are our largest and strongest muscle group. Weight
lifters can lift far more with the legs than any other body part. What the Lord is
saying here is that the legs represent man operating in his own strength. He
doesn't want us to labor in our own strength but to rest in him and let the Joy of
the Lord be our strength. So what is very profound here is that He touched
Jacob's thigh causing him to limp from then on. This speaks of a permanent
change in the body, the body of Christ, where it no longer operates in it's own
strength! We find a cross reference to this way over in Hebrews.
By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of
Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
(Hebrews 11:21 KJV)
When the lord touched his leg he was a cripple from then on. Doesn’t sound very
kind of him does it. But it is part of the symbolism as we saw. And it was a
blessing!
The permanent change in Jacob's body speaks of a permanent change in the
body of Christ. One way of expressing it is to say Jacob's walk was changed.
The Church today is not walking the right walk but God is about to change that in
like manner.
Jacob had to walk with a staff for the rest of his days. Now the staff is a symbol of
authority. As long as we are depending on God for our strength, we will have HIS
authority to lean on.
The Name and the Nature
What is so important about characters names it that it speaks of their nature. The
many names of God are descriptions of his nature. The Lord our healer, the lord
our provider etc all tell us who and what he is. His name tells his nature.
The name is the nature, when Jacobs name was changed, it meant his nature
was changed. As a type of the church, it foretells a coming change in the nature
of the church. The change comes at the break of day, the new day, the third day,
etc.
From Jacob to Israel
The name Jacob is 'heel catcher'. It's translated supplanter or restrainer. Jacob
was a conniver up till that point, when his name changed, his personality did
also.
The name Israel is translated soldier of God or Prince of God or 'he will rule as
God'. The change in the nature from Jacob to Israel foretells a change in the
nature of the church. Once that change comes, the church can begin to exercise
the power and authority that has been given her.
You can find a similar idea in Ephesians 2.
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 2:6 KJV)
And in Revelation 3
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even
as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
(Revelation 3:21 KJV)
Both of these scriptures await fulfillment.
Now after The Lord changed Jacob's name, Israel asked the Lord for His name!
And God says to him "Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name?
Since the name tells us the nature, we see that Israel's first reaction to being
changed is to seek after God's nature. He want's to be like Jesus! And that is
something available to those who are changed in like manner.
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious
promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2
Peter 1:4 KJV)
This whole story of Jacob at Peniel is an allegory of the believer and/or the
church having an encounter with God. It's such a great encounter that one comes
away from it totally transformed [conformed to Christ]. You could say it's the
Revelation of Jesus Christ.
When Israel came away from it, he said "for I have seen God face to face".
In John's first epistle, he describes it like this:
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear
what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall
be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2 KJV)
So what is the connection between these two stories. Clearly there are a lot of
points in common. I believe that they are two sides of the same coin, or two
viewpoints on the same events. Bethel is seeing things from God's point of view.
Here Jacob is a type of God, and God is saying this.
When I find that I can set my head in place on the body, I will fulfill the promises,
made to the fathers, in the covenant, i.e. the prophecies in the bible; and
establish my rule in my Kingdom.
Peniel is seeing things from man's viewpoint. There Jacob is a type of the
believer or of God's people. There, God is saying to us that when we come to the
point of submitting to God, we won't labor in our own strength anymore but be
transformed into the new creation and enter into the kingdom, walking in right
relationship with our God.