From the desk of Steve Shultz:
I know many of you have struggled through hard testing and seasons. In these times it's always good to "remind God of His promises." As I've shared before there are times that I've "gotten in God's face" in a good way, to remind Him of His promises to me. You'll appreciate this word by Kim Clement in which he shares the hard struggles and sorrow that Jacob had to walk through to receive His blessing.
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Kim Clement:
Back to the Future: God is in the Business of Blessing
In Genesis 28 prior to him meeting Rachel, Jacob was a desperate man. He was in his place of pain. He was destitute and without direction. He was lonely and all seemed lost and above all he hated the ground he was lying on. However, he didn't realize that the ground he was lying on would be eternally sacred and blessed. Jacob was lying on top of Israel. Israel needed to be released and the only way that would happen was if Jacob decreased. Suddenly the heavens opened up to Jacob and this would change his life forever.
Genesis 28:12-22 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to Heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: "I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you."
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it." And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of Heaven!"
Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You."
Jacob was standing on and in his FUTURE! The next 21 years would be divided into three 7-year phases. God would form Jacob into Israel. This was not easy for Jacob. Let's move to that period of time and see what happened.
Genesis 35:1, 9-18 Then God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother."
Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name." So He called his name Israel. Also God said to him: "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land." Then God went up from him in the place where He talked with him. So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.
Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor. Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, "Do not fear; you will have this son also." And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin.
God Has Promised
I want you to notice something. God appeared to Jacob again and reiterated His blessing. God is in the business of blessing those who are faithful and obedient. Jacob wasn't perfect, but he was obedient to God. God is looking for ways to bless you, not looking for ways to curse you. He wants to reveal His purpose and His good will.
Immediately after God speaks to Jacob and blesses him, Jacob seals this blessing by setting up an altar with a pillar of stone and giving an offering to God. While he is giving his offering, Jacob does what we should all do when giving an offering, HE REPEATS WHAT GOD HAS PROMISED HIM AND NAMES HIS BLESSING.
However, prior to God's monumental appearance to Jacob, there is a death and immediately after this appearance there is another death. The first tragedy was the death of Rebekah's nurse. Please understand that this was very painful for them as Rebekah, Jacob's mother, was old and frail. They buried her nurse, Deborah, just beneath Bethel under an oak called Allonbachuth; this word means "oak of weeping." After God had appeared to Jacob there is another tragedy. They are traveling to a place called EPHRATH, which interestingly enough means "fruitfulness."
They were traveling toward fruitfulness and Rachel travailed with hard labor and then another tragedy. "And it came to pass, as her soul was departing (for she died) that she called his name BEN-ONI, which means "son of sorrow."
THE WORD COMES FROM A HEBREW ROOT AW-VEN, WHICH MEANS "TO EXERT ONESELF IN VAIN-NOTHINGNESS, VANITY."
Rachel was overwhelmed with the sorrow of her own travail and death and spoke out of her sorrow. THE SORROWFUL SOUL SEES AND SPEAKS SORROW. However Jacob, realizing that this son would live with this destined name, spoke out and changed the course of this boy's life and called him BENJAMIN, which means, "son of my right hand, DEXTROUS, HAND OF STRENGTH." In every matter there is a bright side as well as a dark side. Jacob, though grieving and weeping over his wife Rachel's death, could see the mercy of the child's birth.
Samson's lion yielded honey, and so will our adversities, if rightly considered. The stormy sea feeds multitudes with its fishes, the stormy wind sweeps away the pestilence, and the biting frost loosens the soil. Dark clouds RELEASE bright drops, and black earth grows colorful flowers. A vein of good is to be found in every mine of evil. SORROWFUL SOULS have UNUSUAL skill in discovering the most disadvantageous point of view where they gaze upon a trial. If there were only one lion in the desert they would hear it roar. All around us there is a tinge of this wretched folly, and we are apt to cry, "All these things are against me." A PROPHETIC LIFESTYLE is to cast all cares upon the Lord, and then to anticipate good results from the worst calamities.
Like Gideon's men, we don't fret over the broken pitcher, but we rejoice that the lamp is blazing. Out of the rough oyster-shell of difficulty we extract the rare pearl of honor, and from the deep ocean-caves of distress we uplift the priceless coral of experience. When our flood of prosperity ebbs, we find treasures hidden in the sands; and when our sun of delight goes down, we turn our telescope of hope to the starry promises of Heaven. When death itself appears, faith points to the light of resurrection beyond the grave, thus making our dying Ben-Oni to be our living Benjamin.
Do what Jacob did NOW! With death and darkness all around him, he still built an altar, gave his offering to God and then received God's blessing by repeating what God said and naming his blessing.
Do you realize that with your help we paid cash for the land we purchased to build the Den, God's House? We have entered this new project DEBT FREE! And when it happens to me as your spiritual leader, it is no doubt destined to happen for you, as you have supported and sown into this mission. We have a long way to go now to physically build the House, but we have the faith and knowing that God will provide every step of the way. He can do it for you! Thank you for standing with us in prayer and support, as our dream of owning land in California became a reality.
Kim Clement
Prophetic Image Expressions
Email: hope@kimclement.com
Kim Clement: The life of Kim Clement is an expression that has defined "the prophet" for the modern era. This has made his journey unique; a journey that has taken his inspired message to schools and colleges, churches and synagogues, alleyways and prison cells. Kim's prophetic gift is a magnet that has drawn a broad audience, as he has whispered to kings and inspired prisoners; his path through life continues to be an exciting adventure. His diverse and extemporaneous perspective has gained him notoriety that transcends culture, race and religion, placing him onto a world platform. He has performed at the Rose Bowl Stadium in California, Times Square in New York City, Mt. Carmel in Israel, and even the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
