Explore the Bible Series for March 30: Renewing your commitment

Posted: 3/20/08

Explore the Bible Series for March 30

Renewing your commitment

• Genesis 34:30-31; 35:1-7, 9-15

By Donald Raney

First Baptist Church, Petersburg

The Bible is full of great stories. Some of these inspire us to stretch our faith while others teach us insights into the character of God or the nature of the Christian life. Still other Bible stories shock and perhaps even disgust modern readers and many wonder why such stories were included in the Bible.

The story of the defiling of Jacob’s daughter Dinah is one of those stories. More than a few readers have encountered this story and asked what purpose it could possible have. Yet while we may be at least initially offended by the events recorded, this story has much to teach about living out our spiritual commitments in the real world where horrible things take place. It teaches us that when life is settled, there is a danger of becoming lax in those commitments and drifting away from God unless we are continually watchful.

As we look at Jacob’s response to the events and the reaction of his sons, we see the need to regularly evaluate our spiritual commitments as well as the steps involved in renewing them.

Evaluate your actions (Genesis 34:30-31)

After his reunion with his brother Esau, Jacob purchased a plot of land near Shechem and settled into his new home. The son of his neighbor raped Jacob’s daughter Dinah and desired to marry her. When Dinah’s brothers Simeon and Levi learned of the attack, they formed a plan to get revenge. They lured the men of the town into an act apparently designed to create a bond with Jacob’s family and then killed all of them when they were most vulnerable.

When Jacob found out what they had done, he was very upset and told them their actions had created problems for the family. While Jacob likely understood their motivation, he questioned whether they had done what was best in handling the situation.

There are many times in everyone’s life when we react rather than respond to our circumstances. Something will be said or done which we take as a personal attack. Our initial reaction is to lash out against the one who offended us. Too often we follow this initial instinct and act to “make the wrong right.” Too often that reaction is the product of our human nature rather than our Christian walk.

Jacob teaches us that the first step in renewing our commitment to God is to carefully evaluate our actions and reactions and seek to do only those things in line with those commitments.

Purify yourself (Genesis 35:1-4)

The events in chapter 34 may have revealed a need for Jacob and his family to renew their commitments and relationship to God. Perhaps when life became settled, they had gradually lost sight of their need for God. God therefore told Jacob to take his family to Bethel and to build an altar there.

Yet before he could do this, Jacob knew they needed to remove all the false gods that had crept into their lives. Though they knew of their family’s close relationship with God, they had allowed pagan influences to become a part of their lives, likely accompanied by a variety of rationalizations. Before they could renew their commitment to God, these foreign deities had to be removed.

While few today have actual pagan idols, many have allowed sinful habits or attitudes to creep in. We often can even rationalize or justify these ungodly influences. These may include pursuing one’s own agenda or goals in one’s own way, a spirit of jealousy or unforgiveness, or some secret “pet sin.” Some may seek to draw closer to God without consciously addressing these issues and wonder why they do not hear God.

These verses clearly show us that if we desire to renew our commitment to God, we must acknowledge the presence of our “foreign gods” and purify ourselves by removing them from our lives.

Renew your devotion (Genesis 35:5-7)

Having heard God’s call and put away all foreign gods, Jacob and his family followed God’s lead to Bethel where Jacob immediately built an altar to God. Renewing one’s commitment to God involves more than a turning away from sinful influences. One also must turn toward God through refocusing devotion.

It is not insignificant that God lead Jacob to Bethel in order to renew his commitment. Bethel had been the site of God’s single greatest revelation to Jacob. It was at Bethel that Jacob had been given the vision of the heavenly staircase leading to God’s throne. God led Jacob away from the surroundings of his daily life and back to the place where God had first spoken to him.

It often is difficult to rededicate ourselves to God from the midst of our regular daily activities and routines. In that place, the same forces which had caused a decline in the level of our commitment can hinder our efforts to refocus on God. In our efforts to renew or commitment to God and his call on our lives, we may need to withdraw from daily life. While we need not physically return to the place where we first encountered God like Jacob, it often is helpful to consciously recall that experience and use that recollection to help us realign and renew our devotion to follow wherever God may lead.

Remember God’s promises (Genesis 35:9-15)

When Jacob and his family arrived in Bethel, Jacob quickly was reminded by God of the promises God had made to Abraham regarding the land and his posterity. Jacob was reminded of God’s giving him a new name and purpose. Jacob was called to multiply within the knowledge of these promises. Jacob then built a memorial that would help future generations recall God’s promises and renew their commitment to him.

God has granted to each of us many promises. Yet the busyness of life, or perhaps the sameness of every day life, can cause us to lose sight of them. As we periodically seek to renew our commitment to follow God, God will bring to mind his great promises. He will remind us that as believers we bear a new name which carries responsibilities with it. These reminders will help us to deepen and strengthen our recommitment to God.

As this happens, we should remember to build a memorial to God’s faithfulness. While it does not need to be a physical monument, it should be something specific which becomes a part of our story and legacy to remind ourselves and our posterity of the need to always maintain our commitment to follow wherever God leads.