Initially when Jacob came to Bethel he had just fled from Esau (Gen. 28). It was late in the evening when he arrived at that sacred place. He laid his head on a pile of stones and dreamed of a ladder set on the earth reaching to heaven. Angels were ascending and descending on that heavenly ladder. At the top of the ladder the Lord stood and spoke to Jacob, “I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac.” This was the first time Jacob had a personal encounter with the God of his fathers. It was there that Jacob made a vow unto the Lord and erected a pillar from the stone pillows that he had laid upon during the dream (Gen. 28:11-22).
Jacob didn’t inherit faith from Abraham and Isaac. Jacob needed to have his own encounter with the Lord. Beloved, you can’t inherit faith from your parents or grandparents. You need to have your own Bethel where you come into contact with the God of your fathers. You don’t receive salvation just because your parents are saved. Jesus said, “You must be born again” (Jn. 3:3-5). Your first birth doesn’t give you claim to someone else’s salvation.
Twenty years after that initial meeting at Bethel, the Lord told Jacob to go back. Jacob was a single man the last time he was at Bethel. This time he would bring his entire family to the place where he met the Lord. If God’s promises to Abraham were to continue, then Jacob’s family would need to have an encounter too. Jacob instructed his family to “put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments” (Gen. 35:2). Jacob’s family knew something holy was about to take place. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s God was about to become their God!
Our families are our greatest mission field. If we fail to take them to the places where we had life changing experiences with God, then it will just be another monument to them. On the other hand, if they can go with us and have the same type of encounter, then they will also inherit the promises of God.