Genesis, Message 28 :The Reality of Bethel and Benjamin as a Type of Christ

Crystallization-Study of Genesis, Message 28:

"The Reality of Bethel and the Bringing Forth of Christ as the Son of Affliction and the Son of the Right Hand"

 

Jacob experiences Bethel as reality.

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." (Genesis 35:1 NKJV)

And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother. (Genesis 35:7 NKJV)

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. (Genesis 35:10-11 NKJV)

In Genesis 28, Jacob saw Bethel ("the house of God") as a dream. But in Genesis 35, he came to experience Bethel as a reality.

After he had the dream at Bethel (Genesis 28), his life remained the same throughout 20 years in which he worked for Laban. He still exercised his natural cleverness and employed his scheme to accomplish his own purpose. God had no place in his life. Not until he experienced Bethel as well as the God of Bethel as a reality did his life start to be transformed.

Even though Jacob, the supplanter, had already been renamed as Israel, the prince of God, for a while (Genesis 32), here was the first time he had really been called Israel. He just started living his life as a "prince of God."

Furthermore, he not only experienced Bethel as a reality, but he also knew the All-sufficient God or the God Almighty (El Shaddai), the Builder of the Bethel. He experienced God as the "El-bethel," meaning "God of the house of God." God is not only the God of individuals, but also the God of His corporate body. He is the God of the Church. One should experience God individually as His personal God as well as corporately as the God of the body of Christ. He is the All-sufficient One. If we have him, we need nothing else.

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. (Genesis 35:14 NKJV) 

Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had dwelt. (Genesis 35:27 NKJV)

After experiencing the God of Bethel, Jacob poured out a drink offering, which was for God's building. The drink offering is not included as one of the 5 main Levitical offerings recorded in the book of Leviticus. It typifies Christ as the reality of the wine poured out before God for His satisfaction. When we have got a real deep experience of God in our life, we will not be able to resist the calling to pour out ourselves to God as Christ did. Like Paul, we will automatically and willingly do this for God's enjoyment and satisfaction, and for God's building, the ultimate goal of which is the corporate expression of Christ.

Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. (Philippians 2:17 NKJV)

After the offering, Israel went to Hebron, which means "intimacy, peace, satisfaction and joy."

To offer ourselves as a drink offering is costly, yet worthwhile, since it will bring us to the Hebron. We will be brought to the full fellowship with the Lord and also with other members in His body.

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:9 NKJV)

Benjamin typifies Christ as the Son of affliction and the Son of the right hand.

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. (Genesis 35:16-18 NKJV)

Jacob loved Rachel so much. He agreed to work for 7 plus 7 years to marry her. Joseph, the first son brought forth by her, was therefore his favourite son. But here, Jacob experienced 2 of the greatest life events at the same time: the loss of Rachel and the birth of Benjamin. Rachel died when she gave birth to Ben-oni or Benjamin.

In typology, Rachel represents our natural choice, whereas Benjamin represents Christ. When we come to the church life, we must realise this. Christ cannot be brought forth until our natural desire is put to an end. If we still hold our natural desire and our worldly ambition, Christ in us can never be fully experienced nor expressed. But when we totally surrender to God, we will fully experience the Christ, whose life is beautifully portrayed by the 2 names of Benjamin.

One the one hand, Christ was the Ben-Oni, the Son of affliction. He was the man of sorrows. He became man and suffered severe persecutions even unto death on the Cross for the redemption of our sins. No one can ever experience such great sorrows as Jesus did.

He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:3-5 NKJV)

But on the other hand, after His resurrection, Christ was also the Benjamin, the Son at the right hand of God, who is highly exalted.

The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.
Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. (Acts 5:30-31 NKJV)

Nevertheless, our natural choice is not a sin. In this life, our own heart's desire, need, and preference are all known by God, and under His sovereignty, He can use them to fulfil His eternal purpose. They are ordained by God and will be used by God. Even though God's answer is sometimes "No" to our requests, it is usually "Yes" if the things we ask for are not harmful to us and if they will ultimately benefit our spiritual life. But it will never be in our own timing or our own way. He will fulfil them in His own perfect timing and His marvellous way for His eternal purpose, which is for the expression of Christ and for the building of His body. 

Thirayost Nimmanon (Tony)

Further reading

• The Holy Word for Morning Revival: Crystallization-Study of Genesis, week 28.
• Life study of Genesis, Messages 89-91.