BETHEL, THE FIRST CHURCH

BETH

NAVE’S TOPICAL BIBLE REFERENCE: Beth is the most common Old Testament word for house, family or dynasty. It is used in more than 50 place names in Scripture.

Beth is the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Every Hebrew letter has a numerical value and a picture (pictograph). The numerical value of beth is 2 and its pictograph is a house. The only place we find it by itself in The Bible is where Psalms 119 gets divided into paragraphs; it appears between verse 8 and 9.

Beth Psalm 119:9 MEV

How shall a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.

 

BETHEL

Bethel - STRONG’S H1008 - House (beth) of God (El)

NAVE’S TOPICAL BIBLE REFERENCE: Bethel was a city north of Jerusalem.

 

Abraham built an altar at Bethel and he prayed and worshipped God.

Genesis 12:7-8 MEV

The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. [8] From there he continued on to a mountain to the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.

Genesis 13:2-4 MEV

Abram was very wealthy in livestock, in silver and in gold. [3] He continued on his journey from the Negev and came to Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, [4] to the place where he first made an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.

 

After Jacob (Abraham’s grandson) got the firstborn blessing he left his family to go to his uncle Laban. On his way Jacob had a dream where he saw a ladder with angels ascending and descending to and from Heaven. The Lord stood over Jacob and confirmed the covenant He made with Abraham and Isaac. When Jacob woke up he realized that this place was the house of God and there was a gate (portal) to Heaven. He then named the place Bethel; before it was called Luz. This was the first place that was considered to be the house of God and Jacob vowed to pay a tenth of his income to God. The first church was born at Bethel from an intimate personal encounter with God. Jacob paid a tithe long before it was a law. It was a love offering before the Lord for His goodness. Later Jacob returned to Bethel with his family and built an altar to God - Genesis 35.

 

Genesis 28:16-22 MEV

Jacob awoke out of his sleep, and he said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it." [17] He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." [18] So Jacob rose up early in the morning and took the stone that he had put under his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. [19] He called the name of that place Bethel, but previously the name of the city was called Luz. [20] Jacob vowed a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will protect me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, [21] so that I return to my father's house in peace, then the LORD will be my God. [22] Then this stone, which I have set for a pillar, will be the house of God, and from all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You."

 

Bethel was a place of intimate relationship with God, a place of personal encounter and covenant. It was also a place of worship, thanksgiving and altars were built for the Lord. This is what church should look like.