“And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father’s house…” (Genesis 31:30)

When a Child of God is in the Potter’s House or the Backside of the Desert; or when he is under a great testing or trial of his faith; or when he is tired, desiring rest, spiritual rest – he then begins to long for his Home; that is, his Father’s House and his kindred; which is where God is, and where God’s People are – it’s the saint’s home.

Rest assured, Child of Grace, when God’s test is complete, you will hear the command to return to the Father’s House, as did Jacob:

“And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers (Abraham and Isaac), and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.” (Genesis 31:3)

Jacob had wanted to go home in Genesis 30:25-26, after he had served fourteen years for his wives, Laban’s two daughters. Now, after Jacob had been at Laban’s twenty years, God said: It is time to go home, Jacob.

In the Spiritual Application, Where is home for the Child of Grace?

Our home is:

A. The Father’s House (it was and is our true home)

1) That is, where God dwells. The Father’s House.

a) See Luke 15:11-32, the story of the Prodigal Son. He started with his father; left home and went to sin; repented and returned to his father’s house.

b) So it is with God’s chosen People (Ephesians 1:3-11; Romans 8:29-30); separated by sin (Romans 5:12); and called home in Regeneration. (See 1 Corinthians 1:2, 9, 26; Romans 1:29; Ephesians 1:18; 4:4; Galatians 1:15; Colossians 3:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 5:24; 1 Timothy 6:12; 1 Peter 2:9; 5:10; 2 Peter 1:3; Jude 1.) This calling is:

i) A Holy Calling:

“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” (2 Timothy 1:9)

ii) A High Calling:

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)

iii) A Heavenly Calling:

“Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;” (Hebrews 3:1)

2) The Sheep’s home is not this world, but another world, a Spiritual Place in Christ. This world is a place of lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. But the World of God is a place of love, peace, joy, and righteousness:

“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 14:17)

3) But as with Jacob, the Child of Grace has to walk and work and live in this evil world for a space of time; and yet not be “of this world” – but be “separate” from this world. The Sheep of God have been called out of this world; they have been called unto God, to His House (the Church), to His Throne, to His Oneness. (See John 15:19; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 3:25-28; 2 Corinthians 6:17.)

“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:19)

4) But one day, God will call His Sheep home from the physical world to be in the Spiritual world, to be in His very Presence (2 Corinthians 5:1-8).

5) Jacob “sore longedst” for his father’s house – and so do we in the spiritual. The desire of God’s Sheep is the full communion and oneness with God, forever and ever. Why? Because God was our Home, in eternity past; is our Home in His Body, the Church; and shall be our Eternal Home forever and ever.

B. The Blessings of God (which are to be enjoyed at Home, not in this world)

1) God blessed Jacob and then commanded him to return home. The world hates the Blessings of God on the Children of God. The world is jealous and envious of God’s Blessings on His People. It was that way with Pharaoh and the Egyptians when they saw God’s Blessings on the Children of Israel in the land of Goshen (Exodus 1:7-12):

“And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.” (Exodus 1:7)

“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.” (Exodus 1:8)

“And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:” (Exodus 1:9)

“Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.” (Exodus 1:10)

“Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.” (Exodus 1:11)

“But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.” (Exodus 1:12)

So it was with Laban and his sons when they saw how greatly God had blessed Jacob:

“And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory.” (Genesis 31:1)

“And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.” (Genesis 31:2)

So it is with God’s blessed People today. The world hates God and it hates God’s people (John 15:18-21; Galatians 4:28-29):

“Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.” (Galatians 4:28)

“But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.” (Galatians 4:29)

The only place that God’s Blessings can be fully enjoyed is not in this world, but in the Father’s House. God’s Blessings are the Blessings of peace, rest, power, knowledge, and love. These Blessings can only be enjoyed in and where God is.

The example of Jacob in Genesis 31 uses physical blessings; but these physical blessings represent the Spiritual Blessings upon God’s People.

The truth is – this evil world knows nothing of the Spiritual Blessings of God. They have no affinity for them, because they have no perception of these blessings. There must be a new nature given to a sinner for the sinner to have ears to hear and eyes to see the Spiritual things of God. Without being given the mind of Christ, there is no discernment of the Spiritual things of God (1 Corinthians 2:9-16).

Therefore, the Blessings of love, mercy, grace, power, peace, etc. can only be enjoyed in the Father’s House, and not in this world.

C. A Separation; God made a Definite Difference (between the children of the flesh and of the Spirit)

The Children of God are not at home with those that Laban represents. (See Galatians 4:28, 31.) The children of the flesh persecute the Children of Promise (or those of the Spirit, those Born of God).

The Definite Difference is Revelation and Regeneration. As Galatians 4:28-31 reveals, Ishmael was not the heir of the Covenant God made to Abraham; it was Isaac, the son of the free woman. The story of Ishmael and Isaac is an allegory:

“Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.” (Galatians 4:24)

The explanation of this allegory (Galatians 4:25-26) is too broad to explain in this devotion – but to say the difference is between Law and Grace. The difference is between Revelation and Regeneration. The two systems cannot dwell with each other. The Law condemns; Grace gives Life in Christ, Who bore the curse of the Law for the recipients of Grace (those Born of the Spirit of God). The Law is the school master; Grace is the answer.

The children of the flesh and the Children of the Promise must separate; they cannot abide in agreement. In Genesis 31:43-55, Laban and Jacob separated; and a covenant was enjoined by Laban and Jacob as a witness of the same:

“This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm.” (Genesis 31:52)

“The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac.” (Genesis 31:53)

So it is in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, God’s Sheep that have been Born of God the Spirit must separate from the children of the flesh:

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” (2 Corinthians 6:17)

Why must they separate? Because they have different masters and different natures. The children of the flesh are ruled by the flesh (Romans 7:15-24). But the Children of the Promise are ruled by the Spirit of God. They are new creatures in Christ; and they bear the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23); they have Faith, to perceive the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:9-16) and to perform His Commandments (Galatians 2:20).

But children of the flesh bear the fruit of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-20).

Because of this Definite Difference, these two cannot abide with each other.

“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3)

The answer is – No, there must be separation.

These are the reasons that a Born Again Sheep “sore longedst” for the Father’s House.

Series Navigation

<< What God SeesGod’s Token >>