Contemporary Worship Lyrics

GEN 35

3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.”

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God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble. PSA 46:2

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John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible

God is our refuge and strength—That is, Christ, who is God as well as man, is the “refuge” for souls to fly into for safety; as for sensible sinners, in a view of danger, wrath, and misery, so for saints, in every time of distress; typified by the cities of refuge, under the legal dispensation (see Gill on Psa 9:10); and he it is from whom they have all their spiritual strength, and every renewal and supply of it, to exercise grace, perform duties, withstand enemies, bear the cross patiently, show a fortitude of mind under the sorest distresses, and hold on and out to the end: in short, he is the strength of their hearts, under the greatest trials, of their lives, amidst the greatest dangers; and of their salvation, notwithstanding all their enemies.

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A very present help in trouble—Whether inward or outward, of soul or body; the Lord helps his people under it to bear it, and he helps them out of it in the most proper and seasonable time: they are poor helpless creatures in themselves; nor can any other help them but the Lord, who made heaven and earth; and he helps presently, speedily, and effectually: in the Hebrew text it is, “he is found an exceeding help in trouble”; in all kind of trouble that the saints come into, the Lord has been found, by experience, to be an exceeding great helper of them; moreover, he is easily and always to be come at, and found by them for their help.

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4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.

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A Very Present Help in Trouble

GEN 35:3-4

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A Very Present Help in Trouble is a song based on the words from Gen 35:3-4, reminding us that God is our refuge, strength, and present help in trouble. The song's lyrics emphasize God's unwavering presence and protection, encouraging us to place our trust in Him alone.

Verse 1

C              G              Am

Let us arise and go up to Bethel,

F                       C          G

Where God will answer us in our distress.

Am                 F                 C

He is our refuge, our strength, our present help,

G                Am                F

In every time of trouble, he will bless.

Chorus

C            G         Am

God is our refuge and strength,

F                    C                 G

A very present help in trouble.

Am                 F                 C

He is our refuge and strength—That is, Christ,

G                       Am             F

Who is God as well as man, our soul's delight.

Verse 2

C                    G           Am

He is with us wherever we go,

F                     C              G

Protecting us from all our foes.

Am             F                  C

He is our hope, our fortress, our strong tower,

G                     Am               F

In him, we can always safely trust his power.

Chorus

C            G                    Am

God is our refuge and strength,

F                    C                G

A very present help in trouble.

Am                 F                 C

He is our refuge and strength—That is, Christ,

G                       Am             F

Who is God as well as man, our soul's delight.

Bridge

Am           F                    C

So let us give up all our foreign gods,

G                          Am            F

And turn our hearts to him alone.

Am            F                 C

He is the only one who can truly help,

G                       Am             F

And lead us to his eternal home.

Chorus

C            G                    Am

God is our refuge and strength,

F                    C                G

A very present help in trouble.

Am             F                     C

He is our refuge and strength—That is, Christ,

G             Am                       F

Who is God as well as man, our soul's delight.

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5 And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

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There they are in great terror,

for God is with the generation of the righteous. PSA 14:6

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Commentary on the Bible, by Adam Clarke

There they are in great terror—This is a manifest allusion to the history of the Canaanite nations; they were struck with terror at the sight of the Israelites, and by this allusion the psalmist shows that a destruction similar to that which fell upon them, should fall on the Babylonians. Several of the versions add, from Psa 53:6, “Where there is no terror!” They were struck with terror, where no real cause of terror existed. Their fears had magnified their danger.

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For God is with the generation—They feared the Israelites, because they knew that the Almighty God was among them.

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6 And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him,

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7 and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother.

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8 And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.

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Bereshit Rabbah 81:5

Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died. . . . So he called its name Allon-bacuth—Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: In the Greek language, allon means other. While he Jacob was still observing the mourning for Deborah, the report that his mother had died came to him. That is what is written: God appeared to Jacob . . . and blessed him. With which blessing did he bless him? Rav Aḥa said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: He blessed him with the blessing of the mourners.

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9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him.

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Rashi

Again—The second time in this place: once when he went away and once when he returned.

 

And blessed him—With the blessing of the consolation bestowed upon mourners.

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Jacob's Return to Bethel

GEN 35:5-9

A moving and beautiful song about Jacob's return to Bethel, where God had revealed himself to him. The song speaks of God's protection, love, and blessings, and it is sure to encourage listeners to stand strong in their faith.

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Verse 1

C                          G

In the land of Canaan, a terror fell

Am                                     F

Upon the cities, their hearts did quell

C                                                  G

The Israelites journeyed, with God as their guide

Am                                           F

His presence protected, His power did abide

Chorus

Am                  F               C                          G

Oh, the righteous generation, they stand in no fear

Am               F                        C                     G

For God is their shield, their protection is near

Am                 F                   C                         G

The enemy trembles, their courage undone

Am               F                          C                 G

By the presence of God, the battle is won

Verse 2

C                           G

Jacob built an altar, El-bethel he named

Am                                              F

Where God had revealed Himself, His promise proclaimed

C                                        G

Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, her life gently passed

Am                                      F

Beneath the oak tree, her memory cast

Chorus

Am                  F               C                            G

Oh, the righteous generation, they stand in no fear

Am               F                        C                     G

For God is their shield, their protection is near

Am                 F                  C                          G

The enemy trembles, their courage undone

Am              F                C                            G

By the presence of God, the battle is won

Bridge

C                            G

God appeared to Jacob, again and again

Am                                           F

His blessings bestowed, His love never ends

C                                           G

Through trials and tribulations, their faith never waned

Am                               F

For God was their anchor, their hope unrestrained

Chorus

Am                  F               C                             G

Oh, the righteous generation, they stand in no fear

Am               F                        C                     G

For God is their shield, their protection is near

Am                 F                  C                          G

The enemy trembles, their courage undone

Am              F                C                            G

By the presence of God, the battle is won

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10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel.

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11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body.

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Rashi

I am God Almighty, for I have the power to bless because the blessings are mine.

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Be fruitful and multiply—God bestowed this blessing upon Jacob because Benjamin was not yet born although (Rachel) was soon to give birth to him (Bereshit Rabbah 82:4).

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A nation—Benjamin (Bereshit Rabbah 82:4).

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A nation and a company of nations—This means that his sons are destined to like the foreign nations the same in number as the nations which was seventy. So, too, the whole council consisted of seventy. Another explanation: It signifies that his children will sacrifice on high places at a time when this practice is forbidden, as other nations always did in the days of Elijah (old Rashi text from Bereshit Rabbah 82:5).

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Nations—Manasseh and Ephraim who would come from Joseph—and were counted as tribes.

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And kings—Saul and Ish-bosheth who were of the tribe of Benjamin and these were not yet born. Abner explained in this sense when he made Ish-bosheth king, and the tribes of Israel also explained it in this sense and became friendly again with Benjamin. For so it is written (Jdg 21:1) “No one of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin”—they retracted this and said, “If, indeed, he was not to be counted among the tribes, the Holy One, blessed be he would not have said to Jacob, “and kings shall come from your own body” (Bereshit Rabbah 82:4).

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12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.”

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God's Blessing to Jacob

GEN 35:10-12

This powerful and moving song is based on the biblical passage Gen 35:10-12, in which God bestows a great blessing upon Jacob, changing his name to Israel and promising that he will be the father of a mighty nation. The song's lyrics capture the essence of God's love and power, and the chorus is a triumphant declaration of faith.

 

Verse 1

G

And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob,

C                   G

no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name."

G

So he called his name Israel.

C                 G

And God said to him, "I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply,

G

A nation and a company of nations shall come from you,

C                   G

and kings shall come from your own body."

Chorus

F                       C

God Almighty, I am God Almighty.

G                              Am

I am the power to bless, the power to multiply,

F                   C

And from you, Israel, shall come a nation and a company of nations,

G                              Am

And kings shall come from your own body.

Verse 2

G

The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you,

C                  G

and I will give the land to your offspring after you."

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Chorus

F                       C

God Almighty, I am God Almighty.

G                             Am

I am the power to bless, the power to multiply,

F                   C

And from you, Israel, shall come a nation and a company of nations,

G                              Am

And kings shall come from your own body.

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Bridge

C                 G

I am God Almighty, and I have made you a promise,

Am                    F

A promise of a nation, a promise of kings.

C                    G

Be fruitful and multiply, and let your name be known throughout the earth.

Am                   F

Let your children be as the stars of the sky, too numerous to count.

Chorus

F                       C

God Almighty, I am God Almighty.

G                             Am

I am the power to bless, the power to multiply,

F                   C

And from you, Israel, shall come a nation and a company of nations,

G                              Am

And kings shall come from your own body.