Quite a lot has happened to our friend Jacob. His family is currently in Shechem recovering from a grave tragedy, the rape of Jacob’s daughter, Dinah (Gen 34). In retribution, the brothers have attacked and killed every man in the city (not just the one who was guilty) and looted every house. Jacob is now afraid that his family has become offensive to the locals and is worried that they will ally themselves and attack him and his.
Verse one of today’s reading opens with God telling Jacob to go to Bethel and to settle there. Bethel is where Jacob had previously met with God in a dream (Gen 28:10-22). He had dreamed of angels ascending and descending a ladder between Heaven and earth and God had spoken to him, telling him of the covenant promises which were being passed down to him from Abraham and Isaac. This was a holy place for Jacob. He had named the place ‘Bethel’ which means ‘house of God’. God reminds Jacob of the prior experience and tells him to build an altar there.
Read verses 2-4. Jacob advises his household of his plans. What three things does he tell them to do in preparation for the trip? His sons’ episode with killing and looting has just recently happened, and Jacob is mindful of this sin. He is going to meet with his God and he cannot do it without cleaning house first. He recognizes that things are not what they should be and changes need to be made.
How often has that happened in our lives? Some major event happens and we realize our lives are not what they should be before God. Some significant occurrence can quickly make us acutely aware of all our shortcomings and give us a desire to get right with God. Think about when you have tried to get right with God in the past. Did you do a good and complete housecleaning and stick with it or was it just another confession of the same old things before God with no real change occurring? God knows our hearts and He knows when our confessions are sincere or when we are just going through the motions.
In Jacob’s case, he tried to clean house completely. First, he tells his family to get rid of the foreign gods. He knew about them. He had allowed the family to dabble in idolatry without correcting the problem but now he tells them the idols have to go. Remember, Jacob has had a heart-changing experience. He tells his family also to purify themselves and to change clothes. He wants to go meet with God as the best he can bring. He is probably deeply ashamed of what has just occurred with his sons and the men of Shechem.
When Jacob reminded them of all that God has done for them, they turned over to him all their foreign gods and their earrings. Now, before we go all crazy about God doesn’t like earrings, please know that this is not about earrings. But the rings they had in their ears were linked to their idol worship and were associated with pagan superstitions. They were not mere fashion accessories. A spiritual revival was going on in Jacob’s household, and the earrings were objects of worship concerning foreign gods. Here, we see in this act that everyone was agreeing to worship only the one true God.
Wouldn’t it have been great if Jacob had taken all this stuff and destroyed it? But he didn’t. He buried it in the ground. This is the first instance in the Bible of getting rid of foreign gods and is very symbolic. From here, we will see an ongoing struggle between the people of Israel and idolatry. Though many tried to eliminate it from Israel, it was never completely destroyed and kept reappearing, resulting in their ultimate exile to Babylon.
Verse 5 is very interesting. They set off toward Bethel and God caused all the surrounding people to experience a great terror so that they did not attack them. Word had spread. Jacob had purified himself before God, confessing his sins and committing himself to a new and obedient relationship and, in return, God was protecting him. It is a relationship we can all have with our Creator. We see this idea reinforced in Psalm 32:1-7.
In verses 6-7 we see Jacob and his entourage arriving in Bethel. This would have been a large group of people. At this point, Jacob had two wives and two concubines, at least 12 children, and an unknown number of servants, not to mention the women and children recently plundered from Shechem. At Bethel, he built an altar to the Lord. The Bible says he named the place ‘El Bethel’ which means ‘God of the House of God’. Previously, he had named this place ‘Bethel’ which means ‘House of God’. This name change is significant. The first name refers to the things of God while the second refers to God Himself. Jacob’s focus has changed.
In our lives, we have known many people who are focused on the things of God. They care for his house by cleaning the premises, helping cook in the kitchen, passing out literature, etc. They are very busy for God. But that is different than being focused on God Himself. When we focus directly on God, we are intensely concerned for our relationship with Him, busying ourselves with Bible study, prayer, and obedience to His commands. We must ask ourselves, is my focus on the things of God or on God Himself? I am not saying it is wrong to serve, but our main focus must be on the relationship. Remember Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42)?
In verse 8, Rebekah’s nurse, Deborah, dies and is buried under a tree in Bethel. This place was named ‘Allon Bakuth’ which means ‘Oak of Weeping’. Most Bible scholars agree that Jacob’s mother, Rebekah, had probably died previous to this. She was last mentioned over 20 years prior and is never mentioned again. But her nurse, Deborah, would have been the last remaining of Jacob's parents and their household. She was sent with Rebekah at the time of her marriage to watch over her, and so the chapter on Jacob’s mother closes here. And it is at this time that God chooses to appear again to Jacob.
Read verses 9-12. Jacob has just rededicated his life to God and then relocated to Bethel in obedience to Him. Now, God is reassuring Him of all that He has promised in the past. He reminds Jacob that he is no longer to be called Jacob, but will now be called Israel, to reflect the change in his relationship with God. God also restates to Jacob that He is ‘El Shaddai’, God Almighty, and he tells Jacob to multiply his family. A nation and mighty kings would come from his descendants. Then God promises to him and his descendants, once again, the land of the covenant promises before He departs from the encounter. Jacob has renewed his relationship with God and God has reaffirmed to Him all that has gone between them before. And then, in verses 14-15, Jacob worships God, once again, at Bethel.
This is a relatively quiet passage, in light of what has previously occurred in Jacob’s life, but it is a powerful one. Jacob renews his commitment to God and God reaffirms His commitment to Jacob. I pray that we will all take stock of our lives, confess our sins and put them behind us, renewing our commitment to a deep and meaningful relationship with the God of the universe, the Almighty ‘El Shaddai’ (Josh 24:15).
Responding to God: Thank God for who He is and what He does. Worship Him as God Almighty, Creator of all. Speak to Him of known sins in your life and ask His help in turning aside from them. Ask Him to show you things you have allowed into your life which are keeping you from your best relationship with Him. Pray for a renewed and meaningful relationship with Him.
Further Research: On the internet, search for information concerning Bethel.
Add comment
Comments