"And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went."
Genesis 35:3
Part 4
Yesterday: Potentially, a Fresh Start with God
“And let us arise and go up to Bethel.” (a)
Jacob was on his way back to the place where God had spoken to him before.
Today: Removing the False gods
“And let us arise, and go up to Bethel.” (b)
Why is this place, Bethel, significant to Jacob? The name “Bethel” means the “house of El,” which is the “house of God.” El, from Elohim, is God’s name that describes Him as the “Mighty One.”
It was here that Abram (Abraham), Jacob’s grandfather, met with God. God promised Abram that He will give “his seed” this land (Genesis 12:7-8). This is where Abram “builded he an altar to the LORD, who appeared unto him.” In this place, Abram “called upon the name of the LORD.”
As Jacob was making his escape from Esau, trying to avoid the consequences of his sin, he came to a place where he camped out for a night. As he slept, he dreamed about a ladder extending down from Heaven all the way to the earth. The angels were on it, some going up and others climbing down to the earth. And just above the top of the ladder was the LORD. He spoke and honored Jacob’s birthright.
“And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 28:13-14).
In the morning, Jacob woke up and was scared, for “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I knew it not” (Genesis 28:16).
He built an altar and worshipped the LORD there. He believed this place to be “the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:17). He named the place “Bethel.” From the stone that was his pillow, he made an altar and said, “this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house…” (Genesis 28:22).
It was in this special place, “Bethel,” that Jacob met with the LORD and vowed, “then shall the LORD be my God” (v. 21). This is where God captured Jacob’s heart, and now God is telling Jacob that he needs to return to “Bethel.” He certainly needs the “Mighty One” to help him now.
Jacob calls for his family to get ready and go with him now to “Bethel.” “His household” included his wives, Rebekah and Leah, and his children. Also were included “all that were with him,” his servants, men, and women. But they were not ready to meet with God yet.
Jacob’s family life, to this point, shows what can happen in the home where parental leadership is lacking. Evidently, over the years, Jacob never told his family “no” when they brought home any of their land’s false gods. When fathers do not lead, their homes do not become godlier, for as we see in Jacob’s case, they remain ungodly and only get worse over time. Where leadership is lacking in the home, the world’s rubbish quickly finds its way into the household and collects.
Our homes need the righteous leadership of parents who love the Lord more than they love each other. And parents, if we will be what our children need us to be, we must love our God even more than we love our children. As we see from Jacob’s family failures, we need to learn when to say “no” to our children and always say “yes” to God and His will for us. There is no question that Jacob should not have allowed any pagan gods into his home! It is time for him to change his ways and become the man, the leader that his family is craving. It is high time that he returns to Bethel to work on his relationship with God.
When God does a work in our hearts and lives today, there are always changes that need to take place. We must change from what we have been doing, to do now what God wants us to do. What needed to change in Jacob and in his family? Come back tomorrow, and we will look to see what God is doing in the life of Jacob and his household.
Quote: “You don’t have to go to heathen lands today to find false gods. America is full of them. Whatever you love more than God is your idol”[1] (Dwight L. Moody).
[1] Moody’s quote Downloaded: Monday, February 22, 2021. From: https://www.christianquotes.info/quotes-by-topic/quotes-about-idolatry/.