JACOB SERIES: RETURN TO BETHEL

I start this blog by rehearsing the vow Jacob made to God at Bethel before going to Padan-aram. He said as found in Genesis 28:20-23, “And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.”

After being in Padan-aram for twenty years and returning to Canaan, but not going to Bethel first, God allowed a tragic situation to occur, forcing Jacob to make a hasty departure from Shechem. God spoke to Jacob and directed him, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother” In obedience Jacob told his family to, “Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: 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.”

Accordingly, Jacob buried the strange gods and the earrings he had gathered from his family under an oak tree in Shechem. Moreover, God allowed Jacob and his household to travel to Luz (Bethel) without being harmed. As directed by God upon arrival, Jacob erected an altar which he named, “Elbethel” because there God appeared unto him when he fled from the face of his brother. Additionally, Deborah, his mother’s nurse, died, and Jacob buried her under an oak tree in Bethel.

God Almighty reappeared to Jacob and reiterated and reaffirmed his name change to Israel, the promise of royal nationhood for his family, which would include nations and kings. and the inheritance of the land of Canaan. In response to this divine encounter, Jacob erected a pillar of stone and poured a drink offering and oil on it.

After leaving Bethel, as the family came near to Ephrath, who was also known as Bethlehem, pregnant Rachel experienced labor complications. Unfortunately, Rachel died while giving birth to a son whom she named Benoni, but Jacob called him Benjamin. Grieving, Jacob buried Rachel and placed a pillar on her grave before moving on to the tower of Edar, where he set up residence.

Genesis 35:22 revealed that Jacob heard that his oldest son Rueban committed incest by engaging in a sexual relationship with Bilhah, the mother of Jacob’s sons Dan and Naphtali. This act later led to Reuben’s birthright being given to Joseph by their father.

Chapter thirty-five closes with the identification of Jacob’s twelve sons and their mothers, and Jacob finally arriving in Hebron, where his one hundred eighty years old father lived. In the course of time, when Isaac died, Jacob and his brother Esau were able to bury their father.

Here is additional information and nuggets:

If Jacob had remembered the vow he made before leaving Beersheba and had journeyed to Bethel first when he returned to Canaan, maybe he could have prevented some of the calamities that happened to his family.

Sometimes God uses tragic events to remind us of previous vows we made to Him.

In the Ancient East, earrings were worn not just for fashion but as charms. talismans, and amulets consecrated to the wearer’s God. Therefore, not only the teraphim that Rachel stole from her father Laban, but also other gods and earrings that Jacob’s sons and Syrian household servants had, were buried before leaving Shechem.

Surrender of other gods that are idolatrous and superstitious allows God to be in full control.

Ceremonially, changing into clean garments after shedding old, filthy ones was symbolic of purification.

Jacob’s drink and oil offering to God represented his devotion, appreciation, and gratitude.

Could Jacob possibly have voiced a death sentence to Rachel when he said to Laban in Genesis 31:32, “With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live.”

Benoni means the son of my sorrow, and Benjamin means son of my right hand.

Three deaths are mentioned in Genesis 35: Rebekah’s nurse Deborah, Rachel, and Isaac. Of the three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Isaac lived the longest. When he died, his grandson, Joseph, had been in Egypt for 15 years.

Forgetting vows can cause future difficulties.

When God tells you to reside in a certain place, stay there until He gives you permission to move.

Holding on to old idols prevents you from moving into the new.

God is faithful to His Word.

Show reverence to God for what He is doing in your life.

Your name is important; it can speak to your future.

Improper sexual encounters can alter your future.

Funerals bring distant family members together.