Going back to Bethel

Now in our daily reading (Genesis34-36) we are going to be focus on Jacob going back to Bethel.

Genesis 35:1 “1 Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel (House of God) & live there, & make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his household & to all who were w/him, “Put away the foreign gods which are among you, & purify yourselves & change your garments; 3 & let us arise & go up to Bethel, & I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress & has been w/me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had & the rings which were in their ears, & Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem. 5 As they journeyed, there was a great terror upon the cities which were around them, & they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he & all the people who were w/him. 7 He built an altar there, & called the place El-bethel (God of the House of God), because there God had revealed Himself to him when he fled from his brother.”

God then tells Jacob that its time to go to Bethel (House of God). Notice again we see that God tells Jacob when & where to move, unlike when Jacob moved to Shechem.

Bethel is probably about 15 miles south of Shechem.

God wanted to bring Jacob back to the place where Jacob first met God. Where after running away from his brother after deceiving his dad & stealing the blessing from his father, he saw the ladder going up to Heaven.

Genesis 28:18-22 “18 So Jacob rose early in the morning, & took the stone that he had put under his head & set it up as a pillar & poured oil on its top. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel; however, previously the name of the city had been Luz. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be w/me & will keep me on this journey that I take, & will give me food to eat & garments to wear, 21 & I return to my father’s house in safety, then the LORD will be my God. 22 “This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, & of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.””

To complete his vows, there had to be a process of sanctification. Jacob’s family had to remove all their idols. God permits no rivals. (Ge35.02-04)

In your life, its either God or Satan, one or the other! (Mt06.24)

You know it's amazing how in times of prosperity we can sort of let spiritual things slide. We allow many things to creep in & other interests that become idols in our hearts. And it then begins to take away from our devotion & our commitment to God. We then find ourselves taken up in these pursuits. All of these things that come in & sort of rob that place of God w/in our lives.

So they bury their idols & other things associated w/idol worship.

An idol is that which forms & shapes your thinking & behavior (X. $$, family, etc)

God wants us to do the same thing. He wants us to return to where we once were.

Revelation 2:4, 5 “4 ‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, & repent & do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you & will remove your lampstand out of its place--unless you repent.”

Back to that thrill & the joy, to that place where you first met God.

The order of words in the Greek is emphatic; the clause could be translated, “Your first love you have left.”

Christ used the word agapēn, speaking of the deep kind of love that God has for people.

This rebuke contrasts w/what Paul wrote the Ephesians 35 years earlier…

Ephesians 1:15, 16 “15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, & love unto all the saints, 16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;”

Most of the Ephesian Christians were now second-generation believers, & though they had retained purity of doctrine & life & had maintained a high level of service, they were lacking in deep devotion to Christ.

The church today needs to heed this same warning, that belief & service are not enough. Christ wants believers’ hearts as well as their hands & heads!

What we do for the LORD is important, but so is why we do it!

The believers here were so busy maintaining their separation that they neglected to walk in love.

1 Samuel 15:22, 23 “22 Samuel said, “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings & sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity & idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.””

Reading the book of Ephesians, you will see at least 14 references to the word “love” out of 155 verses!

The church here had fallen & was not living to its full potential. It is only when we love Christ fervently that we can serve Him faithfully, for our love for Him must be pure!

Ephesians 6:24 “24 Grace be w/all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ w/incorruptible love.”

So God is calling Jacob back now to that place where he first had a real awareness of God's presence in his life. And it's a call now from God to come back to Bethel.