Then God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother." 2 And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. 3 "Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone."—Genesis 35:1-3
From my point of view or anyone’s really, Jacobs family is disintegrating..His daughter raped, his sons taking revenge and murdering all the males in Shechem (not to mention the deception and blasphemy that preceded that act). Jacob said it best...”ye (speaking to his sons) have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land.” Things looked pretty hopeless and downright scary for Jacob.
The story continues in Genesis 35: 1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there… Bethel—previously called Luz until the night Jacob had an encounter with God—was the place where Jacob was saved. It was the place where Jacob said “Surely, God is in this place, and I did not know it.” Now God says, “Go back to the place you met Me.” How gracious is our God!! I am so thankful that no matter how far I have strayed, no matter how much I have messed up, God has provided for me (us)a way of return through the death of His Son on the cross.
Jacob and his family are sunk pretty deep in the mire but the Lord graciously sets his feet back on a rock and showed him the path on which to place his feet. When I think what my life would look like without that way back...without the hope of heaven...if when I sinned I was done and had no hope of reconciliation only the darkness of hell before me...life would not be worth living and death would only be a worse option.
The story continues in Genesis 35: 1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there… Bethel—previously called Luz until the night Jacob had an encounter with God—was the place where Jacob was saved. It was the place where Jacob said “Surely, God is in this place, and I did not know it.” Now God says, “Go back to the place you met Me.” How gracious is our God!! I am so thankful that no matter how far I have strayed, no matter how much I have messed up, God has provided for me (us)a way of return through the death of His Son on the cross.
Jacob and his family are sunk pretty deep in the mire but the Lord graciously sets his feet back on a rock and showed him the path on which to place his feet. When I think what my life would look like without that way back...without the hope of heaven...if when I sinned I was done and had no hope of reconciliation only the darkness of hell before me...life would not be worth living and death would only be a worse option.
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),—Ephesians 2:4-5
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fallfn on me,"
Even the night shall be light about me;—Psalm 139: 7-11
But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,—Romans 5:20b
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