Verse 1 And God said unto Jacob, 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.
Jacob had to run away again, but this time it was not because of something he did, but because of the actions of his sons. Like their father, Jacob’s sons practiced deception and lying in order to take revenge upon Hamor and Shechem, and now they were also possessors of captives, women and children, and they had stolen a city’s wealth. Jacob had to worry about the other Canaanites in the area who presented a very real threat to his survival. But once again, God came to the rescue and directed Jacob’s path back to Bethel, the house of God.
Application: This writer is going to make a statement that is not intended to offend or anger those converted Christians who believe that the Jews and Israel are still the chosen people of God, and who also believe that if someone is critical about the Jews or about the nation Israel they are a hater and an anti-Semite. The statement is factual and supported by history and is aimed at the Jewish people or their leadership because the Old Testament is about the Jewish people and their leadership. Many other nations and their leaders have, down through the passages of time, behaved in similar fashion, but this study is not about these other nations, people or leaders. So please do not think this writer is anti-Semitic. The only thing this writer is, is anti sin. The truth is the truth and history cannot be erased in order to be politically correct. The statement is that there is a spirit of Zionism alive and well today that had its origin with Jacob or Israel and with his sons. The pattern of lying, deceiving, promising peace, promising to assimilate, and then taking a people or a nation’s wealth captive is the result of that demonic spirit. It happened in the recorded history of Genesis, and it has always happened in world history. A quick internet check will produce a list of nations (approximately 109) along with the dates in which the Jewish people were required to leave because of unfair business practices and because of their refusal to assimilate into the culture of the nations in which they were dwelling. This behavior can be traced back to Israel and sons, and has been the source of much suffering for both Gentile and Jewish people. Again, other nations have also sinned and wickedly attacked, killed and conquered people groups for financial gain and land grabbing purposes, but this study is dealing with the origins and the history of the Jewish people from the days of Abraham down to the destruction of the Jewish nation during Roman occupation. So don’t get angry with the truth. God wrote the Book and the history recorded therein. This writer did not.
Verses 2-3 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: 3 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.
Remember that Rachel had stolen her father’s pagan gods. Apparently there were many other idols among the family and among the servants of Jacob. Hence the problem between Jacob and the people of the land in which he dwelt was one of serving pagan gods and not wholeheartedly serving the God of Abraham and of Isaac. But Jacob gave instructions to get his household back to Godly living and behaving so that they could return to Bethel
Application: After the resurrection of Jesus and during the first Gospel outreach sermon as recorded in Acts chapter two, Peter told the people gathered what they needed to do in order to be saved from sin, death and Hell. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Acts 2:38 The Old Testament version of this is in the verses above. Repentance was the putting away of strange gods. Baptism was the washing and cleansing of the body. Changing their garments was representative of receiving the Holy Ghost and being clothed spiritually in a white robe of righteousness as recorded in the book of Revelation. These simple acts ordered by Jacob were pointing to the salvation pattern of the New Testament church. Every believer needs to stop serving the things of this world that have become an idol to them, needs to get baptized in Jesus’ name, and needs to allow the Holy Ghost to cover them spiritually and to have free reign in their life.
Verse 4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.
Sobering words were given to King Saul by the prophet Samuel in 1Samuel 15:23. “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubborness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” So God sees rebellion against His Word as witchcraft and the worship of idols as stubborness and wickedness. Because Oak trees are very important to witches, it was appropriate that the strange gods were buried under an Oak tree.
Verses 5-7 And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. 6 So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. 7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
God put fear in the hearts of the people so that they would not pursue Jacob and his family. They were divinely protected.
Application: Today believers do not built alters with stones and sacrifice animals upon them. However, believers do have a form of sacrifice. Romans 12:1 states, “I beseech you therefore, brethren by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” In place of an animal, each believer subjects his/her body to the lordship of Jesus Christ. He/she no longer engages in the things of the world, but keeps himself/herself pure and acceptable to the LORD Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5 goes on to state, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” These spiritual sacrifices include prayer, praise and worship. In the Old Testament times, sacrifices to God were physical in nature. In the New Testament times, sacrifices to God are spiritual in nature.
Verse 8 But Deborah Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth.
The name “Allonbachuth” means “oak of weeping” and was the grave site of Rebekah’s nurse who was first mentioned in Genesis 24:59. The fact that this woman was mentioned here in Scripture is a testament to the fact that she must have been an important part of the family. What is not known is how she came to be living with Jacob, Rebekah’s son, at the end of her life.
Verses 9-10 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. 10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.
Back in Genesis chapter 32 God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. Here Moses is just repeating the encounter Jacob had experienced when traveling from Padanaram back to his homeland and to his father and brother. Remember that the name means “God prevails”, and it not only became Jacob’s new name, but it was the name used to refer to the descendants of Jacob and to the physical nation that developed from his descendants. The name of the nation Israel was in place until the nation split into two under the rule of Jeroboam where the 10 northern tribes assumed the name Israel and the two southern tribes assumed the name “Judah”. When the 10 northern tribes were taken captive by the Assyrian nation and one world government, Israel ceased to exist. Only Judah in the south survived because it was/is from Judah that the Messiah, Jesus, would come. See the book of Hosea which prophesied the demise of Israel.
Application: Today, the nation Israel is a spiritual one, and the people of Israel are the believers in the Church of the LORD Jesus Christ. The nation called Israel that was politically motivated, created, and established by men in 1948 is not the Israel of God. Don’t believe me. See what the apostle Paul wrote to the Galatian church in chapter 3:26-29. “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christs, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” People, regardless of where they live, who reject the LORD Jesus Christ cannot be of the seed of Abraham according to Scripture. The people identifying as “Jews” today and living in the fake nation called Israel reject the LORD Jesus Christ. Do the research.
Verses 11-13 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; 12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. 13 And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.
The land was completely conquered and given to the descendants of Jacob during King Solomon’s reign, fulfilling the promise made to Abraham, Issac and Jacob.
Verses 14-15 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. 15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.
When Jacob and company reached Bethel, he marked the occasion by constructing a pillar and offering a drink offering to the LORD along with an offering of oil. This is the first instance recorded in Scripture of a drink offering being offered to the LORD.
Application: Note that when Jacob was running away from the danger posed by his brother, Esau, he went to Beth-el or the house of God. Then when he was running away from the danger posed by the Canaanites, he went back to Beth-el or the house of God. So often when believers are facing trials and tribulation they run away from the house of God and from His people, the Church. Believers need to run to the LORD and to His people for help, comfort and encouragement.
Verses 16-18 And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. 17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. 18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.
The place called “Ephrath” later became known as Bethlehem, the birth place of Jesus. This town was located in Judah, the southern kingdom. The name “Benjamin” means “son of my right hand” and Jesus stated in Mark 14:62 during His rigged trial, that He was “the Christ, the Son of the Blessed” and that “ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” Jesus, like Benjamin, is the son of the right hand. Again, it must be stated that every word in the Bible is important and that all the connections within its pages demonstrates without doubt that all 66 books were written under the inspiration of God.
Verses 19-20 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. 20 And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day.
Pregnant Rachel traveled to Ephrath or Bethlehem where she birthed Benjamin and centuries later pregnant Mary traveled to Bethlehem where she birthed Jesus.
Verses 21-26 And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar. 22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: 23 The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun: 24 The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin: 25 And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali: 26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram.
It is not known why Reuben had an affair with Bilhah, but his actions negatively affected the blessing he would receive from Jacob as recorded in chapter 49 of Genesis.
Verses 27-29 And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. 28 And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years. 29 And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Jacob was able to see his father again before he died, but he never saw his mother again after he ran away to his uncle Laban and she never saw her favorite son again or his wives and children. Rebecca paid a high price for her part in the deception of Isaac and Esau.