Gen 35:2-4 | KingComments | STEP | After the humbling events of Genesis 34, God reminds Jacob of his promise ( ) and tells him to go to Bethel. God’s purpose is to bless Jacob. He wants to do this in Bethel, which means ‘house of God’. There is the house of God, there He dwells, and wants to have His own with him. Today the church is the house of God ( ). When Jacob thinks of meeting God in His house, he realizes that he has to bring his own house into conformity with God’s house. In his family there must be cleansing, the idols must be removed, and the garments – which speaks of behavior, which the people perceive of us – must be adapted to what is appropriate for God’s holiness. It may be that Jacob, through everything his family has entered that is not in harmony with God’s thoughts, has lost sight of what he promised God. Wrong things in the life of a believer make him blind to what is God’s due. “It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay” ( ). However, God can bring it to mind. God’s house means that God wants to live with people and that people want to live with Him. He wants to bless them. The man who lives with Him may serve Him. But where He dwells, He determines the house rules. In His house reigns His authority and everything must be to His glory ( ). The acknowledgment thereof gives blessing. God has not told Jacob to cleanse his own house, but Jacob feels it right. He orders his house to do so, he takes his responsibility. Only then there can be a going up. Apparently a lot more has entered Jacob’s family than just the idols of Rachel ( ). All the idols and also the earrings – in this case this speaks of listening to things we like to hear – are brought to Jacob and he buries them. This is the first burial of this chapter. Three more will follow ( ). Here we can see the oak as a picture of the cross. That is where we should bury our idols. For us this means that we confess before God what in our lives has been given a place next to or instead of Him and see that the Lord Jesus has borne the judgment for it. Then it is gone ( ). The result for Jacob is that God protects him ( ; ; ).

‏ Genesis 35:2-4

Jacob Must Go to Bethel

After the humbling events of Genesis 34, God reminds Jacob of his promise (Gen 28:20-22) and tells him to go to Bethel. God’s purpose is to bless Jacob. He wants to do this in Bethel, which means ‘house of God’. There is the house of God, there He dwells, and wants to have His own with him. Today the church is the house of God (1Tim 3:15).

When Jacob thinks of meeting God in His house, he realizes that he has to bring his own house into conformity with God’s house. In his family there must be cleansing, the idols must be removed, and the garments – which speaks of behavior, which the people perceive of us – must be adapted to what is appropriate for God’s holiness.

It may be that Jacob, through everything his family has entered that is not in harmony with God’s thoughts, has lost sight of what he promised God. Wrong things in the life of a believer make him blind to what is God’s due. “It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay” (Ecc 5:5). However, God can bring it to mind.

God’s house means that God wants to live with people and that people want to live with Him. He wants to bless them. The man who lives with Him may serve Him. But where He dwells, He determines the house rules. In His house reigns His authority and everything must be to His glory (Psa 29:9b). The acknowledgment thereof gives blessing.

God has not told Jacob to cleanse his own house, but Jacob feels it right. He orders his house to do so, he takes his responsibility. Only then there can be a going up. Apparently a lot more has entered Jacob’s family than just the idols of Rachel (Gen 31:30-34). All the idols and also the earrings – in this case this speaks of listening to things we like to hear – are brought to Jacob and he buries them. This is the first burial of this chapter. Three more will follow (Gen 35:8 ; 19 ; 29).

Here we can see the oak as a picture of the cross. That is where we should bury our idols. For us this means that we confess before God what in our lives has been given a place next to or instead of Him and see that the Lord Jesus has borne the judgment for it. Then it is gone (1Jn 1:9). The result for Jacob is that God protects him (Gen 35:5; 2Chr 17:9-10; Jos 2:9).