Gen 35:1-5 | MHM | STEP | Genesis 35:1-5: Jacob Summoned to Bethel; Jacob’s Journey Toward Bethel In this passage, God tells Jacob to go back to Bethel and fulfill his vow by building an altar there. Jacob listens and prepares his family for this important event, making sure they leave behind any idols or symbols of other religions. The whole family gives up their foreign gods and jewelry, and Jacob buries these things under an oak tree. As they travel, God protects them by making the people in nearby cities afraid to attack. This story teaches us that God reminds us not to forget our promises and that true worship means turning away from all other gods (Genesis 35:1-5 ). v. 1 : God speaks to Jacob and tells him to go up to Bethel and live there. God also reminds Jacob to build an altar to Him, just like Jacob promised when he was running away from Esau (Genesis 28:22 ). Jacob has enjoyed God’s blessings, but he has put off fulfilling his vow for many years. This shows that it is easy for us to forget the promises we make to God, especially when life is comfortable. God sometimes uses difficulties to remind us of our duties.

‏ Genesis 35:1-5

Genesis 35:1-5: Jacob Summoned to Bethel; Jacob’s Journey Toward Bethel

In this passage, God tells Jacob to go back to Bethel and fulfill his vow by building an altar there. Jacob listens and prepares his family for this important event, making sure they leave behind any idols or symbols of other religions. The whole family gives up their foreign gods and jewelry, and Jacob buries these things under an oak tree. As they travel, God protects them by making the people in nearby cities afraid to attack. This story teaches us that God reminds us not to forget our promises and that true worship means turning away from all other gods (Genesis 35:1-5 ^a).

v. 1: God speaks to Jacob and tells him to go up to Bethel and live there. God also reminds Jacob to build an altar to Him, just like Jacob promised when he was running away from Esau (Genesis 28:22 ^b). Jacob has enjoyed God’s blessings, but he has put off fulfilling his vow for many years. This shows that it is easy for us to forget the promises we make to God, especially when life is comfortable. God sometimes uses difficulties to remind us of our duties.

v. 2-3: Jacob tells everyone in his household to get rid of any foreign gods, to clean themselves, and to change their clothes. He wants them to prepare for worship at Bethel. This is an example of how families should get ready when they are going to worship God together (Joshua 24:15 ^c). Jacob leads his family by telling them to remove idols, be clean, and show respect to God. The change of clothes is a symbol for changing their hearts and lives (Isaiah 1:16-18 ^d).

–

v. 4: The family gives Jacob all their idols and earrings, which may have been used for superstitious purposes. Jacob buries these things under an oak near Shechem so no one can find them again. This shows that real change means getting rid of all things connected with sin or false worship (Hosea 14:8 ^e). Jacob takes care to make sure these things cannot tempt his family in the future.

v. 5: As Jacob and his family travel, God causes the cities around them to be afraid, so no one tries to hurt them. Even though the people might have wanted to get revenge for what happened in Shechem, God keeps Jacob’s family safe. This teaches us that when we obey God, He can protect us in surprising ways (Exodus 34:24 ^f).