Genesis 35: 1-3: “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. 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: 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.”
Jacob’s family had followed in his footsteps and caused themselves considerable problems. They made it very hard for themselves to live in that area so now they had to move away. At God’s command, Jacob went back to the place where he met God just before he went to get a wife from his mother’s homeland. At this stage he realised that he had to put away the gods that his family had collected over many years. There is only enough room for a person to worship one God. The Lord said that He would not give His glory to another (see Is 42: 8 “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”; 48: 11 “For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.”) and that we cannot serve two masters (see Matt 6: 24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”) Even today, we think that it easy to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and His way of self denial (Matt 16: 24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”) and to follow the wisdom of our age and enjoy some self indulgence. However, we can take comfort in the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ finished the work of salvation when He died on the cross and we are not relying on our own ability to impress God.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
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