Genesis 35
There were some things which Jacob’s family and servants brought from the far country which were not good. Those were the images, or idols, which they had prized so much. When God told Jacob to go to Bethel, where he had slept on the stone and dreamed, and there make an altar, Jacob thought of the images and knew they were wrong to have, and told his family and servants to bring them to him. So they brought the images and also all the earrings from their ears, and Jacob buried them all under an oak tree at Shechem.
Then they went to Bethel. So Jacob was safely back to the place to which God had said lie would bring him. He built an altar there, and the Lord again told him that his children should someday have all that land and be a great nation.
Jacob did not stay at Bethel, but went to live at Hebron which is in the south part of Canaan, where his father Isaac lived, who was still alive and lived to be one hundred and eighty years old.
Once in a prayer to God, Jacob said, “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast showed” (Genesis 32:1010I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. (Genesis 32:10)). These were true words, for Jacob had done many wrong, things, and because of them had sorrow; but in one way he had been right; he had believed all God’s words to him and prized them. So God could bless him and He gave him a new name, Israel, which means “a prince.” Afterward he is sometimes spoken of as Israel and sometimes as Jacob.
ML 09/20/1936