Genesis 35:1Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”
Perhaps "this was the Son of God, the second Person, who might appear in an human form, as he often did; since he afterwards speaks of God as of another divine Person, distinct from him, even his divine Father.” (Gill Exposition) "God is ever at hand to comfort his people in their troubles.” (Geneva Study Bible) "The disgraceful and perilous events that had recently taken place in the patriarch's family...” must have produced a separation and sense of guilt in the household of faith. Therefore, the God of Israel called the congregation of faith to go to the place where the journey began. "There is a tendency for God’s people to seek new and exciting experiences when often what they really need is a renewal of the original basic understandings and ingredients which initiated their experience of the Lord." (The Preacher's Commentary)
Moreover, "Jacob" “had effected a comfortable settlement and had acknowledged the divine mercies, by which that return and settlement had been signally distinguished (compare Ge 33:19). But for some unrecorded reason, his early vow at Beth-el [Ge 28:20-22], in a great crisis of his life, remained unperformed.’ (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary)
"God said, Arise, go up to Beth-el — This was a word in season to comfort his disquieted mind, and direct him to a safer place. Make there an altar — Consider and pay thy vows there, made in the time of thy distress. Jacob had said in the day of his distress, 'If I come again in peace, this stone shall be God’s house,' Genesis 28:22. God had performed his part, and given Jacob more than he then desired, namely, 'bread to eat, and raiment to put on;' but it seems, if he had not forgotten his vow, he had at least deferred the performance of it, waiting, probably, for a fit time for that purpose; or an admonition from God concerning the proper season of paying it. And dwell there — That is, he was not only to go himself, but to take his family with him, that they might join with him in his devotions.” (Benson Commentary)
2 And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.”
Put away the foreign gods among you— There are those within the church who retain foreign gods, entertaining the idea that those of other works-based religions might have a claim to salvation without Jesus. Yes, they profess Christ, but with open, and often idolatrous, minds. Put away these foreign gods among you, for in such an environment sin thrives as it did in Shechem for Israel.
And purify yourselves and be clean — "Cleanse yourselves by outward and ritual washing, (compare Exodus 19:10-14,)…by repentance, from all those impure lusts and vile affections, whereby a man becomes polluted in the sight of God. This, no doubt, Jacob had chiefly in view; namely, that they should cleanse their hands from blood, and from their late detestable cruelty, and purify their hearts from those evil dispositions which had given birth to such abominable wickedness, that they might be fit to approach God in his worship.” (Benson Commentary)
“There, also, there was the initiation not merely of the lineal Israel, but also of the mixed multitude, into the true religion—for Jacob’s family had then grown into a nation; and there, also, symbolical washings were enjoined (Exodus 19:10-14). These subsequently were still practised under the Law, and grew into the baptism by which we are now admitted into the Church of Christ.” (Ellicott's Commentary) Wash and change your garments — "In token of your changing your minds and manners." (Benson Commentary) "Change your garments, either by putting on new garments, as 2 Samuel 12:20, or by washing the old ones, as Exodus 19:10 Leviticus 15:13. And these, as well as other ceremonial institutions and practices, were professions of their repentance; which consists in putting off the old man, and putting on the new, Ephesians 4:22.” (Matthew Poole)
4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.
"Earrings seem to have been worn not so much for ornament as for superstitious purposes, being regarded as talismans or amulets. Hence it was from their earrings that Aaron made the golden calf (Exodus 32:2-4).” (Ellicott's Commentary) He left them in Shechem— the land of their transgressions— before their departure on this spiritual journey to Bethel.
Speaking of the terebinth tree, Isaiah proclaims the existence of a remnant: "Yahweh has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. Yet there will be a tenth portion in it, and it will again be subject to burning, like a terebinth or an oak whose stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is its stump.” (Isaiah 6:13) Let us put away the foreign gods in our hand, even in our ears or hearing and leave them at the assigned place. “Let everyone pray for the enlightening of the Holy Spirit, that he may perceive how precious are the Divine mercies, by which alone we are secured against this dreadful danger. Yet the Lord would preserve a remnant, like the tenth, holy to him. And blessed be God, he still preserves his church; however professors or visible churches may be lopped off as unfruitful, the holy seed will shoot forth, from whom all the numerous branches of righteousness shall arise.” (Matthew Henry)
5 And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him.
The servant of Yahweh is again protected on his journey.
"A great terror from God; was upon the cities — Especially the cities nearest to Shechem, so that, although, humanly speaking, they were able, they were restrained from pursuing or destroying Jacob and his family. Nothing less could have secured them, considering the number, power, and rage of their enemies. God governs the world more by secret terrors on men’s minds than we are aware of.” (Benson Commentary)
7 And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel [Literally God of the House of God], because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother. 8 Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called Allon Bachuth. (Literally Terebinth of Weeping ) 9 Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.” So He called his name Israel. 11 Also God said to him: “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. 12 The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.” 13 Then God went up from him in the place where He talked with him.
"The comfort the saints have in holy ordinances, is not so much from Beth-el, the house of God, as from El-beth-el, the God of the house. The ordinances are empty things, if we do not meet with God in them. There Jacob buried Deborah, Rebekah's nurse. She died much lamented. Old servants in a family, that have in their time been faithful and useful, ought to be respected. God appeared to Jacob. He renewed the covenant with him. I am God Almighty, God all-sufficient, able to make good the promise in due time, and to support thee and provide for thee in the mean time. Two things are promised; that he should be the father of a great nation, and that he should be the master of a good land. These two promises had a spiritual signification, which Jacob had some notion of, though not so clear and distinct as we now have. Christ is the promised Seed, and heaven is the promised land; the former is the foundation, and the latter the top-stone, of all God's favours.” (Matthew Henry)
There are some verses of Scripture that must become personal for proper understanding. Since Jacob’s first religious experience, he and his descendants had failed miserably. I can definitely identify with the children of Israel. I did not kill anyone but I have harbored resentment towards my brother or sister and even hated them.
The failures of the children of Israel might have the effect of causing them to question their spiritual experiences, as well as God’s continued presence. It has had that affect on me in the past. But with the offering of repentance and proper action on my part, Jesus meets with me yet again. Speaking of the sin of hatred, Jesus said: "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." (Matthew 5:23-34)
Jacob came again to Yahweh with the proper sacrifice on the altar (Gen 35:7). And so God meets with him again… and renames him Israel again… and goes up from him again (v. 13). "The presence of God was indicated in some visible form and His acceptance of the sacrifice shown by the miraculous descent of fire from heaven, consuming it on the altar.” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) "Jacob saw and heard him speak, and before his eyes he went up - ascended to heaven. This was no doubt the future Savior, the Angel of the covenant. See Genesis 16:7.” (Adam Clarke)
Gen 35:14 So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it.
Jacob's dream of a latter had occurred here many years before. Now Jacob set up a pillar of stone, as a memorial of his Ebenezer, meaning "the Stone of help”. Before it was personal, NOW it is corporal.
This was first occurrence, but Yahweh God of Israel later ordained that with each daily sacrifice, there would be a drink offering of wine. A drink offering is “a sacrificial offering of wine poured out at the foot of the altar, to accompany a burnt, fellowship or grain offering.” (Topical Bible Dictionary)
While the blood of the burnt offering represents God’s sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf, the drink offering of wine represents our life blood being poured out in response. Paul, a very zealous Jewish man, who was converted by the risen Savior, later testified in 2 Timothy 4:6 & 7: "I am about to be sacrificed; poured out as a drink offering; the time of my spirit’s release is at hand and I will soon go free. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith." "Paul considered the pouring out of his life before God to be like the pouring out of a drink offering at God’s altar (Philippians 2:17 and 2 Timothy 4:6).” (David Guzik) BUT AFTER THE DRINK OFFERING, Jacob poured oil on the stone signifying that our ability to pour out our lives to God is only possible with fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit. In order for the sacrifice of our lives to be pleasing to Him, we must give free reign to His Spirit. We must not care about appearance. We must suffer the loss of popularity and material gain… yielding to God's will in all matters for ourselves and those we love, for Christ's sake. This is the part that I am having trouble with. Help me Jesus by your Spirit to truly pour out my life as an offering, pleasing and acceptable in your sight.
15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.
This place where this happens is church. It is called the House of God. It is here that members of my Sunday school class have offered similar experiences of failure and how they dealt with it. Testimonies of people who have been through the fire of trials of are invaluable and precious to me. Yes we can be believer’s without a community of faith— but why?