Genesis 35:1: “Then God said to Jacob, ‘Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.’”
As they approached the foothills, Jacob’s caravan passed by the terebinth tree where Jacob had dedicated his altar to the Lord Most High. And suddenly he realized what needed to be done.
Jacob turned his camel around and motioned everybody to stop. “We are acting like fugitives,” he said, “but the Lord is our true hiding place. We need to seek His face and ask for His mercy.” Then everybody gathered around the altar under the terebinth tree. Jacob lay prostrate on the ground and prayed: “Lord God, You have brought us thus far. Thanks to Your provision we are now in the land of Canaan. But it seems that we are about to be wiped from the face of the earth. Oh Lord of lords, we are with our backs to the wall and don’t know what to do, but we hide under the shadow of Your wings. Please have mercy on us. We are Your servants. Tell us what to do and where to go. Forgive us our wrongs and save us from our enemies!”
God’s Spirit stirred the hearts of the people and they began to weep and pray. Jacob stood up and solemnly addressed the assembly [Genesis 35:2-3]:
“Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.”
The response was immediate. People let go of their various lucky charms, their household idols and anything else representing a foreign deity. Last of all, Rachel brought out her father’s household idols and added it to the pile. There was a stunned silence on Jacob’s end. Without saying a word he set the pile on fire. Everybody stared at the flames licking away the tokens of their secret adoration. After a while the fire died down, leaving only charcoal remnants. Jacob poured water over the ashes and gathered his sons. Together they buried the ashed remains beneath the altar.
After their stop at the terebinth tree, Jacob’s Caravan continued south. The terror of the Lord fell on the cities near Shechem, and nobody dared pursuing the sons of Jacob. And so they arrived safely at Luz. Jacob was moved. Only two decades ago he had to flee from the murderous wrath of his brother Esau. He had camped under the stars, outside Luz, on his way to Paddam Aram. Thanks to the Lord he now returned as a thriving family tribe. He addressed his sons and said: “We will set camp here. This is a special place to me.”
A marked stone stood outside the camp. Jacob had placed it there many years ago, after waking up from a strange dream. In his dream, angels had been ascending and descending a mysterious staircase leading up to heaven. He had seen the Lord who stood at the top, encouraging him. Never in a million years would he forget this dream.
Near the memorial place where he had put the stone, Jacob now built an altar and prayed: “This is your place, oh Lord, the house of God. I will always see the wondrous ladder touching ground here and reaching up to heaven. What a special place this is! I have named it ‘Bethel’ – ‘House of God’ to honor you.” Jacob lifted his hands and continued his prayer: “Twenty years ago I was alone, with no penny to my name. Now I have grown into a family tribe, thanks to You. You have kept Your word and You have protected me and safely guided me home to Canaan. How can I appropriately express my thanks? You have given me more than I have asked for. I am forever in your debt.”
Peace swept over him and he heard the still small voice he had grown familiar with speaking to his heart [Genesis 35:10-12]:
“Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel. I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”
Jacob had brought olive oil and a drink offering and poured it over the memorial stone while he stood and worshipped the Lord.
The sun rose over the land as the family tribe broke camp and continued south. But on their way to Ephrath, which is now called Bethlehem, Rachel went into labor. Everything came to a screeching halt and nobody moved, while in a hastily erected tent Rachel fought for hours. It was a difficult delivery and she felt her life ebbing away. Through a fog she heard the voice of her midwife, saying: “You have another son!” Almost inaudibly, Rachel whispered in response: “Son of my sorrow”, then she breathed her last.
In panic the midwife shook Rachel crying: “Stay with us Rachel. Stay with us!” But she was already gone. Jacob, who heard the commotion, rushed into the tent. With one look he saw Rachel, as pale as snow, and the midwife holding her crying son. “She named him Ben-oni, Son of my sorrow”, the midwife sobbed. “I tried to keep her alive, but I couldn’t.”
Jacob took the crying baby into his arms and with tears flowing down his cheeks he tenderly spoke to his son: “You are the son of my right hand, and your name will be Benjamin. You are not responsible for the death of your mother.” He kissed his son and with a broken voice continued: “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
After Rachel’s funeral the children of Israel broke camp and left Ephrata, but they did not get very far. Pitching their tents a little beyond Migdal Eder, they remained in the vicinity of Bethlehem. Months passed and it seemed that Jacob had no intention of moving on.