Bible Discussion Thread

Having read the comments on this chapter, I can see some of the concerns people have about recent events in Jacob's life.

At this time, (within a few years of leaving Haran), Jacob's oldest son, Reuben, was at most 18-19 years old. Joseph, the youngest was probably not far out of infancy. They were very vulnerable as a family in a land without kin near, with young children and Jacob being the only adult male in the family. They had large herds of sheep and goats, and maybe cattle, (called kine in the Bible). They also had a large number of servants/slaves of varying ages. Some of these male servants were most likely adults.

Jacob was living in Shechem still , even after what had happened to Dinah and the men of the town. Without the men, Jacob may have felt secure and content to stay there. But God said "No." God speaks to Jacob, telling him to pack up and go to Bethel, 10-15 miles south of Shechem. He was to dwell there. Jacob was to build an altar in Bethel, in the place God had appeared to Jacob on his way to Haran. So, God was bringing Jacob back to the place where Jacob first vowed to "make" God his God, under specific conditions.

Jacob gathers his household (wives, children, servants/slaves) and tells them to put away their foreign gods. The servants and some or all of his wives, being from Haran knew of the God of their grandfather, Nahor, but they also worshipped idols. They were double minded in their worship perhaps trying to cover all of the bases, just in case one god does not pull through for them. Maybe these were "back up" gods. Jacob told them to purify themselves. Funny that Jacob had not insisted on this after they left Haran. He tolerated this, but he knew God's people are to be pure before God, having only one allegiance to Him. He told them to change their garments. He knew that God wanted His people to not have any trace of foreign idolatrous worship practices on them. Perhaps the garments of those in the household had idolatrous symbolism.