Thanks, But…
“Then God said to Jacob, ‘Arise, go up to Bethel, and live there; and make an altar there to God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.’ So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments; and 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 wherever I have gone.’ So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem.
“As they journeyed, there was a great terror upon the cities which were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel) which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. And he built an altar there, and called the place El-Bethel, because there God had revealed Himself to him, when he fled from his brother.” Genesis 35:1-7 New American Standard Bible 1977
“Then God said to Jacob, ‘Go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you, in a distinct manifestation when you fled years ago from Esau your brother.” (Genesis 28:11-22)
“Then Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Get rid of the idols and images of foreign gods that are among you, and ceremonially purify yourselves and change into fresh clothes; then let us get up 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 wherever I have gone.’
“So they gave Jacob all the idols and images of the foreign gods they had and the rings which were in their ears, worn as charms against evil, and Jacob buried them under the oak tree near Shechem.” Genesis 25:1-4 - The Amplified Bible
Jacob was grateful God had forgiven and protected him and his household throughout this long journey. In thanksgiving, he realised the trivial ‘good luck charms’ his household had gathered along the way would become distractions from God’s providence (Meaning they might imagine God was not all powerful and they needed these charms, just in case).
It may seem silly today. Yet, sometimes we hold onto things that are little idols. Idols don’t have to be physical objects. They can be thoughts or desires and like Jacob, we should remove the idols from our lives so we can focus completely on Him. In truth an idol is anything we put before God.
One more thing. Did you happen to notice that they hid them…buried them rather than destroyed them? We sometimes do that too, just in case we may need an idol again. Isn’t God wonderful and forgiving of our doubting behaviours!
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Take care with love, especially His, from Darlene, who still prays for you each day.
PS: You can also find the devotions on line/ on your mobile phone here: www.weakdaydevotion.com .
NOTES: I choose to believe the Bible because it's a reliable collection of historical documents written down by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They reported supernatural events that took place before, of specific prophecies; and claim that their writings are divine rather than human in origin.
The Five Solas: Individuals are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, as revealed by Scripture alone to the glory of God alone!
Find my full statement of faith: https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com (where you will also find a series of Bible studies). For the books, go to Amazon books. For prayer requests/ updates, email: darlenerichard@gmail.com