Genesis 35:1-5 – God’s Protection
Jacob’s family have put themselves in danger through their slaughter and plunder of the men and city of Shechem. It is probably with great relief that Jacob hears the command of God to move on away from this place where such terrible things have happened. In Genesis 28:20-22, Jacob makes a vow to God at Bethel when he sees the heavenly vision of a ladder with angels. He promises that if God brings him safely back to Canaan, he will return to Bethel and worship God there. God has done more than just keep Jacob safe, He has blessed him abundantly, and now God is reminding Jacob of his vow. God reminds those He loves, through their reading and hearing of His Word, how they should be obeying Him.
Jacob commands his family to prepare for the worship of God. We should always prepare ourselves before we come to worship God. Heads of households especially are responsible to see that their families are prepared to worship God. Sadly, Jacob’s household must be told to put away strange gods. Perhaps these are the ones Rachel stole from Laban, or maybe they are ones that have been plundered from the Shechemites. Either way, they have to go, and we can only wonder why Jacob hasn’t gotten rid of them earlier.
Even though the Canaanites are probably really annoyed with how the Israelites treated the Shechemites, God’s hand is holding them back and keeping Jacob safe. When we are being obedient to God, doing His work, we are under His protection and nothing can harm us.
Questions
- Where was Jacob supposed to go?
- What did he tell his family to do?
- Why were they safe on their journey?
Prayer Points
- Pray that God would remind us constantly to obey Him.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.