Vows, alters and the Worship of God

 God appears to Jacob and reminds him of his vow  at Bethel on the day of his trouble when he had fled from his brother Esau. He is to build an alter there.  Jacob tells his family to put away foreign gods, to purify themselves and change their garments. His directions are followed and the idols are hidden under the terebinth tree near Shechem. They journey to Bethel and Jacob builds another alter there and calls it El-beth-el meaning the God of the house of God.  God appears again and says I am El-shaddi (God Almighty), He renews His promise to Abraham about the land and the nations that shall come through Jacob.  He also reminds him of his new name Israel,  and adds “Kings shall come from your body.”  Jacob sets up a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink and oil offering on it (Genesis 35:1-14).

The vow that Jacob had made was that “If God will be with me, and keep me ...... so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God” (Genesis 28:20, 21). He had tolerated idols in the house and he understood as head of the house it was his responsibility to bring the whole house under the influence of the Lord. God would later in the Law make it very clear that we are to put away all idols (Exodus 20:3, 4). Joshua would later declare “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  The changing of the garments was symbolic of the purification, literally of cleansing yourself. There would be many ritual cleanings required later under the Law, and there were many things that made you ceremonially unclean (Numbers 19:11, 12; Leviticus 14:4; Leviticus 15:13). but it was never intended to be only external. Jesus condemned the Pharisees “you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness” (Luke 11:39).  So today while the liturgy can help a person draw near to God if it engages the heart,  simply going through the motions is what the Pharisees did and what Jesus condemned.

El-Shaddai is often translated as Almighty God, God of power and might.  The God we worship is not some tinpot god, nor some modern manifestation of an idol. He is the one who spoke and stars were flung into space (Genesis 1:3). There are so many names of God representing His many attributes and virtues.  Since we become like what we worship, it is important to put away our modern equivalents of idols and cleans and purify ourselves.  Jacob built an alter to worship God.  The New Testament believer is to worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:24).

Father, though You are merciful, it is better not to make a vow than to make one and not keep it (Ecclesiastes 5:5). Please expose any hidden idols or weaknesses, anything we might be prizing more highly than You. Thank You Lord that You seek our  worship, and that that is a big part of what makes us more like Jesus. When we, like Jacob make You  El-beth-el, we are in a real sense making You the God of our house and in essence declaring with Joshua  “as for me and my house we will serve the Lord” It is in His Holy Name we pray these things Amen