We can go back to Bethel. Where were you the first time God became real to you? What did He do? What did God say? Have you ever gone back there? If you went to Israel today, you would not find Bethel as a place for tourists to visit. It is out in a desolate place of rocky hills. There is no chapel or historical marker saying, “God was here.” Nevertheless, God first came to Jacob there.
God called Israel and his family to experience a revival. Jacob first met God or should I say God found Jacob with a vision of a ladder in a place called Luz. Then Jacob renamed the place, “Bethel,” or house of God. Years later, after the dark episode with the Hivites, God called Jacob to come home to Bethel with his family. Not only did Jacob obey, but he asked his family to prepare themselves spiritually. Repentance began with his family getting rid of all their idols. Then they bathed and changed their clothes. Jacob buried their idols, set out for Bethel. Meeting God is no small matter. If we ever decide to obey God and return to him, he will make a way for us to get to his house. Not only did God’s presence revive Jacob and his family, but it also put holy fear into the hearts of the people in the surrounding community. Nobody stood in Jacob’s way as he headed home to God.
Good news: you don’t have to buy a plane ticket or book a tour to get back to God. The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof, the world, and the people who live in it (Psalm 24:1). The whole earth is full of his glory, not just the ancient site of the temple. Without question, there is much to see in Israel. But you don’t have to go there to meet God. His mercies are in view from your own house. Look up. Bury your idols. Prepare to meet him. He will be waiting.
