The Explanation

God spoke to Jacob. "Arise," he said, "go up to Bethel, and live there. Make an altar to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau."

Jacob remembered that day well. He had been running for his life, scared and alone, when God met him at Bethel and promised to be with him. Now Jacob turned to his family and all his servants. "Put away the foreign gods among you," he told them. "Purify yourselves, change your clothes. Let's go to Bethel."

So they handed over their little idols, statues of gods that were not really gods at all, and their earrings too. Jacob buried them under a big oak tree. Then they packed up and travelled toward Bethel. Something amazing happened on the way. A great fear from God fell on the cities around them, so no enemy dared to chase Jacob's family.

When they arrived, Jacob built his altar and named the place El Beth El. There, sad news came too. Deborah, who had cared for Jacob's mother since she was a baby, died and was buried under another oak. They called it the Oak of Weeping.

Then God appeared to Jacob again. "Your name is Jacob," God said, "but your name will not be Jacob anymore. Your name will be Israel." God blessed him with a new promise: many children, many nations, even kings would come from him. Jacob set up a stone pillar to remember it, and poured oil on it.

What Does This Mean?

Jacob's family kept moving, and soon something hard happened. Rachel, Jacob's wife, was having a baby, but the labor was very hard. "Don't be afraid," the midwife told her, "you will have another son." The baby was born, a boy, but Rachel died. Jacob named him Benjamin. They buried Rachel right there on the road, and Jacob set up a stone to mark her grave.

Life kept going, with joy and sorrow mixed together. Jacob now had twelve sons in all, from Leah, Rachel, and their servants Bilhah and Zilpah. These twelve sons would one day become twelve tribes, a whole nation.

The Common Thread

God had promised Abraham a land, children, and a blessing for the whole world. Now God repeated that same promise to Jacob, giving him a new name, Israel. This name would belong to God's whole people forever. Many years later, one son from this family, born in Bethlehem near where Rachel was buried, would be Jesus himself. God keeps his promises across many generations, through joy and through grief, all the way to Jesus.

For You

Jacob's family had to put away the little idols they were carrying, things that were not really gods. Maybe you don't carry statues, but is there something you trust more than God? A toy, a game, always wanting to win? You can put that away too, and trust the real God instead. When something sad happens in your life, remember Rachel's story. Even in sadness, God is still near, still keeping his promises.

Talk About It

Why do you think Jacob wanted his family to put away their foreign gods before going to Bethel?

Can you think of a time you were sad and happy on the same day, like Jacob was when Benjamin was born?

Praying Together

Dear God, thank you that you keep every promise you make. Thank you that you are near us when we are happy and when we are sad. Help us to trust only in you. Amen.