Put Away

Put away the foreign gods

which are among you,

and purify yourselves

and change your garments.

Genesis 35:2

After the slaughter at Shechem, God comes to Jacob and tells him, once again, to go to Bethel and live there. God also says to build there an altar, but first Jacob and his family have business to attend to.

They have foreign gods among them; they have rings in their ears and garments on their bodies that represented these foreign gods, and they were to be removed.

These foreign gods were made by a goldsmith, formed by silver and gold. These foreign gods had to be carried around on someone’s shoulder. They had to be set in place and stood up by someone because they cannot stand up on their on. These foreign gods that had to be bought, formed, and stood were worshiped, and those who stood them bowed before them.

Jacob knew that it was not these foreign gods that had protected him and answered him in his day of distress. The family carried these foreign gods, but the One True God carried the family.

The God of Abraham and Isaac had been with Jacob wherever he had gone. Jacob did not have to pack God with the tents in order for Him to come along.

Jacob is finally completely surrendering to the Lord his God and is finally stepping up as the spiritual leader of his household.

Oh Father,

You have called us to be separate, and we are to put away all idols and everything that is in our lives that comes before You. We are to purify our hearts and change our actions and our attitudes so that they are in line with You. You called me to be Yours and to represent You and to be a holy priesthood and a light in this dark world. My light cannot shine if it is smeared with the muck of this world. My God, how I need You. You deserve nothing less than all of me. Show me how to give all I am to You.

My Jesus, it is in Your name I pray,

Amen.