Genesis 35:1 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.”
God had told Jacob to not fear going to see his estranged brother Esau, because God was going to go with him wherever he went. That proved to be true. With that fresh in his mind, when God spoke again, Jacob knew what he had to do. He had to obey and go, but he also had to leave some things behind - things that would only be a hindrance wherever he went in following God's voice. The same is true for us: when we come to know the true and living God and trust and recognize His voice, there are things we know we need to leave behind. Many of them He clearly lists in His Word (like idols), while others we come to realize are inconsistent with faithful obedience. Jacob did so here, and as the passage goes on, it says that no one was willing to mess with Jacob or get in His way. Everyone heard and saw that God was with him.
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