I want to begin this evening with a question: what are your Sunday mornings like when you are preparing to gather with the saints? How do you prepare yourself for worship?
In Genesis 35:1 Jacob was commanded by God to return to Bethel for two reasons: to live there and build an altar there, which means to worship God at the place where God first manifested Himself to Jacob. In this blog we are going to look at Genesis 35:2-4 which is about Jacob preparing his family to commune with Almighty God, and says this: “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. Then let us arise and go 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. So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.”
My aim is to study how Jacob prepared his family to worship God at Bethel and in turn, how we can prepare ourselves to worship God as well. So, how did Jacob prepare his family to worship God? Before we get into that let me give you two observations that should be brought out from this text.
Observation 1: Jacob obeyed the command to worship.
In Genesis 35:1 he received the command to return to Bethel and worship God there, now in Genesis 35:2 we see Jacob responding to the command of God to worship Him by getting his family ready for worship as well.
And the reason he was compelled to obey the command to worship was not simply out of obligation. I believe Jacob wanted to do this. The reason I believe that is based on his comment in verse 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.”
I believe Jacob was joyfully willing to obey the command of God to worship Him because God chose Jacob when Jacob did not choose Him, God was faithful to Jacob when Jacob was faithless towards Him, God answered Jacob’s prayers in every distressing situation, and God never had forsaken Jacob.
So again, I don’t think Jacob was obeying God out of obligation, but out of affection and joy and love. His relationship with God is different now than it was before.
Observation 2: Jacob was acting as the spiritual leader of his family.
This is a very different Jacob from what we read in Genesis 34 when Dinah was raped. We didn’t see Jacob really leading his family through that crisis. Instead, we saw his sons leading their family which made matters worse rather than better. Now however, we see Jacob responding to the call of God to worship Him at Bethel and the first step he takes his preparing his family.
How does Jacob, as the spiritual leader of his family, prepare his family to worship God?
The first thing Jacob has his family do is get rid of their foreign gods.
When Jacob was preparing his family to meet with God at Bethel, he told them, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you…” What this suggests is that Jacob’s household (his wives or perhaps his children or both) and Jacob’s servants were polytheistic, meaning: they believed in and worshiped more than one god.
Am I saying Jacob was polytheistic? No. I believe, based off previous texts, Jacob was solely a worshiper of God. But based on this statement we have to assume there were people within his household and among his servants who had polytheistic beliefs and now that it was time to worship the God of Abraham and Isaac, it was time for Jacob to get his house in order. Again, this is Jacob stepping into the position of spiritual leader as his family.
Who would be polytheistic in Jacob’s family? It’s reasonable to conclude that Rachel and Leah were. Consider that their father, Laban, was not a worshiper of God. He was a worshiper of many gods. He was polytheistic.
How do we know this? Do you remember in Genesis 31 when Jacob was fleeing from Laban and verse 19 saying, “Rachel stole her father’s household gods”? We know from that statement that Laban was polytheistic. We also know from that statement that, at the very least, Rachel did as well or else, why steal her fathers household gods. So the thought is that many of Laban’s polytheistic beliefs were carried over into Jacob’s household by Rachel, and perhaps, Leah.
To be fair, scholars tell us that it was not uncommon for most Israelites to have idols in their homes. For many, those idols were not the subject of worship as much as they were like good luck charms, similar to someone who is a worshiper of Jesus but having a rabbit’s foot as good luck.
But based on Jacob’s statement, I have a hard time being persuaded that these foreign gods were simply good luck charms. I think they were objects of their worship and therefore, a distraction from the worship of Almighty God, and Jacob would have none of it.
Secondly, Jacob had his family to purify themselves.
The word “purify” in Hebrew means what you think it means. It means to be made clean or pure. The implication was to clean or purify themselves from anything and everything that would make them unclean or sinful.
Part of that was getting rid of their foreign gods. But it was more than that, more than likely. While Moses does not tell us what Jacob meant specifically, we know that the Jews had several purification rituals. For example, we know clothes that were contaminated by mold or mildew would have to be washed, they could not go near a diseased person, they could not be diseased themselves, their hands had to be washed properly, and they themselves had to be washed properly. All of these things were purifying rituals, and perhaps, that’s what Jacob meant.
Lastly, Jacob had his family change or clean their clothing.
This was more than likely part of their purification ritual. We know from Exodus 19:10, before God would permit the Israelites to stand at the base of Mount Sinai they had to purify themselves and part of that meant washing their clothes.
Part of cleaning their clothing involved removing their earrings as we read in verse 4. The reason they gave up their earrings is likely because they were associated with their pagan gods. Which Jacob in turn buried so that no one would discover them again.
So how can we prepare ourselves for worship?
Point 1: Our first act should be our willingness to obey the command.
Just as Jacob was commanded by God to worship Him at Bethel, so we are commanded by God in Hebrews 10:25 not to neglect meeting together for the purpose of worshiping God and encouraging one another.
And like Jacob, I don’t think we should obey the command of obligation, but out of willingness. They are willing because, like Jacob, they understand that God is worthy to be praised. They understand the cross. They understand that God loves them and saved in spite of who they are. And so, they joyfully obey the command of God to gather with the saints.
Personally speaking, I think one indication that you are a believer is your desire to obey the command of God to gather with other believers. I question people’s relationship to God when they say they are a Christian but do not have the desire to worship God with the saints. I believe if you really are a believer, you want to be with other believers. Therefore, coming together with the church on Wednesday nights and/or Sunday mornings is not a burden; it’s a desire.
Point 2: Men need to step up and be the spiritual leaders of their families.
Men, your number one priority is to point your families to Jesus. Many men leave it to the church to raise their families up in Christ. Or, they leave it to mom. But that’s not the job for the church nor is that the job of the mom, that’s the job for the man within his household. That means making church attendance a priority. But it also includes leading your family in prayer and leading them in reading the Scriptures and even having Bible studies. I think one of the biggest problems facing our nation today, and it has been for a long time now, is that we are lacking male spiritual leaders in the home. Men: when attending worship service is not your priority, you are showing your kids that fellowshiping with the saints and worshiping God is not significant.
Point 3: Plan ahead.
Sunday mornings can be chaotic so prepare as much as you can Saturday night by packing whatever bags you need to pack, putting gas in the car, planning breakfast, getting your Bible ready, and getting your clothes picked out and ironed out. Anything you can do Saturday night to help you obey the command to worship on Sunday morning.
This includes getting enough rest. If you come into the church to worship but you did not allow yourself time to get some good rest on Saturday night, then your worship of God on Sunday will be half-hearted and God is worthy of more than our half-hearted worship.
Point 4: Read your Bible ahead of time.
Get up early that Sunday morning and read through your assigned Bible reading plan. Or, you can read through the text that we will be going through that morning to prepare you for the sermon to come. One Pastor put it like this: “If you think of the sermon as the meal, the appetizer is the Scripture that you read beforehand (Saturday night or Sunday morning) to give you a taste for spiritual things.”
Point 5: Pray and ask God to prepare your heart.
God said through Jeremiah, “I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD” (Jer. 24:7) . Psalms 119:36 says, “Incline my heart to your testimonies”. Ask God to prepare your heart that you may receive His word.
Point 6: Check your attitude.
Something that will absolutely destroy our worship of God is an unchecked attitude. If you’re angry with somebody. If you had a fight with your spouse or your kid on Saturday night or Sunday morning. If you have issues with someone in the church, like jealousy or envy. All of these things and more can cause us to have a terrible worship experience.
There may be even someone you need to go to and reconcile with before you go into a time of worship. Jesus said, “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matt. 5:23,24). Nothing can destroy your capacity to worship God worse than an attitude of unforgiveness.
Point 7: Purify your mind.
James 1:21 says, “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” That’s what reading Scripture before you come to church can do. It can get your mind right. It can aide you in evaluating your heart and repent in preparation to hear the Word.
In addition, listen to praise and worship music or listen to preaching. You can do this while you are getting ready or in your car. Anything you can do to prepare your mind and your heart to enter into worship helps. And include your kids in this. Let them listen to Veggie Tales or something that helps prepare them for worship as well.
Point 8: Go to church prepared to be taught.
Again, James 1:21 says, “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” Regardless of who you are or how long you have been a Christian or what your position in the church is, you can always be taught. Approaching worship service meekly places you in a humble, teachable, position. When you reach a point where you think you can’t be taught something pride and arrogance has filled your heart, and it will surely impede your spiritual growth.
Point 9: Get rid of any distractions.
The first thing that Jacob had his family do is get rid of their foreign gods. Human beings are prone to idolatry. It’s our greatest weakness. Before we gather with the saints, we need to check ourselves and repent of anything we may have greater affection for than God.