Every child of God has a Bethel he/she must always return to in his/her walk with God. Bethel stands for a place of encounter with God, a place of our consecration where we first met the Lord and where our journey started with Him. Many of us, as we grow older in the Lord, tend to begin to compromise with sin, and move away from the cherished practices we once held dear, hence the need to return to Bethel.

Bethel is first mentioned in the Bible in connection with Abram, who built an altar to God and from there he called upon the name of the Lord (Genesis 12:8). After visiting Egypt, Abraham returned to Bethel and offered a sacrifice to God (Gen.13: 3-4).

Originally named Luz (Genesis 28:19; Judges 1:23), the city was renamed Bethel by Jacob after he had an encounter with God. While travelling from Beersheba to Haran to escape from his brother, Esau, Jacob stopped for the night in Luz. As he slept, he dreamed of a ladder from earth to heaven. The angels of God were climbing up and down the ladder as God stood at the top (Gen.28: 10-13). The Lord spoke and revealed Himself to Jacob as the God of his fathers. When Jacob awoke, he declared: “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven,” (Genesis 28:17). Then Jacob set up a sacred pillar, named the place Bethel (verses 18–19), and consecrated the site as a place to worship God (verse 21).

Many years later, Jacob returned to Bethel, built an altar to God there, and called the place El-Bethel, which means “God of Bethel.” Bethel remained one of the main worship centres of Israel.

Why did God ask Jacob to return to Bethel? Returning to Bethel meant returning to the place of his first encounter and consecration with God. God’s command to return to Bethel implies a separation from sin. “Bethel” means the House of God; it is a place of solitude, intimacy and consecration with God. God wants his people to return to the “House of God” and dwell there.

In Genesis 35:1, God commanded Jacob to build an altar to Him at Bethel. This meant a place of worship, a vow Jacob made after encountering the Lord for the first time as he fled from Esau.

He encountered God before so he had an idea of what to do to prepare for a second encounter. Jacob’s steps as he prepared to return to Bethel are very instructive for everyone desirous of returning to the place of their encounter and consecration with God.

Firstly, he summons all the people travelling with him to prepare for their journey and meeting with God. Secondly, he asked them to put away all idols or foreign gods. It was a call to forsake whatever evil they held on to.

Thirdly, he commanded them to purify themselves. It served as a soul-searching and confession of sins. Fourthly, he said to them: “Change your clothes.” Paul used the same imagery when he called for the Colossian believers to put off their former way of life (their old clothes) and put on their new selves (their new clothes, see Col. 3:8-11). These new clothes were more about a new lifestyle than changing physical garments.
Where is your own Bethel? God wants you to return to the place of your intimacy and consecration.
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