Deborah dies

Jacob and his huge camp stayed in Shechem for many years, the people in the land knew about them including his father Isaac and his huge camp. Rebekah had probably died, and Jacob never saw his mother again, but his father was still alive and Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse came to Jacob in Luz and there she died.

Allon-bacuth and El-bethel

Deborah probably came to Jacob and told him about his mother’s late years and how she died. Moreover, they wept together at the same oak where they later buried Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse. In addition, Jacob called the oak, Allon-bacuth, Oak of weeping. Jacob also builds an Alter when in Luz and calls it El-bethel.

El, the God of power

When Jacob escaped from his brother, he met God at this place and believed this was where God lived, and now he had returned to “God’s home”, but this time a lot wiser, now Jacob knew more about YaHaWaH, the God that lived in “the house of God”. Jacob called the alter El-bethel; the focus was this time on El, the God of power that stayed in His house here in Bethel. The Alter that Jacob build testified to the Canaanites that the God of Jacob was the God of power and nobody dared to touch him.

Questions

1.  Are our ancestors of importance to us?
2. How do we present Jesus to the World?
3. Why do we weep at funerals?
4. Are feelings flesh or spiritual?