創世記35:1-10

35:1 上帝對雅各說：「起來！上伯特利去，住在那裡；要在那裡築一座壇給上帝，就是你逃避你哥哥以掃的時候向你顯現的那位。」
35:2 雅各就對他家中的人並一切與他同在的人說：「你們要除掉你們中間的外邦神，也要自潔，更換衣裳。
35:3 我們要起來，上伯特利去，在那裡我要築一座壇給上帝，就是在我遭難的日子應允我的禱告、在我行的路上保佑我的那位。」
35:4 他們就把外邦人的神像和他們耳朵上的環子交給雅各；雅各都藏在示劍那裡的橡樹底下。
35:5 他們便起行前往。上帝使那周圍城邑的人都甚驚懼，就不追趕雅各的眾子了。
35:6 於是雅各和一切與他同在的人到了迦南地的路斯，就是伯特利。
35:7 他在那裡築了一座壇，就給那地方起名叫伊勒‧伯特利（就是伯特利之上帝的意思）；因為他逃避他哥哥的時候，上帝在那裡向他顯現。
35:8 利百加的奶母底波拉死了，就葬在伯特利下邊橡樹底下；那棵樹名叫亞倫‧巴古。
35:9 雅各從巴旦‧亞蘭回來，上帝又向他顯現，賜福與他，
35:10 且對他說：「你的名原是雅各，從今以後不要再叫雅各，要叫以色列。」這樣，他就改名叫以色列。

Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”

² So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. ³ Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” ⁴ So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. ⁵ Then they set out, and the terror of God fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.
⁶ Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. ⁷ There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel,^[a] because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.
⁸ Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak outside Bethel. So it was named Allon Bakuth.^[b]
9 After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,^[c] God appeared to him again and blessed him. ¹⁰ God said to him, “Your name is Jacob,^[d] but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.^[e]” So he named him Israel.

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    在這裡看見信仰的開始是上帝的呼召，這是聖經很重要的救恩觀。人是不會主動尋求上帝的，因為人在始祖犯罪之後，罪就進入人的生命之中！不認識上帝、更不可能認識！內心有的，只有悖逆！

    雅各的生命，讓我們看見雖然是出於亞伯拉罕的家庭，但是真正認識上帝，就是在伯特利這個地方。上帝在夢中向他顯現，就是透過天梯有上上下下的天使。而使他驚嚇，竟然會在那裡遇見上帝！

    我們得拯救，也是上帝主動來尋找我們，也因此被上帝找著了！要是人去尋找上帝，人是找不到的！但是，上帝願意透過耶穌基督，讓我們可以與祂相遇，好認識祂並蒙祂拯救，這是一個奇妙救恩故事的開始呢！