# 44 - Returning to Bethel - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein we explore Jacob's journey back to the sacred place where he first encountered God, rediscovering faith, identity, and divine promises. This episode reflects on renewal, repentance, and the call to purify our hearts as we step into God's plan for our lives.
Episode 44 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by the Book of Genesis.
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For more information about Yael Eckstein and IFCJ visit https://www.ifcj.org/
Today's opening prayer is inspired by Amos 5:4, "Seek Me and live.”
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Shown Notes:
(02:53) Intro with Yael Eckstein
(03:53) Returning to Bethel - Cinematic Retelling
(11:53) Reflection with Yael Eckstein
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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<v Speaker 1>Previously on the Chosen people.
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<v Speaker 2>Go to the land. I have given you the place
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<v Speaker 2>where I met you before return Israel to Bethel.
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<v Speaker 1>Jacob led his caravan in the direction of Bethel, but
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<v Speaker 1>paranoia nagged at him.
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<v Speaker 3>You have enough to dwell in Methyl, isolated from other
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<v Speaker 3>clans and trade. What if we fall on hard times?
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<v Speaker 1>God had clearly told Jacob to go to Bethel, but
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<v Speaker 1>Jacob wondered if he could delay his obedience a little longer.
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<v Speaker 4>Tell me, Dinah, how has your family adjusted to being
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<v Speaker 4>this close to the city. I can imagine it being
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<v Speaker 4>quite a shock.
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<v Speaker 3>My father enjoys the business connections.
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<v Speaker 4>He plans to gain more wealth through training until we
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<v Speaker 4>settle near Bethel.
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<v Speaker 1>I've watched you, Dinah. I've watched you come with God.
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<v Speaker 4>I've watched you drop water from the well and dance
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<v Speaker 4>under the lanterns. Each moment I don't have you as painful.
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<v Speaker 4>I shall be rid of that pain today.
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<v Speaker 5>Please no.
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<v Speaker 1>Sheckham ignored Dinah's please for mercy. He seized her against
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<v Speaker 1>the jagged stone walls and violated her.
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<v Speaker 5>What are you going to do about what happened to Dinah?
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<v Speaker 3>What can I do?
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<v Speaker 5>Shechem is the son of the most powerful man in
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<v Speaker 5>the region. We shouldn't even be here. God told you
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<v Speaker 5>to settle in Bethel.
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<v Speaker 3>I know, but I thought we could be here for
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<v Speaker 3>a while to regroup. I thought it would be good
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<v Speaker 3>for us.
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<v Speaker 5>Good for you. But you've left the rest of us
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<v Speaker 5>vulnerable to the city.
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<v Speaker 3>Your daughter was raped, Jacob.
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<v Speaker 1>We Hebrews aren't perfect.
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<v Speaker 6>Follow my father around for a day and you'll realize
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<v Speaker 6>that we aren't perfectly upright men.
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<v Speaker 1>But we do have honor.
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<v Speaker 6>That's something that seems so foreign.
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<v Speaker 3>To you Canaanites, and your wife and I will pay it.
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<v Speaker 6>The price is life.
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<v Speaker 1>Simeon and Levi returned with Dinah, blood still wet on
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<v Speaker 1>their faces and tunics. Jacob was waiting for them, his
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<v Speaker 1>face a storm of fury and fear.
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<v Speaker 3>Foolish boys, what have you done?
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<v Speaker 2>What you should have done?
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<v Speaker 1>Jacob stood alone, fists clenched, teeth grinding. A storm of
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<v Speaker 1>emotions wared within him. Shame at his son's greater sense
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<v Speaker 1>of honor, terror at the prospect of the city's vengeance,
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<v Speaker 1>Guilt for bringing his family into this place of doom
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<v Speaker 1>instead of leading them straight to Bethel. He was a
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<v Speaker 1>man caught between the duty of a father and the
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<v Speaker 1>fear of a leader, and in that moment, the weight
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<v Speaker 1>of both threatened to crash in.
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<v Speaker 7>In the stillness of Bethel, Jacob found that the path
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<v Speaker 7>to his future involved the purification of his past. Shallow,
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<v Speaker 7>my friends, from here in the holy land of Israel,
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<v Speaker 7>i'm Ya l Extein with the International Fellowship of Christians
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<v Speaker 7>and Jews, Welcome to the Chosen People. Each day we'll
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<v Speaker 7>hear dramatic stories inspired by the Bible, stories filled with
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<v Speaker 7>timeless lessons of faith, love, and the meaning of life.
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<v Speaker 7>Now let's begin. Our path with God. Isn't a straight line.
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<v Speaker 7>We don't start at the beginning and steadily make our
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<v Speaker 7>way to the end. There are peaks and valleys, highs
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<v Speaker 7>and lows, and everything in between. Sometimes to move forward,
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<v Speaker 7>we have to take a few steps back, and in
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<v Speaker 7>order to look to the future, sometimes we must face
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<v Speaker 7>our past. Let's join Jacob in one of these moments
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<v Speaker 7>in a Bible story inspired by Genesis thirty five one
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<v Speaker 7>to fifteen.
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<v Speaker 1>In that stillness, as dawn's light crept over the horizon,
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<v Speaker 1>its warmth brushed Jacob's chest, stirring something deep within him.
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<v Speaker 1>He drew in a long, trembling breath. His heart heavy
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<v Speaker 1>with the weight of his son's actions and the unknown
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<v Speaker 1>consequences they would bring. He turned inward, seeking solace in
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<v Speaker 1>the familiar comfort of prayer, not as a patriarch, but
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<v Speaker 1>as a child, seeking the tender guidance.
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<v Speaker 2>Of a father.
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<v Speaker 3>God, God knows, diye.
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<v Speaker 2>Help me.
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<v Speaker 1>The warmth of the morning sun began to melt away
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<v Speaker 1>the icy grip of his anxiety, and in that sacred moment,
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<v Speaker 1>Jacob felt the presence of the Almighty once more, like
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<v Speaker 1>an old friend returned. The voice of the Lord was
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<v Speaker 1>not a thunderous roar from the heavens, but a quiet command,
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<v Speaker 1>intimate and unyielding.
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<v Speaker 2>Arise Israel back to Bethel, make an altar there and
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<v Speaker 2>worship me as you once did before.
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<v Speaker 1>Jacob nodded, stealing himself with the resolve that had carried
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<v Speaker 1>him through countless trials. His journey had never been a
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<v Speaker 1>straight path. It twisted with moments of triumph and transformation,
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<v Speaker 1>only to loop back into valleys of failure and despair. Yet,
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<v Speaker 1>like his forefathers, Jacob chose to press onward, ever, seeking
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<v Speaker 1>the will of the Almighty. He returned to his camp,
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<v Speaker 1>his steps heavier now with purpose. He called together his family,
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<v Speaker 1>his sons, his servants, and the people who had come
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<v Speaker 1>to rely on him for guidance.
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<v Speaker 5>Cleanse yourselves, change your garments, wash throw away any ardles
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<v Speaker 5>you may have, and purify your hearts. A great danger
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<v Speaker 5>threatens us, but we will arise to Bethel to seek God,
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<v Speaker 5>who has always answered me wherever I go.
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<v Speaker 1>The people obeyed, bringing forth their foreign gods, the idols
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<v Speaker 1>that had crept into their lives, and even the rings
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<v Speaker 1>from their ears. Jacob gathered them all and buried them
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<v Speaker 1>beneath the Terebinth tree near Shechem, a final act of
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<v Speaker 1>severance from the old life that had clung to them.
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<v Speaker 1>Their journey was a hurried one, driven by the fear
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<v Speaker 1>of retribution that lingered in their hearts. Yet as they
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<v Speaker 1>left the region behind, Jacob marveled at the absence of pursuit.
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<v Speaker 1>He sent scouts to the surrounding cities, and they returned
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<v Speaker 1>with word of chaos.
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<v Speaker 6>Lord Jacob, the city of Shechem is in disarray, men
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<v Speaker 6>vying for power, wildfires.
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<v Speaker 2>And all sorts of terrors.
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<v Speaker 3>Do you knowledge? Does anyone plan to pursue us?
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<v Speaker 6>Doubtful, my lord. Every city and village is in complete disaster.
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<v Speaker 6>They'll take months, if not years, to recover.
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<v Speaker 5>God has moved a love ahaf pres on.
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<v Speaker 3>We can move without fear.
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<v Speaker 1>And so Jacob led his family through the Negev, across jagged,
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<v Speaker 1>arid landscapes, and uprolling verdant hills. The journey was long
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<v Speaker 1>and hard, but with each step they drew closer to
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<v Speaker 1>the place where heaven had once touched the earth before
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<v Speaker 1>Jacob's eyes. Finally, they arrived at the base of a
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<v Speaker 1>great hill overlooking the land of Canaan, and there stood Bethel,
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<v Speaker 1>the sacred place where Jacob had first encountered the Almighty.
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<v Speaker 1>The wind picked up as they ascended, whistling against Jacob's
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<v Speaker 1>weathered cheeks. The sun cast a crimson glow across the sky,
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<v Speaker 1>painting the clouds with fiery hues. Jacob felt the pull
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<v Speaker 1>of that place, as if it beckoned him to return
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<v Speaker 1>to remember. His family followed close behind, their steps, echoing
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<v Speaker 1>the journey he had once taken alone. God did not
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<v Speaker 1>part the heavens this time, nor did he send angels
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<v Speaker 1>to descend on a ladder from the sky. Instead, he
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<v Speaker 1>spoke softly in the recesses of Jacob's heart, reminding him
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<v Speaker 1>of who he was and who he would become.
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<v Speaker 2>I am the Lord God Almighty, Be fruitful and multiply.
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<v Speaker 2>A nation and a company of nations shall come from you,
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<v Speaker 2>and kings will come from among you. The land that
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<v Speaker 2>I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to you,
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<v Speaker 2>and I he will give the land to your off
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<v Speaker 2>spring after you.
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<v Speaker 1>Jacob stood at the summit and gazed upon the lash,
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<v Speaker 1>vibrant land below. He was where his father Isaac had stood,
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<v Speaker 1>where Abraham before him had once walked or filled him,
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<v Speaker 1>Or that a man as flawed and broken as he
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<v Speaker 1>could be chosen by the creator of all. He knew
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<v Speaker 1>he was not done failing. His journey was far from over.
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<v Speaker 1>Yet in the face of all his imperfections, God blessed him,
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<v Speaker 1>blessed his family, the people of Israel, and Jacob knew
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<v Speaker 1>with a certainty that settled into his bones that the
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<v Speaker 1>Lord would not abandon them, no matter what trials awaited them.
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<v Speaker 1>He turned to his family, gesturing toward the stones he
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<v Speaker 1>had stagged so long ago as a monument.
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<v Speaker 3>Each of you, gather a stone and add it to
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<v Speaker 3>this night, we will build an altar here and make
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<v Speaker 3>a sacrifice unto our God it will be called El Bethel.
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<v Speaker 1>As Jacob limped forward, his hand instinctively rubbing the old
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<v Speaker 1>wound on his hip, still sore from that night he
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<v Speaker 1>wrestled with God, he came upon a mound of dirt.
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<v Speaker 1>He closed his eyes, and a single tear slipped down
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<v Speaker 1>his weathered cheek, falling on to the earth that held
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<v Speaker 1>profound memories. In that moment, God spoke to him once more.
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<v Speaker 1>No longer shows your name, Jacob. From this day forward,
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<v Speaker 1>Israel shall be your name. Ay, and God Almighty, be
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<v Speaker 1>fruitful and multiply in this land. A nation and a
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<v Speaker 1>company of nations shall come from you, and king shall
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<v Speaker 1>come from your own body. The land that I gave
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<v Speaker 1>to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to you, and
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<v Speaker 1>I will give the land to your offspring after you. Jacob,
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<v Speaker 1>now Israel set up a pillar in the place where
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<v Speaker 1>God had spoken to him. He poured out a drink,
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<v Speaker 1>offering upon it, followed by oil, sanctifying the spot as holy.
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<v Speaker 1>As he worked, his mind drifted to the long path
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<v Speaker 1>he had walked to arrive at this moment. The wrong turns,
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<v Speaker 1>the missteps, the half measures, all of it let him here,
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<v Speaker 1>and through it all God had been with him before
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<v Speaker 1>and behind, cleaning up his messes and paving the way forward.
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<v Speaker 1>He looked back at his sons, the future of the
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<v Speaker 1>people who would bear his new name. He thought about
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<v Speaker 1>the path ahead of them, the countless mistakes they would
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<v Speaker 1>inevitably make on their way to becoming a great nation.
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<v Speaker 1>He knew he could not shield them from the trials
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<v Speaker 1>and tribulations that awaited them, just as he had not
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<v Speaker 1>been shielded. But he did not pray for their path
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<v Speaker 1>to be perfect. Instead, he prayed for them to have
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<v Speaker 1>the strength to endure, to wrestle as he had, to
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<v Speaker 1>be bruised and broken, but to rise in the end,
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<v Speaker 1>sharing in the victory of their God. Such was the
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<v Speaker 1>path of Isaac and Abraham before him, and such would
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<v Speaker 1>be the path of Israel, a nation of broken people
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<v Speaker 1>chosen by God for greatness.
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<v Speaker 4>Wow.
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<v Speaker 7>Here we find Jacob standing at the edge of the
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<v Speaker 7>destiny when he receives a call from God, a call
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<v Speaker 7>to return to Bethel, a pilgrimage to where promises were
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<v Speaker 7>made and visions were seen, a journey back to the
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<v Speaker 7>place where Heaven touched earth. This idea of returning, of
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<v Speaker 7>circling back to sacred spaces is like coming home. This
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<v Speaker 7>story really resonates with me. You see, in two thousand
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<v Speaker 7>and five, my husband Michael and I made Aliel, which
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<v Speaker 7>means we immigrated here to the holy land of Israel
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<v Speaker 7>from where we were born in America. We came in
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<v Speaker 7>order to make our home in the biblical and historic
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<v Speaker 7>homeland of Israel, to pray in the land of the Bible,
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<v Speaker 7>to raise our family in the land that God promised
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<v Speaker 7>our ancestors, his chosen people. So this Bible story of
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<v Speaker 7>Jacob returning to such a holy place, well, for me,
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<v Speaker 7>it's personal. It really hits home what it means to
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<v Speaker 7>turn to a place that actually is ready your home.
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<v Speaker 7>And Jacob didn't just go alone. No, he brought his family,
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<v Speaker 7>his entire household, calling them to purify themselves, to throw
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<v Speaker 7>away their foreign gods. Sometimes, my friends, we need to
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<v Speaker 7>do the same in our lives. We need a focus
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<v Speaker 7>on the God who calls us back time and time
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<v Speaker 7>again to leave what we don't need behind, to heed
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<v Speaker 7>God's call for renewal, for recommitment. And Jacob's return to
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<v Speaker 7>Bethel is also a story of grace, of second chances
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<v Speaker 7>and fresh starts. It reminds us today that no matter
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<v Speaker 7>how far we wander, there's always a way back to
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<v Speaker 7>our God, who is always there, calling us home and
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<v Speaker 7>welcoming us to his love. In Hebrew, Bethel is pronounced
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<v Speaker 7>bit e L, and it literally translates to house of
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<v Speaker 7>God bait L, house of God. You see, this place
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<v Speaker 7>isn't just a dot on a map. No, it's a
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<v Speaker 7>spiritual touchstone. It's a place where Heaven meets Earth. And
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<v Speaker 7>it's here that Jacob, at this recurring sacred space, stands
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<v Speaker 7>at its threshold. But Jacob doesn't just return to a
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<v Speaker 7>physical place. He comes back to the very heart of
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<v Speaker 7>his faith. It's at bait L that God reiterates to
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<v Speaker 7>Jacob the promise that he gave to Abraham and Isaac.
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<v Speaker 7>Do you know what that promise is? Yeah, you probably
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<v Speaker 7>guessed it. It's the promise of the land of Israel.
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<v Speaker 7>But here this promise is coupled with another promise from
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<v Speaker 7>verses eleven and twelve. Quote and God said to him,
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<v Speaker 7>I'm God Almighty, be fruitful and increase in numbers. A
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<v Speaker 7>nation and a community of nations will come from you,
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<v Speaker 7>and kings will be among your descendants. The land that
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<v Speaker 7>I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I also give to you,
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<v Speaker 7>and I will give this land to your descendants. After
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<v Speaker 7>you end quote, I want you to hear the second
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<v Speaker 7>verse in the Bible's original Hebrew, because it's so important
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<v Speaker 7>to understand the real intention of what God was saying.
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<v Speaker 7>The eta aretz asher natati le Avraham ulitzraklera etkaannen lera
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<v Speaker 7>et nena ulizar ahreja etten eta Aretz. First, God promises
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<v Speaker 7>that the Chosen people will be numerous and royal, and
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<v Speaker 7>immediately after that, God promises that the land that he
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<v Speaker 7>gave to Abraham and Isac, he will also give to
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<v Speaker 7>Jacob and pay attention to this to all his descendants,
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<v Speaker 7>the Chosen people. Wow, that's pretty powerful. Malbium. The Grajewish
0:16:16 --> 0:16:18
<v Speaker 7>age from the eighteen hundred stated that these two verses
0:16:19 --> 0:16:24
<v Speaker 7>about the future descendants of Jacob and the promised land
0:16:25 --> 0:16:28
<v Speaker 7>cannot be separated. The nation of Israel and the land
0:16:28 --> 0:16:34
<v Speaker 7>of Israel are inseparable, and they're bound together forever. It's
0:16:34 --> 0:16:38
<v Speaker 7>incredible when you think about it. This promise was made
0:16:38 --> 0:16:41
<v Speaker 7>thousands of years ago, and I'm speaking to you right
0:16:41 --> 0:16:46
<v Speaker 7>now from this very same holy land. I feel it
0:16:46 --> 0:16:50
<v Speaker 7>so very strongly. I feel the words of this verse.
0:16:50 --> 0:16:54
<v Speaker 7>I feel the promise. I feel so connected to this
0:16:54 --> 0:16:58
<v Speaker 7>land in a way that I could not feel anywhere else.
0:16:59 --> 0:17:04
<v Speaker 7>And the reason why is because God himself promised it
0:17:04 --> 0:17:09
<v Speaker 7>to me. He promised it to Jacob and his descendants.
0:17:11 --> 0:17:16
<v Speaker 7>But just what is it about Bethel that draws Jacob back?
0:17:16 --> 0:17:21
<v Speaker 7>Let's trace its significance. Bethel first appears when Jacob is
0:17:21 --> 0:17:26
<v Speaker 7>fleeing esau Fear and uncertainty grip his heart. But at Bethel,
0:17:27 --> 0:17:31
<v Speaker 7>Jacob dreams of a ladder that reaches all the way
0:17:31 --> 0:17:37
<v Speaker 7>up to Heaven, angels ascending and descending, and suddenly God speaks.
0:17:38 --> 0:17:43
<v Speaker 7>Fast forward many years later, Jacob is returning from Paddan Aram.
0:17:43 --> 0:17:47
<v Speaker 7>He has wrestled with God. Jacob's name has been changed
0:17:47 --> 0:17:52
<v Speaker 7>to Israel, but his life is still very complicated, and
0:17:52 --> 0:17:59
<v Speaker 7>God calls him back to Bethel. Why because Bethel is
0:17:59 --> 0:18:03
<v Speaker 7>where Jacob first met God. Because bethelas where God's promises
0:18:03 --> 0:18:08
<v Speaker 7>were made, and now bethelas where God's promises are going
0:18:09 --> 0:18:14
<v Speaker 7>to be renewed. So I ask you, my friends, what
0:18:14 --> 0:18:19
<v Speaker 7>about us do we remember our own bethels? Can you
0:18:19 --> 0:18:25
<v Speaker 7>reflect on moments of a divine encounter and your own
0:18:25 --> 0:18:32
<v Speaker 7>Heart's sacred spaces, places where God promised or whispered in you.
0:18:32 --> 0:18:35
<v Speaker 1>You can listen to The Chosen People with your exte
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<v Speaker 1>Steve Gattina to Max bod Zach Shellabarga and Ben Gammon,
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<v Speaker 1>the executive producers of The Chosen Beach with the Isle
0:18:54 --> 0:19:00
<v Speaker 1>ex Stein, edited by Alberto narrated by Paul Characters are
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<v Speaker 1>Stephen Ringwalwick, Sylvia Zaradov, and the opening prayer is voiced
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<v Speaker 1>Brie Rosalie and Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paulonia,
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<v Speaker 1>rate and leave.
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<v Speaker 7>A review does answer, even if it's not as straightforward
0:19:40 --> 0:19:44
<v Speaker 7>as we would like it to be. In our lives,
0:19:44 --> 0:19:48
<v Speaker 7>so much of our prayer is forward focused. Jacob, however,
0:19:49 --> 0:19:54
<v Speaker 7>reminds us of the profound importance of looking back, of
0:19:54 --> 0:19:57
<v Speaker 7>thanking God for the prayers that He has already answered,
0:19:58 --> 0:20:02
<v Speaker 7>for the blessings that He has already provided. Have we
0:20:02 --> 0:20:06
<v Speaker 7>prayed for children and been granted them? Have we prayed
0:20:06 --> 0:20:10
<v Speaker 7>for clarity which God gave us? Did we pray for
0:20:10 --> 0:20:15
<v Speaker 7>a home that God provided? If we all follow Jacob's
0:20:15 --> 0:20:19
<v Speaker 7>example looking back with gratitude on God's blessings, we create
0:20:19 --> 0:20:22
<v Speaker 7>a deeper connection to the one who has been with
0:20:22 --> 0:20:26
<v Speaker 7>us all along and will always be with us, keeping
0:20:26 --> 0:20:30
<v Speaker 7>his promise to bless his chosen people.
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