The Road to Bethel

The Road to Bethel | Genesis 34:1—35:29

After wrestling with God and reconciling with Esau, Jacob should have gone straight to Bethel—the place of promise, encounter, and worship. Instead, he settled in Shechem.

And Shechem cost him everything.

Genesis 34 records one of the darkest chapters in Jacob’s story: violence, silence, manipulation, revenge, and compromise. Dinah is violated. Jacob fails to lead. Her brothers overcorrect with bloodshed. A covenant sign is weaponized. And an entire family spirals because they chose comfort over obedience.

But chapter 35 brings a turning point.

God calls Jacob back:

“Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there.”

Before healing could come, idols had to be buried. Sin had to be named. Compromise had to end. Worship had to be restored.

In this message, we walk through three essential truths for anyone who has wandered into their own “Shechem”:

• Healing requires honesty

• Healing requires release

• Healing requires returning

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in Shechem. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done—or what’s been done to you. The road back to Bethel is still open.

God is still calling you home.