Beginning of the End - Ellen G. White

Jacob with horror. Heartsick at the deceit and violence of his sons,
he said, "You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the
inhabitants of the land ... and since I am few in number, they will
gather themselves together against me and kill me, I shall be
destroyed, my household and I."
Jacob felt that there was cause for deep humiliation. Cruelty
and falsehood were in the character of his sons. False gods and
idolatry had gained a foothold to some extent even in his household.
While Jacob was so bowed down with trouble, the Lord
directed him to journey south toward Bethel. The thought of this
place reminded him not only of his vision of the angels and of God's
promises of mercy, but of the vow he had made there that the Lord
would be his God. Determined that his household should be freed
from the defilement of idolatry before going to this sacred spot, he
gave direction to all, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you,
purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let us arise and
go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who
answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the
way which I have gone."
Jacob Relates His Earlier Bethel Experience
With deep emotion, Jacob repeated the story of his first visit to
Bethel and how the Lord had appeared to him in the night vision.
His own heart was softened; his children also were touched by a
subduing power. He had taken the most effective way to prepare
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