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God’s command was that Jacob return to Bethel (31:13) and then to his home where Isaac still lived, which was Hebron (35:27). Instead, he tarried first at Succoth and then settled near Shechem. At Succoth, the pilgrim who was supposed to live in a tent (Heb. 11:9-16) built a house for himself and sheds for his flocks and herds. (The word succoth means “booths.”) When he moved near Shechem, Jacob purchased a piece of property and became a resident alien in the land. He was settling down in the land.
It’s obvious that Jacob wasn’t in a hurry to obey God and return to Bethel. We commend him for erecting an altar and giving public witness of his faith in the Lord, but sacrifice is no substitute for obedience (1 Sam. 15:22). The name he gave the altar (“God, the God of Israel”) indicates that he claimed his new name “Israel,” but he certainly wasn’t living up to all that his name implied. While he tarried in that part of the land, his daughter Dinah was raped and two of his sons became murderers. It was an expensive detour.