Jacob is told to go to Bethel and settle there. Bethel is the place where God appeared to him with the vision of the stairway to heaven. We are to build our lives around what God has shown us. This is primarily the word of God, but also personal things that God has shown to us.
Jacob prepares himself and his entourage for returning. God is the God who helped him in his distress and was faithful to him. Remember this is the promise that Jacob made to God at Bethel (Gen 28:20-22). Jacob got everyone to get rid of their idols. If we are to truly follow God we cannot have any idols in our life. God protected the people. We may see danger around us, but that does not mean it is going to harm us, God can protect us. This is not a call to be stupid (there are proverbs warning against ignoring danger), but God's plas for our lives will always seem to involve some risk. We can still trust God.
God appears to Jacob and repeats the promises and commands from the beginning of Genesis and those made to Abraham. The Abrahamic plan is the means of the original purpose of humaity being fulfilled.
Rachel has her last son, Benjamin, and dies. This is why Benjamin was special to Jacob. Also it is the first mention of Bethlehem. Isaac also died, and there is further evidence of trouble amongst the sons.
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