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2 Kings 2:23
From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!”

Shalom sdr, my devotion today, Fri, Aug. 20, BETHEL (II Kg. 2:23). Bethel is a very memorable place. It was not just a mere place. From the meaning of the name, we already know that this is a special place. Bethel means the house of God. There were many historical events happened in Bethel.
1. Bethel was the place where Abram built an altar (Gen. 12:8).
That was the first time Abram built an altar and called on the name of God, after God had said his promises to Abram. God would give this land to Abram. God would make the descendant as the sand on the shore.

2. Bethel was the place of Jacob had a dream (Gen. 28:19).
Jacob had a dream about stairway full with angels ascending and descending. There, he saw God too. There, God gave many promises to Jacob. There, Jacob made a vow to make God his God.

3. Bethel was the place of burial.
Deborah, Rebekka’s nurse was buried outside Bethel. So Bethel was called also as Allon Bakuth. So Bethel at least had 3 names, Bethel, Allon Bakuth and Luz.

4. Bethel was the place of humiliation.
Elisha was humiliated in Bethel by 42 little boys. They called him baldy. There, Elisha cursed them, so 2 bears appeared from the wood and mauled them. The bears gave them permanent signs and memories to make them remember not to insult others, especially the prophet of God. There were many other interesting things happen in Bethel. They are the stories of human life. Some not good. Some good. May The Lord always bless and be with us, so our journey of life would be well. ASH.