Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz. – Genesis 28:18-19

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 13, 2015): Genesis 28

Inside the Crown Room of Edinburgh Castle, alongside the Crown Jewels of Scotland, sits a block of red sandstone. The rock has a name – it is called the Stone of Scone. The Stone of Scone has also been the called by another name, The Coronation Stone – and for centuries the monarchs of Scotland, England and Great Britain have been crowned while sitting on this rock. The Stone of Scone was last used on June 2, 1953, in the coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II. And it will most likely be used next in the Coronation service of the King who will succeed her.

In 1296 the Stone was captured by Edward I as spoils of war and it was removed from Scotland and taken to Westminster Abbey. There the stone was fitted into a wooden chair, a chair that is known as King Edward's Chair, and it is on that chair that most of the subsequent English kings and queens have been crowned. But the stone had a long history before it was captured by Edward I, unfortunately that history is draped in mystery.

Obviously the Stone of Scone is no mere rock. Traditionally, the stone is thought to have been the very stone that Jacob placed under his head and then called Bethel, literally, the House of God. According to the story, the Stone was removed from Israel and carried to Ireland by the prophet Jeremiah. And from Ireland this valuable stone was moved to Scotland where it began to be used as a religious artifact in the crowning of Kings and Queens. It is a great story, but the truth is that the Stone of Scone is not the Stone of Jacob’s Bethel. It is simple red sandstone that was most likely mined somewhere right around Scone, Scotland. The Stone of Jacob was more likely to be limestone, a stone that is very common in the area of Bethel.

Unfortunately, Jacob’s actions at Bethel foretold an unfortunate story in that would take place in the Israel of the future. Jacob took the stone that he had used as a pillow and set it up as a memorial. That action was, and is, a common practice in the East. These stones remind people of the important events of the past. But Jacob didn’t just set up his stone, he poured oil on it, consecrating it for the use of God. Jacob made the stone an altar.

Later in the story of Genesis, God would call himself the “God of Bethel” when he is talking with Jacob, reminding him of this very moment. But even further into the future, after the division of Israel and Judah, the gods of Bethel would have nothing to do with the God of Israel. This stone that Jacob consecrated in this House of God, would become one of the main places where the false gods of Israel would be worshipped.

In the end, Jacob’s consecration of this place as the “House of God” is correct. But what Jacob missed was that this was not the only place where God dwelled. God had been with him every step of the way, and would go wherever he would go - and a God like that really had no use for this consecrated stone at Bethel.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 29