Bethel holds a significant place in Israel's history as a site of transformation. It was there that Jacob, a homeless wanderer fleeing his brother Esau, first encountered God and began his transformation, leaving Bethel as a man with a future. Later, upon returning after reconciling with Esau, Jacob arrived as a better man but not yet complete, departing as Israel, a new name signifying his ongoing transformation. In the Israelite mind, Bethel became associated with renewal, reorientation, and transformation by God. Yet, Amos challenges the Israelites for attending feasts at Bethel without experiencing any change in their conduct or attitude. He questions why they are not being transformed in their lives when they keep the feasts, urging them to seek God instead of merely going to Bethel. Amos warns that their approach to the feast at Bethel, turning it into nothing more than a vacation, signifies death, not life.

Bethel holds a profound significance as a place of transformation in the history of Israel, particularly through the life of Jacob. When Jacob first arrived at Bethel, he was fleeing for his life, burdened by a deceitful and conniving past. Yet, it was there that God appeared to him, marking a turning point in his life. This encounter initiated a change in Jacob, evident in his resolve to tithe despite his grasping nature, showing that God had become more real to him than ever before. Years later, upon returning to Bethel, God spoke to him again, changed his name, and confirmed his growth into the kind of man God desired. Thus, Bethel became associated in the minds of the Israelites as a place of renewal, reorientation, and transformation through meeting with God. In the context of the feasts, Bethel's significance underscores God's expectation that attending His feasts should lead to personal transformation. God questions why the Israelites, when keeping feasts at Bethel, fail to experience this change in their conduct. He challenges whether they go to Bethel to seek Him or merely to seek enjoyment. The evidence of transformation, as seen in Jacob's changing attitude toward God's law, should manifest in a love for His commandments and a shift in behavior. However, the Israelites returned from Bethel unchanged, still breaking laws and lacking justice in their daily lives. God's command to seek Him rather than Bethel emphasizes that without seeking Him, there is no life, only death, as Bethel's approach without true spiritual intent signifies a hollow hope.