18 After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan and camped within sight of the city. 19 For a hundred pieces of silver, he bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, the plot of ground where he pitched his tent. 20 There he set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel.
Genesis 33:18-20 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/gen.33.18-20.NIV.
Jacob chose to settle in the land of Canaan and more specifically in the outskirts of the city of Shechem. He not only settled as a foreigner but bought land at the market price from the original owners. In addition he did something unique…he erected an altar to the Lord and called it El Elohe. Contrast this with the situation Lot, Abraham’s nephew was in. He settled in another Canaanite city, Sodom but we’re not informed about him erecting an altar to the Lord. Even though he was God fearing, he did not make it evident. Erecting an altar in the old testament was a show of one’s commitment and gratitude to Jehovah. However, it was also a sign to the people of the surrounding nations that Jehovah is the One you worship and adore. It was to serve as a witness to others about ones commitment to worship Jehovah. In our day and age, are we resolute about our faith in Christ? Yes, we might believe in Him and honor Him in our actions but do we speak openly about our faith in Christ? Do people around us know the God we worship? The Christ we follow? Whenever we land in new environments it’s important to testify to others about our faith so that those who don’t believe may hunger for this faith. But also, we must testify to others of like faith so that we grow in fellowship and our walk of salvation.
LIFE SCRIPTS 
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