Running from Home

 

Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” (Genesis 28:10-17 ESV).

 

Our reading today takes place as Jacob was running away from home. He had stolen his older brother’s inheritance (cf. Genesis 27), and now his brother, Esau, wanted to kill him. So, to save his own life, Jacob was fleeing the place that should have been home. Sometimes we shatter our experience of home with our sinful actions. We betray our marriages. We ruin family relationships with our jealousy. We antagonize neighbors with our angry words. We find that we can no longer feel at home in the place we ought to belong.

 

Yet even when we are running away, God can meet us in unexpected places with his promises. Jacob was not looking for God; there was nothing special about the “certain place” where he stopped for the night. But in his dream, Jacob’s eyes were opened to see that no place is outside of God’s presence (cf. Psalm 139:7). And he heard God’s assurance that even though Jacob had done wrong, God would keep his promise to Jacob’s family and bring him back home.

 

Jacob’s experience anticipates the way God restores sinners through the work of Jesus. Even as we are still running, God meets us with the assurance that he will watch over us and bring us back to himself. And we discover that being in God’s presence is a refuge for all who feel away from home. Are you ready to stop running? God has a wonderful home for you!