Jacob - Pt. 6

 

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).

 

When Jacob arrives at Bethel, he is a broken young man. Supposedly he has inherited the covenant blessings from his father: the promise that God will be with him, give him a great name, and make him a blessing to all nations (cf. Genesis 12:1-3; 28:3-4). But as he goes to sleep that night, he is alone and discredited, hardly a candidate to bless anyone, much less all peoples on earth. But that night, in his dreams, Jacob catches a surprising glimpse of the God who has far more in store for him than he has ever understood. The text points out that this occurred in “a certain place,” so this was not some imaginary or dreamed-up location. And here, in this ordinary place on the earth, Jacob sees a stairway reaching from earth to heaven, an open passageway to God. And God assures Jacob that all of his covenant promises will be fulfilled.

 

What an incredible truth about the character of God. Remember yesterday I encouraged you to run to God, not from Him. The distance is so near and so ordinary. God will meet you in the ordinary, unexpected places of life. Sometimes we, like Jacob, imagine that we need to work harder, feel more holy, or storm heaven to seize God’s promises. And, like Jacob, we find that our efforts leave us broken and alone. God reminds us that we don’t need to build a stairway to get to heaven. In Jesus, he has constructed a way for broken people to return to him (cf. John 1:51). The “ladder” is already in place… and He has come to us! Welcome Him!