Jacob Meets The Lord

Genesis 28:10-22

“And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.” (Genesis 28:10-11)

In accordance with his parents wishes, that he would look for a girl with a suitable upbringing to marry, Jacob set out to his Padanaram in Haran to his uncle’s home. About fifty miles from Beersheba, because it was getting dark, Jacob stopped for the night, placing some stones where they would support his body most comfortably. In Boy Scouts, I learned to scrape out holes in the ground instead. Today most people use an air mattress instead. Some have wondered if it was not the rock under his head that caused his dreams. It wasn't.

“And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” (Genesis 28:12-15)

In his dream, God revealed himself as the same God Abraham and Isaac worshipped. He then summed up all the promises he’d made to Abraham in Genesis more than a hundred years before, that Jacob’s descendants would own the entire area, and that they would be a blessing to all the earth. The last is clearly a reference to salvation through Christ.

God then went on to give some personal promises to Jacob himself, that he would be with him to protect and bless him wherever he went, that he would bring him safely back to the land of Canaan, and that he would not leave him everything was complete. The last part is essentially the same promise he makes to Christians today in Hebrews 13:5-6. “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Both the promise to Jacob and the one to Christians are unconditional, based solely on the faithfulness of God with no stipulations of behavior on the individual’s part.

“And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.” (Genesis 28:16-19)

Notice Jacob’s reaction? “And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place!”? Almost every biblical vision of including Moses, Ezekiel, Daniel, Paul, and John refer to the same sense of fear and awe, and an awareness of their own sinful state. Many today who claim to have had a vision of God describe it totally differently, as a wonderful pleasant experience. Based on Paul’s comments in II Corinthians 11:13-15, I have to wonder if they have not been deceived by Satan, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” Only after we have confessed and been cleansed is meeting God wonderful. The first contact is always frightening.

Jacob then proceeded to set up one of the stones as a pillar and poured olive oil on it as an offering to God calling the place Bethel, “the House of God.” It was called Luz by the Canaanites. It is the same place Abraham built his first altar and worshipped God when he came to the land, and where he built another altar after being driven out of Egypt. It continued to be a place of worship throughout most of the Old testament, reminding them of their Heritage as God‘s chosen people. For the Christian, there should be some places that have a similar meaning.

“And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.” (Genesis 28:20-22)

When God made a similar promise to Abraham, Genesis 15:6 declares, “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Instead of accepting God’s promise by faith, Jacob tried to make a deal. If God would keep his promise, bringing him safely back to Canaan, then Jacob would make him his God and worship him. His failure to trust God completely explains many of the struggles Jacob would go through for the next twenty years, until he finally surrendered. That same lack of trust is one reason there are so many unsaved in churches today. They don’t want to commit themselves until they have received the promises. They are the ones described in Hebrews 6:4-6. Like Jacob, some of them eventually turn to the Lord. Those who turn away never come back.