“Genesis 28:10-17 (Part 2)”

Sunday, February 02, 2020

“Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place. He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching 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 your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants 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. 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.'”

---End of Scripture verses---

“He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” (verse 12) The Hebrew word rendered “ladder” here is “Cullam” or “Sullam,” and might better be translated “stairway” or “staircase”. “We must not understand a house ladder, with uprights and rung of wood; but, rather, a stairway, or ascent by successive terraces. Possibly, the 'ladder' here mentioned resembled the ascent to Babylonian and Assyrian temples, in which the shrine or sanctuary, on the summit, was reached by steps leading through seven terraces...” (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges)

Even though Jacob had received a great blessing from his father before departing on this grand adventure, it was critical for him that His heavenly Father give His own personal endorsement and affirmation. The stairway signifies that God is active in the affairs of humankind, and specifically with Jacob as a recipient of God's promises and purveyor of His purposes. Even though Jacob was far from home, in a strange land and fleeing from his brother's wrath, God is everywhere, and no one can flee beyond the watchful eye of Yahweh. The Lord has not barred mankind's access to His presence in heaven, and He has made a way for all humanity to fellowship and communicate with Him in the most deep and meaningful ways.

Of course this passage reached its greatest fulfillment in Jesus, who qualified himself to be the Mediator between God and man by his perfect life, sacrificial death and powerful resurrection. Not only can we access the Father through the Son in prayer and worship, “Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us” into heaven itself, paving The Way for us to follow in obedient faith (Hebrews 6:20). In reference to Genesis 28:12, Jesus declared to Nathaniel in John 1:51 that He is the stairway to heaven, inserting himself in the place of the ladder of Jacob's dream. "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

The angel's in the dream and on the ladder are significant as well. Hebrews 1:14 assures us that “they" are “all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation." We live in the midst of a spiritual dimension (the heavenly places – Ephesians 1:3, 20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12) that we cannot discern with our eyes, but that is authentic and dynamic and powerful, and praise be to God that He has set forces for good to serve in our favor. “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them” (Psalm 34:7).

“And behold, the Lord stood above it...” (verse 13) “Ordering, directing, and overruling all things in Providence, for the glory of his name and the good of his people; and may signify, as the ladder may be a figure of Christ, that Jehovah the Father, is above him, as man and Mediator, and makes himself known in and by him, and delivers out all his blessings and promises through him, both temporal and spiritual.” (Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible)

“I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac, the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants.” (verse 13) Thus the Lord repeated and extended the full Abrahamic promises to Jacob. He pledged to give the land of Canaan to his descendants, to make him a great nation more numerous that the dust of the earth, “ and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (verse 14). Jacobs descendants would “spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south,” to all points of the compass. “In its ultimate significance this points to the world-wide universality of the kingdom of Christ.” (Pulpit Commentary)

“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.” (verse 15) God knew this pledge and guarantee would mean a great deal Jacob and help him to endure the two decade long ordeal in that land of Haran under the jurisdiction of his uncle Laban.

“Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it. 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.'” (verses 16-17) Probably a little too focused on the physical location instead of the ubiquitous nature of God Almighty, but you can understand his wonderment and perplexity. “Jacob's exceptional emotional response requires explanation. Undoubtedly it lies, at lest partially, in his realization of the baseness of his behavior toward his father and brother. He must have been beset with feelings of complete and deserved abandonment by God and man. Having fallen prey to guilt and solitary despair, he is surprised that God is still concerned for him.” (Nahum Sarna) “He calls the name of the place Bethel, 'the house of God.' This is not the first time it received the name. Abraham also worshipped God here, and met with the name already existing...” (Barnes' Notes on the Bible)

Please read Genesis 28:18-22 for tomorrow.

Have a blessed Lord's Day!

- Louie Taylor

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