Scripture: 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.”
So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. Then Jacob made 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 clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”
Genesis 28:10-22 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, Esau errantly attempts to gain his parents’ approval by obtaining a wife from Isaac’s half-brother, Ishmael. Seeing Isaac bless Jacob and send him on his way to Aram to find a wife from Rebekah’s clan, and knowing that his parents disapproved of his Canaanite wives (specifically of the Hittite clan; see 26:34-35), Esau takes matters to hand, visits his uncle Ishmael, and marries Ishmael’s daughter, Mahalath.
Today’s reading returns to Jacob’s life journey. The following five chapters will focus on Jacob, who will reappear intermittently throughout the remainder of Genesis. En route to his uncle’s homeland, Jacob sleeps overnight in Haran, where he dreams of a ladder extending from Earth to heaven on which God’s angels ascended and descended. Amid the dream, Yahweh announces he is the Lord and God of Isaac’s father and grandfather and promises that Jacob’s countless heirs will settle around the world and be blessed. Additionally, Yahweh vows that he will remain with Jacob in all his travels until he has completed everything he promised Jacob. When Jacob awakes, he fearfully praises God for this moment, declaring that this place is undoubtedly God’s house and gateway to heaven.
In the morning, Jacob tilts his stone pillow upright (forming a pillar), consecrates it with oil, and names the monument Bethel (Hebrew meaning “house of God”) and its location Luz (Hebrew meaning “almond”). Jacob then vows that he will worship Yahweh alone if Yahweh will sustain and lead Jacob to his life’s end, resting in his father’s house in peace (i.e., be buried with his father in peace). Jacob adds that the pillar he erected will demarcate God’s house and that he will tithe a full tenth to God.
Takeaway: Bethel, modern-day Baytin, is ten miles north of Jerusalem. Abraham built an altar just east of Bethel (12:8). Thus, it is not surprising that God would reveal himself to Abraham’s grandson in this location. Regarding Luz, Jewish tradition teaches it is a hard almond-shaped bone in the spinal column associated with the soul’s resurrection. Hence, Luz has connotations of strength and endurance, which is certainly appropriate given the demanding journey that lay ahead for Jacob. But what does the ladder represent? According to the Midrash Genesis Rabbah, “the ladder signified the exiles which the Jewish people would suffer before the coming of the Jewish messiah” (Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David: “The Four Exiles,” betemunah.org).
Indeed, as history informs us, Israel would suffer four hundred years of exile in Egypt and five decades of exile in Babylon. But the Messiah would put an end to exiles when he emancipated his disciples and future generations of followers from the bondage of sin at Calvary (ironically, north of Jerusalem’s city walls). Early in his ministry, Jesus alluded to fulfillment of the Jacobian promise when dialoguing with Nathanael regarding supernaturally seeing him under a fig tree: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (John 1:51 ESV). The implication is that Jesus is the ladder that bridges the gap between heaven and earth; indeed, he is.
Our takeaway? As for Jacob, the ladder reinforced that his Lord would be with him and care for him until the fulfillment of his promises. As children of the Abrahamic Covenant fulfilled in Christ, he will be with us until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). He will be with us through the “ups” and “downs,” delivering us from seasons of exile and leading us to the eternal Promised Land he has prepared for us (John 14:2). And when we, like Jacob, rest in the assurance of our Father’s promises, and like Nathanael, follow in the footsteps of his Son, step by step, we will see glimpses of the glory of the Father and Son as we sojourn onward and upward on Christ’s stairway to heaven.
Our part? Moses provides a tag-on at the end of this story: Jacob promised to give back to God a “full tenth” of his gains (i.e., a tithe). The point for us? Tithing is essential to expressing our trust in and gratitude for God. However, Jacob also expresses his commitment to being “all in” regarding his relationship with God. The same applies to us. If we yearn for God’s blessings, we must come under them by being “all in” to loving him, expressed by obedience to his commands (John 14:23). Under Christ’s New Covenant, grace abounds when we miss the mark. But if we nurture our affections for Christ, we will find it increasingly more accessible to love and obey him and, thereby, gain the strength and endurance to finish the climb on his stairway to heaven.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for the gift of your promises fulfilled in your Son, whether we rest in the knowledge that no one can snatch us from his and your hands (John 10:28-29) or that he will be with us until the end of the age. Still, when persevering through life’s ups and downs, we sometimes grow weary and feel like we’re barely able to hang on. So, please help us cooperate with your Holy Spirit to nurture our love for you and your Son and mature in obedience to your commands so that we might hold fast to the ladder rungs and follow your Son’s lead on his stairway to heaven. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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