"I Am With You & Will Keep You" Jacob's Dream: Genesis 28:10-22

Jacob's Dream

(10) Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. (11) 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. (12) 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! (13) 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. (14) 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. (15) Behold, I with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." (16) Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it." (17)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."

(18) 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. (19) He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. (20) 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, (21) so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, (22) 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."

 

Just some background: Jacob had taken his Father's (Isaac) blessing dressed up as the elder brother, Esau. Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau, favored Jacob and instructed him to dress as his brother so that he may get Isaac's blessing. When Esau went to his father for the blessing, he found out that Jacob had already taken the blessing. At that point, Esau planned to kill his brother after his father died. Rebekah wants to protect Jacob and tells her husband that she wants Jacob to marry a woman from the covenant line. Brother Esau had taken two wives from the Hittite, who were not part of the covenant line. Isaac agrees, instructs Jacob to go to Paddan-aram and take wife there and blesses him.

 

When Jacob had this dream, he thought he was alone. He thought that he was a refuge fleeing from the wrath of an elder brother, but he wasn't! God is always with us. God does not sit back and watch his people, He is actively involved and interested in our daily actions and thoughts. As I'm writing this post, reading a magazine, at work, I can be comforted with the gaze of the Lord. The word 'keep' means to protect. This ladder that Jacob dreams of is not only symbolic, but it is a reality. We have a ladder to God built by Jesus. Jesus is the ladder and eventually he will bring me home to be with God in heaven.

 

4 Reactions to the Dream:

1. Surprise- "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it." God is everywhere, y'all. Where do you go to seek God's face? I usually go on a walk. But I have found a feeling of closeness with God in a coffee shop while reading his Word or while laying in bed saying my night-time prayers.
2. Sense of Awe- In the Hebrew language, 'afraid' and 'awesome' are the same words. Re-read the passage replacing them for one English translation.
3. Preserved with a Memorial- Jacob used his rock-pillow and poured oil on it. He renamed the place Bethel, which translates to 'the house of God' so that those searching for God will be able to find it.
4. Vow to God- Jacob made a vow to God, which in my opinion had a lot of conditions (if you do this then I will do that). I believe that you should obey God and adore him not matter what his gifts are towards you, but this is the Word of God, so it cannot be wrong. The last sentence is where we get the action of tithing: "And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you." If you are unfamiliar or unsure of tithing I recommend Randy Alcorn's The Treasure Principle; I read this little book before becoming a member of Grace Presbyterian and it totally changed my outlook of tithing.

 

This is based off of Pastor Bill Heard's sermon on May 31, 2015.

You can hear all of his sermons here

English Standard Version of Genesis 28:10-22

 

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