Hearing with Faith: Jacob, Nathaniel, the Galatian Church...

Jesus, the Only Ladder

(Genesis 28:10-22, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, April 12, 2015)

[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!

Jacob left Beersheba with the official blessing of his father. His mother insisted that he go, since Esau needed time to forget his hatred for his brother. He headed toward Haran in the north, on the other side of the Euphrates River, today in far eastern Turkey, just north of the Syrian border. On his way there, he came to Bethel, which is 10 miles north of Jerusalem, and he had a dream.

In his dream, Jacob saw a ladder connecting heaven with earth. Angels, heavenly beings that are not human but who sometimes assume human or other form for God's special purposes, were going up and down on that ladder. This ladder, whatever it may stand for, was very significant in the dream. Since the time when sin entered the world, there has been a horrible breach between heaven and earth. The ladder was a solution to that divide. It was a way for holy angels of God to go back and forth between one realm and another in order to do the Lord's bidding.

[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 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.”

The Great I-Am, spoke in this dream. He identified Himself both by His Name and by His special relationship to Jacob's father and grandfather. In His message to Jacob, He passed on the covenant blessing to the next generation, confirming what we had learned in previous episodes in Genesis. Jacob's offspring would be given the Promised Land. They would be very numerous, and all of the other people groups of the earth would be blessed through them. God would be with Jacob throughout his travels and would bring him back to this place. This was God's promise.

[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.”

When Jacob awoke from sleep, he knew that God had visited him. He gave the place the name “Bethel,” which means “house of God.” He understood that He had received the promise of the Lord, and he worshiped, making a vow that if God would provide and bring him back in peace, then Jacob would give back to the Lord “a full tenth” of all he received.

Put the Word to Work: Jesus is Jacob's ladder (John 1:51). He alone will bring heaven to earth. We owe Him everything. Without Him we have nothing. We will not be ashamed of Him.

Memory Verse from the Songs of Ascents—Psalm 130:1

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!

Gospel Reading—Matthew 20:29-34 – Jesus heals two blind men