Jacob Sets-up A Sacred Pillar
CLASS 4 ISSUES
Study: Genesis 28: 10 – 22
Background: Genesis 28: 1–22; 33:17–20; 35:1–7
Devotional: John 15:1 – 8
Lesson 5 June 28, 2025
Key Verse
So Jacob got up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had placed as a support for his head, and set it up as a memorial stone, and poured oil on its top.
19 Then he named that place Bethel. Genesis 28:18-19
INTRODUCTION
How do you regard your parents? Do you understand them Do you know when they are making mistakes and not following the express commands of God? Do you think that not following what God had set out will make your life easier?
In our Study Lesson we are looking at the life of Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rebecca. He was the son that God wanted to inherit the blessing of the covenant with Abraham and through this son all the nations of the world would be blessed for the Messiah would come as one of his descendants.
Before we study we must emphazise trust is a much-desired ingredient in human relationships. However, it is something that is best earned and usually through many interactions and over a lengthy period of time. Experience and human nature teach it is prudent to exercise caution before dispensing trust in our relationships.
God on the other hand is to be trusted at all times and in all circumstances. His words are true; His promises are sure and flow from His very nature.
The Genesis record reveals that even Abraham, the great Patriarch of God’s people and the ‘Father of the Faithful’ at times wavered in his trust of God. Those few missteps on his part were to be repeated in his descendants with very telling consequences.
One prominent constant throughout Genesis to the point of our Study Text and which continues throughout the entire Bible, is God’s faithfulness to His people. This fact will be clearly shown as the Genesis narrative moves from Isaac, Rebekah, Esau and Jacob to Jacob; a man later to be called Israel, a Prince with YHWH.
The blessing of Abraham in its entirety had passed on to Jacob. Jacob is now past fifty years old and likely in his seventies, but beyond receiving the ‘blessing’.
But there was little that would clearly mark him as a ‘worthy’ recipient; not unlike Abraham or all Christians who receive God’s grace for that matter. There was little evidence of his “conversion” as we think of it today prior to the Study Text. In Genesis 27:20 Jacob referred to the God of Abraham and of Isaac as “your God.” It is only here in Chapter 28 that Jacob affirmed, “The LORD will be my God” (Genesis 28:21).
It is obviously clear to us that Jacob had a heart which was right with God. He knew that the “blessing” which was passed down from Abraham, down to his father Isaac, and which would be passed-on to one of Isaac’s sons for the grace of God on a son was of great value and he wanted it. He was prepared to be a supplanter and behave in a crooked fashion to get what God would give to his family and clan.
But this would lead him to the eventual title, Prince with God. But he did not realize that the road would be hard, physical, and rocky, but it is clear that his heart was set on reaching that destination of privilege.
Note however, even at this relatively early stage of human history, it is already evident that God deals with His people purely through His grace and not on account of any particular virtue in them, Gen. 12.
THE CONTEXT
Genesis 12:1–3 begins the account of a family chosen to be a conduit of blessings to all nations. One important Lesson that comes to mind immediately is how family behavior and responsibilities affect events. God had to act in His way to have His perfect plan of salvation come to fruition.
We also see the interaction of people of different ethnic backgrounds as God carries out His plan which involves choosing a particular family with all its fractures and straying from the will of God.
The sins and various foibles of the members of that family line may sometimes leave us astonished.
We must examine out Text to see how God regards humanity so that we will shed the prejudices which abound among us. We often think one nation, group, family, or individual is somehow superior or more deserving than others, ignoring the stated fact that all men are descended from Noah and his family and that all those men without exception are sinners and continually sin, demonstrating the twisted nature of their hearts.
God therefore has to act and take the initiative, awakening persons to their covenant calling. Whether we like to think about these facts or not even any surface analysis will show the continuing departure from the ways of God as tribes, nations, families and peoples rise and fall in a disheartening fashion.
The mercy and grace of God is on full display in our Study Lesson.
The promises of God and the great promise of the presence of God for those that belong to thus omnipresent and all-powerful God is truly amazing. It brings tremendous encouragement and assurance for the people of God for they know that the purposes of God assure that His presence is always there even when you are like the main character in our Study in a lonely state, in a solitary place, mentally or physically, and away from where you consider to be home.
The strength for you comes from the covenant promise of the Lord God which declares, “I am the LORD, and I am with you”.
Never forget that, for this Study from Genesis 28 is designed to teach you and remind you of who the LORD God is, and who you are.
Whoever you are and whatever you may have done in life does not take you outside of the mercy and the grace of Yahweh.
The Lesson also stresses the importance of relationships with persons who are people of God, despite their demonstrated weaknesses and their straying from the truths of God. They are as broken reeds and smoking flax which the Lord God Jesus will not break.
God will lead you into the relationships, including marriage, that are best for you, even though it might not always appear that your relationships are perfect and without strain.
There is a Divine Plan and it is always operating. So we will see the Patriarch Isaac realizing that he is mistaken in trying to fight against the Divine Plan that the elder shall serve the younger and that now he has to bless Jacob by faith. He will come to urge Jacob not to follow his brother and marry a Canaanite and instead try to find a wife with the faith enough, though the line is not as faithful to God as was the best.
The picture about humanity is quite clear. Our instruction about relationships has been made quite clear.
In this regard remember that the family of Isaac and those in the nation which was named Israel which came from him is linked to other peoples in the “land”. The prophet of God had to remind Israel that their father was an Amorite and their mother was a Hittite. We know that Jacob’s 12 sons married wives from that “land” and some of their mothers were slave girls. His wives were Arameans, as was his mother as we are told in Genesis 28:5.
One writer stresses the all-important fact in salvation history that the definition of the people of God is not based on ethnic principles but rather on spiritual principles. So in respect to the history of Israel one writer notes:
“Historically there was much intermarriage with surrounding nations throughout Israel’s history; Ephraim and Manasseh were half- Egyptians. Rahab, Ruth, etc. are all reminders of the amount of Arab blood in the average Jew. The definition of “Israel” was therefore not so much on ethnic principles but rather on spiritual ones.
Anyone who has walked the streets of modern Israel and pondered the question “What is a Jew” will come to the conclusion, as they see Russians, Americans, black Africans…all wearing skull caps”.
This Lesson Study has great relevance to us who are appointed priests of God directed to offer spiritual sacrifices under the direction of the Holy Spirit bringing the lost which are found among every tribe and nation to salvation, awakening them to their covenant responsibilities.
So note we are examining salvation history.
In doing so it raises the matter of marrying unbelievers such as the profane Esau did and which brought pain to godly but imperfect Isaac and Rebecca.
Jacob’s close bond with his mother had both good and bad repercussion for them both. His relationship with his father who seemed to want to work outside of the expressed plan of God is startling. But his obedience to his parents invites us to look at parental expectations that Christians in our day have. It presents warnings about parental attitudes and practices.
All that is no less true regarding a grandson of Abraham known as Jacob. The book of Genesis presents him as a deceitful person who schemed to take advantage of others. He swindled his brother, Esau, out of his birthright (Genesis 25:27–34). He deceived their father, Isaac, in taking Esau’s blessing (27:1–40). Later, Jacob was tricked by his father-in-law, Laban (29:15–27). Jacob tricked Laban in return (30:37–43), with even more deceit following (31:17–21).
Indeed, in the journey he was on in today’s Lesson, Jacob was on the run from trouble; trouble of his own making. In conspiracy with his mother, his trip was one of self-exile so his brother would not kill him because of a deception (Genesis 27:41). Such a character would hardly seem to be a key person in God’s plan to bless all nations!
Yet God worked His will through Jacob nonetheless.
Ultimately, Jacob’s story is not about his search for God but God’s search for him. When found on a physical journey, Jacob began a spiritual journey as well.
Jacob and his mother Rebekah had executed a brilliant plan to trick the blind Isaac and make Isaac think that he was giving the blessing to the elder son Esau when in fact he was giving the “blessing” that was originally given to Abraham to the younger son Jacob. This was what God intended and prophesied a long time ago at the birth of the two boys.
Isaac had no right to defy the plan of God. As a matter of fact when he realized the deception which had occurred and which had turned events in the way that God intended, He shook violently and his mind almost snapped. He realized that he had foolishly been fighting against God!
So does this have relevance for us Christians today?
As the narrative continues, we note Rebekah and Jacob had carefully considered the consequences should their planned deception of Isaac fail but neither seemed to have weighed the cost of success.
Esau did not take loss of the promised blessing well and determined to kill Jacob, after their father’s death. Rebekah learned of Esau’s plan and urged Jacob to flee northward to Haran 400 miles (800 kilometers) away. (Genesis 27:41–45).
This was the place where Abraham stopped and stayed for a time on his way from Ur of the Chaldees to Canaan. Abraham’s father, Terah, died in Haran (11:32), and apparently Abraham’s brother Nahor decided to remain there. What a coincidence!
What will we expect from a part of the family that strays away from God’s specific instruction to leave the land of spiritual darkness where idolatry reigned and go to a place where God would show them!
If we thing about it, we know beforehand what Jacob’s experiences with them will be like. He will have a lot of trouble and heartache which will mature him spiritually.
But before he is trapped in that hell-hole it will be most important for him to know Yahweh will be with him wherever he goes.
What a blessed promise! Are you one that has received that promise from Yahweh?
Jacob was thus being sent to stay with family, specifically with Rebekah’s brother Laban. That family, though pagan to a certain extent and worshiped idols of wood and stone would have some understanding of the true God to much greater extent than the surrounding pagans among which they lived. This was a likely place to find a wife who would understand the true God and the terms of the covenant God had made with the family.
Rebekah then spoke to Isaac about her dislike for the Hittite women in the region (two of whom Esau had previously married) and her concern that Jacob might marry one of them (Genesis 27:46). Both Isaac and Rebekah knew that these Hittite women were spiritual disasters. This persuaded Isaac to do what his father Abraham’s servant had done for him years before: secure a wife for Isaac from his family in the area of Haran. That seemed the best option!
Isaac, however, did not send a servant to do this; he sent Jacob himself (28:1, 2). Isaac may well have been aware of Esau’s intentions to kill Jacob.
Jacob’s world is suddenly turned upside down and he was about to begin what would be a lifelong journey and schooling with Jehovah. H travelled on foot
There is always much for the new believer to learn for undoubtedly God will take us through the necessary experiences to mold us into the persons He has called us to be.
Jacob was at least middle age at this time. He was then about 70 years old and he lived to 147, but likely had never been out of sight of mother’s tent. His idea of adventure was maybe trying out a new recipe. Now he was being sent off alone on a five-hundred mile journey through dangerous, foreign territory, to a pagan city to try to find his mother’s relatives. One writer comments:
“Now he is called upon to take this dangerous journey across uncharted territory, where he would have to live off the land, and where there were giants and fortified cities. It was only about 500 years later that Moses sent spies into this same area, and they came back with the report that it was a land flowing with milk and honey, extremely fruitful, but that there were also giants and fortified cities in the land.
A piece of Egyptian literature called A Tale of Sinuhe was written about this time. It describes some of the rigors of travel in this area—conflicts with giants and care provided by travelling Bedouins. It gives us an inkling of Jacob’s experience as he travelled across country”.
God might do the same with us and we will survive and so we encourage all not to lose heart. Do not be too afraid of journey with God. The sovereign and All—Mighty Yahweh is with you.
Jacob thoughts must have been in turmoil as he departed Beersheba. He had finagled his way to get what he always wanted, his brother’s birthright and blessing. The result of his deception was not what he had anticipated: he found himself on the run, with nothing but meager supplies (32:10) and a very uncertain future.
Despite what appears to be dire circumstances, he had the true spiritual blessing of his grandfather, Abraham (28:3-4). At this point, God is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac (27:20) and the God of Jacob: the last point a fact as yet not known by Jacob.
Jacob was at a point very familiar to many Christians. He was on his own for the first time, wrestling with a guilty, confusing past and facing an anxious, uncertain future. It is significant that God begins working with Jacob at this point in his life. It is the first time the Lord got Jacob’s attention.
The Study Text records Jacob’s experience with God via a dream one night maybe a few days into his journey to Haran. Beersheba was about 50 miles or a 2 day journey from this place called Luz which Jacob will rename Bethel.
When would he be able to return home?
What did the future hold?
Jacob came to realize and thought that what he was leaving behind did not include the blessing and protection of God. But God had his future well in hand.
In Genesis 35: 3 Jacob tells he understands his dream came in answer to his “distress”.
Understand therefore that God uses situations as these to bring our prayers out of us. Our response comes to show our prayers are effective even when we do not have the ability to verbalize our prayers. Some can verbalize their prayers when they are in deep distress while others cannot do so. But God the Holy Spirit hears and knows what is on the mind and He prays for us with “groaning that cannot be uttered”. The Apostle Paul says:
“But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Now He who searches the heartss knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God”.
THE TEXT
Verses 1 – 9. Rebekah used her dislike for Esau’s wives, quite rightly we made add, as what was a valid excuse to gain Isaac’s permission for Jacob to go to Paddan-aram. This was the area around Haran. It appears that Rebekah had kept Esau’s hatred of Jacob from his aged father because she believed Isaac was near death (v. 41).
Rebekah’s deceit secured the blessing for Jacob, but it resulted in his having to flee from his home. As far as Genesis records, Rebekah never saw him again.
But her words in Genesis 27: 43-45 clearly show that she expected that the hostility between the two brothers would not last and the heat of the moment would die down in a short time, and she would see her beloved Jacob again soon.
Rebekah’s manipulative language to spare Jacob again shows that there were some areas of tension in Isaac and Rebekah’s relationship. As demonstrated by the previous deception, Isaac and Rebekah do not seem able to communicate honestly with one another on important spiritual matters.
There is a Lesson here for us. Isaac evidently realized that his desire to give the blessing to Esau was not God’s will, so having given it to Jacob (27:27-29) he blessed him further (28:1-4). He finally resigned himself to the fact that God was going to bless Jacob and not Esau. His words reflect this acceptance of things as God said they would be and as they must be.
This account is another remarkable demonstration of God’s ability to use the sins of men and women to accomplish His purposes and at the same time punish the sinners for their sins. What man intends for evil God utilizes for good. We know that the wrath of men will praise the Lord, and the remainder of wrath He will restrain. We know:
“And we know that all these things work together for good to those who love God , to those who are the called according to His purpose”.
Jacob reaped what he sowed (Gal. 6:7). Laban later deceived him, and later still, his own sons (in the case of the sale of Joseph) did so even more cruelly than he deceived his father.
The fact that marriage was a secondary reason for Jacob’s departure to Haran, while survival was primary, and by examining this attitude of Isaac we begin to grasp the casual attitude of Isaac toward the spiritual training of his sons. To him these matters must have been of minimal import to come as little and as late as they did.
Esau did not seem to understand the matter of purity. Ishmael was rejected from carry out the line of Abraham because he was a child of self effort, (21:12, Gal 4:22-23). He was a product of fleshly striving, not spiritual dependence. Marriage to a descendant of Ishmael failed to achieve Esau’s intended goal. He typified in this act the very thing which God most condemned, ‘fleshly’ striving. Just as Abraham acted on his own to achieve a son, so Esau acted in a fleshly way to win the approval of his father.
What was even worse was that though it was clear that God intended Jacob to be the one to perpetuate the line which would produce Messiah, the promised Deliverer, and who would lead God’s people into the Promised Land, Esau wanted to kill Jacob. There was some danger that Esau might attempt to do that and so even unwittingly interrupt the plan of God. It is necessary for Jacob to leave home and get away from Esau and his satanic induced plans.
At many points in the history of Israel, Satan actively planned to kill the ones that God had chosen to keep the line alive for the coming of Messiah. There were subsequent attempts to destroy the line of David from which the Messiah would come.
Note also that it was not pleasant for Rebekah or Isaac to have their sons marry pagan woman for it is not pleasant to live in a house where there are believers and unbelievers. Believers and unbelievers have a different way of life and thought processes and have different worldviews and when issues come up unbelievers respond in their way based on their unbelief while believers respond in quite another way. So let us we fully warned!
Verse 10. And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
Jacob now takes center stage in the book of Genesis. He had been living most of his life in what we now call the Negev, the southern part of Canaan.
Beersheba is the town where Isaac would eventually settle, following a series of disputes with the Philistines over the ownership of certain wells (Genesis 26:15–33). A journey from Beersheba to Haran, where Jacob’s relatives live, was approximately five hundred miles. This was an arduous journey for someone who was used to “dwelling in tents” (25:27).
Genesis 26:34 states Esau to be forty years old when he married two Hittite women. Jacob’s age when he left his parents to find a wife is not stated. But before you are sorry for him understand that Esau were an unbelieving man. There was no foundation. Both he and Jacob were crooks but in different ways. In the case of Jacob the work of God had to be done and it would be a long way from him to be perfected as a saint of God.
Circumstantial data based on subsequent events are used by some scholars to suggest Jacob to be age seventy seven when he left his parents. An alternative viewpoint calculates an age of fifty seven.
Another thought that would have added to his anxiety was the fact that when he reached the house of Laban, he would have nothing to offer him as a dowry for a wife. Would Laban be willing to give him a wife without a dowry?
Verse 11. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set.
Later we learn that the certain place where Jacob stopped for the night was near the town of Luz
(Genesis 28:19). It was approximately sixty miles north of Beersheba, so it may have taken Jacob a few days to reach this point in his travels.
Commentators tell us that contrary to what we think this was not a chance location for God does not throw dice or lead people by chance. God had determined that Jacob would come to those ruins of the ancient Canaanite city of Luz which later became Bethel. But as far as Jacob was concerned he had no special purpose to camp in that spot. But note that is where the first of seven theophanies or appearances of deity occurred in Jacob’s experience.
With no streetlights or flashlights available to illuminate the way, travelers of the era must stop when the sun sets. Two meals per day were customary, and perhaps Jacob had the second of these before bedding down for the night. His meal may be something his mother prepared for him, which is possible at this stage of the journey. Jacob will have to live off the land as the journey progresses.
And he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. He found a spot to his liking, took a stone for a pillow and laid down to sleep. This would be the first of two night encounters with Heaven for Jacob; both instances he was in a fearful and lonely situation and this will be no ordinary night of sleep in any case.
Verse 12. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven.
The ladder of which Jacob dreams is generally believed not to be the type of stepped ladder familiar to us. Rather, it is likely part of a structure known as a ziggurat. A ziggurat resembles a pyramid in shape, but includes steps that one climbs until reaching a platform at the top. An altar or shrine may be there, used by worshippers for sacrifices or other religious ritual. One writer comments:
“The idea of a stairway leading into Heaven of course has obvious connections with the ziggurat in his dreams. But note that those stairways had a temple on the grounds immediately where the stairways started and led up to a temple at the summit. On a human level, Jacob’s subsconscious was thinking of pagan temple systems.
But God turned all this around. For the man Jacob lying there that night, in all his weakness, was a temple, connected by the angels to Yahweh’s Heavenly temple.
And we too in all our weaknesses are the temples of God on this earth.
Thus his idolatrous dream of a ziggurat was turned into an assurance of divine care for him, the shrine which topped Mesopotamian ziggurats being turned by God in the vision into the throne of Yahweh. Indeed, ‘Babylon’ meant “gate of God”, and in thinking that he was at heaven’s gates. Jacob was confusing Babylon and the true city of God. But still God worked through all this”.
And behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
Probably more captivating to Jacob than the structure was what he saw on the ladder. Angels will play an important part in the account of Jacob’s life, particularly from the standpoint of his spiritual pilgrimage (Genesis 32:1, 24). In the case before us, he dreamt of them.One writer notes:
“The ladder was a visible symbol of the real and uninterrupted fellowship between God in heaven and His people upon earth. The angels upon it carry up the wants of men to God, and bring down the assistance and protection of God to men. The ladder stood there upon the earth, just where Jacob was lying in solitude, poor, helpless, and forsaken by men”.
Centuries later, Jesus seemed to comment on this incident very early in His ministry. It happened during His first meeting with Nathanael, who became one of His disciples but who expressed astonishment at what Jesus knew about him, Philip had brought Nathanael to Jesus and Jesus had told Nathanael that he had seen him meditating under the fig tree, the Tree under which most Israelites went to meditate. Jesus had termed Nathanael as an Israelite in whom there was no guile or trickery.
Jesus knew that Nathaniel was thinking and meditating on Genesis Chapter 28 and so when Jesus told him that he Nathanael was a Israelite or a follower or descendant of Jacob who was without guile Nathaniel was totally shocked that Jesus was reading his mind and knew him inside out and the kind of man he was. So Nathanael declared Jesus to be both the Son of God and the King of Israel (John 1:49).
In response, Jesus takes Nathaniel back to Genesis 28 and declares that Nathanael will witness “greater things”. (See John 1:45-51 about that incident). One such thing will be seeing
“heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man” (John 1:51).
The clear implication was that Jesus will serve the function of a ladder as He bridges the gap between Heaven and earth, between the holy God and sinful humanity. This happened through His death and resurrection.
Jacob would not understand the full meaning of the ladder at that stage but certainly Nathanael understood it and so declared that Jesus was the Son of God.
Verse 13. And, behold, the Lord stood above it.
This must have been an magnificent and glorious scene. What exact form Jacob saw is unknown to us. But it is likely more awe-inspiring and glorious than the angels. Jacob would have been overwhelmed. The Lord stood at the top of this beautiful stairway and he addressed Jacob directly.
“The stairway or ladder was “set”, literally, erected, erected or stood up. The same word is used for how Jacob later at this very same place stood up or erected an altar (Gen. 35:14). A different word is used here in v.18. Jacob realized that his altars and sacrifices were ascending to God himself personally, just as this magnificent staircase led to God, with Angels ascending and descending upon it, between God and himself.
This is the power of prayer, of covenant relationship, of sacrifice and fellowship with God.
The idea of reaching up to heaven and God reaching down from heaven is meant literally here, but it is also a metaphor meaning that God paid attention to the point of feeling whatever was done on earth (Gen. 11:5; 18:21; 2 Chron 28:9; Jer. 51:9; Rev. 18:5) This sensitivity of God, and His response, is articulated through the angels.
Jacob was being taught that it is not just the situation at Babel or Sodom which elicits this huge attention; but the state of a lonely fugitive sleeping rough in the semi-desert.
He deals directly with individuals.
The order “ascending and descending” suggests that our situation is as it were taken up to God in heaven, and then He responds through Angelic means (descending).”
God now confirmed what Isaac had said in his brief blessing, but goes beyond that, confirming in the fullest possible way, all the covenant promises to the fathers, as well as promising him protection on his journey and a safe return to his father..
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.
As the Lord spoke to Jacob, it is worth noting that He said nothing whatsoever about Jacob’s deceptive actions toward his father and his brother. That was not what this wanderer from home needed to hear at this point. Instead, God reaffirms the covenant promises made to grandfather Abraham and father Isaac.
The promise embraced two important elements: the land and Jacob’s descendants (seed). The fact that the land will be given to Jacob’s seed means that he will have a wife and at least one child. Such an affirmation is likely intended to provide much-needed assurance to Jacob, since he will soon be leaving the territory of the ‘land of promise’ to go to Haran. Perhaps Jacob was wondering if and how the promise will be affected by his departure from the land (or by his treatment of his father and brother). If he harbored any such doubts, God had come to allay those fears.
This was a clear indication that God was with him. He did not have to fear for his life.
Verse 14. 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.
This language reflects God’s promises to Abraham. The phrase shall be as ‘the dust of the earth’ was used when Abraham separated from Lot and as Abraham was promised all the land he could see (Genesis 13:14–18). Jacob may have heard about this from his grandfather personally, for Jacob was fifteen when Abraham died (computed from 21:5; 25:7, 20, 26).
And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
This part of the message was first stated in Genesis 12:3, when Abraham was leaving Haran (the place Jacob is now headed). To bless all the families of the earth has been God’s larger plan all along. It is not a new element.
| The Hebrew word for ‘seed’ is a collective noun, which means that it can be used either as singular or plural. In the singular it refers to Messiah, but in the plural it would refer to all of Jacob’s physical descendants. In Galatians 3:16 Paul makes it clear that this promise refers to Jesus Messiah and to all those who are believers in Messiah, for they are identified with Christ. So the ‘seed’ refers spiritually to Christ and all those who are in Him. So when the verse talks about the ‘seed’ being as the dust of the earth, this is absolutely true, for there are billions who belong to Christ and who will be in the New Jerusalem. |
Verse 15. 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.
God’s promise I am with thee is one of the most common and reassuring statements in Scripture
(Genesis 26:24; Isaiah 41:10; 43:5; Jeremiah 1:8, 19; 15:20; 42:11; 46:28; Haggai 1:13; 2:4;
Matthew 28:20; Acts 18:10). Jacob was the second person in the Bible to hear the assurance “I am with you” (v. 15). Isaac was the first (26:3, 24). This was a promise that God later repeated to Moses
(Exod. 3:12); Joshua (Josh. 1:5), Gideon (Judg. 6:16), regarding Immanuel (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23), and to all Christians (Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5).
For Jacob these words provided further encouragement as he embarked on life as a fugitive and a sojourner. In pagan thinking, gods are local, not global. They are limited to the territory or country that they rule. But Jacob, though he was moving away from the land promised to his grandfather and father, was not moving away from the presence or protection of God. Finding a place outside of God’s “jurisdiction” is impossible (Psalm 139:7–12).
This was exactly what Jacob wanted to hear in this time of loneliness, fear, distress, with all the familiar things in his life apparently being stripped away from him.
The landscape covered by God’s promises to Jacob was extensive: the Lord will keep him throughout his travels, wherever he would go and bring him back to his homeland, and fulfill everything He has promised to Jacob.
In fact, God says I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. This does not mean that once God’s promises have been fulfilled, Jacob is on his own. It expresses the degree of God’s commitment to keeping His word.
Verse 16. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.
Jacob seemed to awaken as soon as the dream ended, while it was still night. His amazement that the Lord was in that place was probably due to the fact that the spot seemed very ordinary. There was nothing especially holy or particular about the place. Jacob was learning that God can make the most ordinary location holy by His presence; this is a truth that Moses will come to realize in his day (Exodus 3:5).
Jacob seemed to know little of the omnipresence of God. Later, for the nation of Israel, this spot would become a historical land mark with much sentimental value with reference to the life of this patriarch.
Verse 17. 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.
Fear then seized him. The word ‘dreadful’ indicates to cause astonishment and awe, be held in awe, to inspire reverence or godly fear or awe.
The term “fear”, describes a mixture of terror and adoration, with elements of worship involved. So Jacob was overwhelmed. With his obviously limited knowledge of God, Jacob felt that the place must be the very “house of God” and at that location would be found the ‘gate of Heaven’.
Jacob was obviously still looking at things from a natural perspective and he did not realize that God had to be with him in every place he was, in order to fulfill His promise to him. So God was not based in one location. He was God and He would be able to protect him everywhere.
Verse 18. 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.
Perhaps Jacob lay awake the rest of the night, reflecting on the contents of the dream, replaying it over and over in his mind. Any paralysis in that regard gave way to action when he arose early in the morning.
The stone that he had put for his pillows now served a different purpose. The oil he poured on the top of it served to consecrate the place. Oil was often used in the Old Testament to set apart priests and kings. But it will also come to be used on objects (Exodus 30:22–29); the one we see here was the first such. A single stone may not constitute a pillar to our thinking today; but the important point is commemorating an event, not the size of the memorial.
Verse 19. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
Bethel means in Hebrew ‘house of God,’ which reflects Jacob’s earlier declaration in verse 17. Ironically and sadly, Bethel later became the site where the first king of the northern kingdom of divided Israel built one of his ‘golden calves’ to keep the people from going to Jerusalem to worship at the temple (1 Kings 12:28, 29). Archaeologists have not been able to determine with certainty its location.
Verses 20-21. 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.
Vows have not been seen prior to this point in Old Testament history. Regulations for making vows will later be included within the Law of Moses (Numbers 30:1–16). Jacob’s vow echoed the words God had spoken to him in his dream (Genesis 28:15).
“If” does seem like a lack of faith on Jacob’s part, but it may be that he was trying to put into specific language the promise of God. ‘If’ here may be understood as ‘since’ and that Jacob was assuming that what God had said was true and he was putting it in terms that he could understand. Note the conditions.
1. If God will be with him
2. If God will keep/watch over (BDB 1036, KB 1581)
3. If God will give him food
4. If God will clothe him
5. If he returns to his father’s house in safety
Then shall the Lord be my God:
This was probably not as crass a bargain as it appears to have been, though the record of Jacob’s life shows that he typically was keen on negotiating deals. Jacob was apparently a believer in Yahweh already, but his commitment to God at this time appears to have been somewhat selfish and conditional. He had not yet fully surrendered and dedicated himself to God.
He swore that Yahweh would be his God if God proved faithful to him. Jacob’s vow (31:13; 35:1-3, 7)
| One writer notes: “One must also keep in mind that this vow is coming from someone who is just beginning to understand what trusting in God means. Jacob has a lengthy journey ahead of him, in terms of both miles and spiritual maturity. When Jacob promises then shall the Lord be my God, he is pledging that at the end of his journey his personal relationship with the Lord will be far deeper than what it is now.” |
Verse 22. 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.
Jacob planned to return, consistent with the thrust of the vision he had seen. At that time he would build an altar and give a tithe to God. While the Scriptures record the building of the altar (35:7), no reference can be found to the giving of the tithe. It may be, however, that this tithe was involved in the sacrifices which would be offered upon the altar.
Jacob’s additional promise to give the tenth has a precedent in Genesis 14:17–20, where Abraham offered a tenth to Melchizedek. As with vows, tithing will also be covered in the Law of Moses (Numbers 18:21–29; Deuteronomy 14:22–29). There was no command to tithe; this was a voluntary act on Jacob’s behalf. The tithe, or tenth, in the ancient world was usually a tax given to a ruler.
CONCLUSION
Lest you try to be self-righteous remember that we tend to bargain with God by first asking Him for things and then promise Him in our prayers to stay with Him. We tend to treat God as Santa Claus who will bring gifts to us once we ask Him.
One writer draws our attention to what he considers to be important items in our Study of Jacob’s meeting with God:
“1. He is the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac”. He is the God who maintains His covenant relationship through the generations of His people. The God of Abraham and Isaac has “caught up”, one might say, with Jacob.
2. The land on which Jacob now sleeps will belong one day to Jacob’s descendants. Remember Jacob is not yet married, and the LORD is talking about children!
3. In fact, the children will be numerous, and they will spread put in all directions.
4. All nations will be blessed through Jacob’s family.
5. God will be with Jacob always. Here is the “Immanuel” promise: God will be with His people.
6. God will protect Jacob wherever he goes.
Count your many blessings, Jacob! God promises himself, land, children, blessings, and protection.
Is Jacob merely dreaming of all this?
Can God deliver on what He promises?”
So let us notice God met Jacob at the point of his need and every thought he had was faced with the assurance of God.
Jacob assuredly had shame at betraying his father. He felt shame at the loss of his “quiet home” and his mother’s presence.
He thought he was insignificant and he feared for his future.
All of Jacob’s efforts to achieve the blessing of God took quite some time to come to pass. It would surely seem to him that the promises of the blessing were in vain. He later lamented to Pharaoh that his life was one of hardship and trouble.
It was only by entering into a relationship with the covenant God of Abraham and Isaac that Jacob could experience the blessings of God. The basis for such a relationship was the revealed word of God.
It is somewhat amusing that while Jacob could not find God by striving, he was found by God while in his sleep.
Surely God is telling us that it is by resting in Him and in His Word that we can be blessed. This does not mean the absence of activity on our part, but it does mean that self-effort will always be futile.
Clearly one Lesson from our Text is that a profession of faith does not mean our immediate entrance into blissful experiences on ‘easy street’. For twenty years after this conversion experience, Jacob was to live away from his mother and father, away from the land of promise.
For twenty years Jacob was to be administered a large dose of his own medicine, dealt out by an uncle who was even more deceitful than he.
Entering a relationship with God does not guarantee only good times and happy experiences; but it does assure us of the forgiveness of sins, the hope of eternal life, and the presence of God in our everyday lives. That is what sanctification is all about.
Believers should realize that we often are not much different from Jacob. We need sanctification. We need to watch our motives and our way of life if we want to reach the destination of the New Heaven and the New Earth.
We have seen in our Study how something very common, a stone, became something very special for Jacob as he marked the place where God appeared to him.
It is important for us to stop and mark times when the Lord has demonstrated His faithfulness to us or answered our prayers.
To pause and remember spiritual landmarks can be a source of great reassurance and encouragement to us. That is especially so when our own times become as turbulent as Jacob’s.
We advise you to respond to God’s revelations. In every situation you face note that God is already at work before you get there.
Do not limit your thinking about God. He is already way ahead of you on any road you will travel.
He is already at tomorrow. He is already at next week.
So Fear not!
He goes before your job or sickness issues.
Wake up out of sleep and discover the omnipresence and the omnipotence of God. He is everywhere, all the time. Wherever you find yourself, God is there. There is a stairway to heaven reaching down from God to right where you are, reminds one writer.