 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. 2 Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother's father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother's brother.3 God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. 4 May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham!” 5 Thus Isaac sent Jacob away. And he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.
Esau Marries an Ishmaelite 6 Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women,” 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and gone to Paddan-aram. 8 So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father,9 Esau went to Ishmael and took as his wife, besides the wives he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth. 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 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.” 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.” Meditation One time I was on a ladder in my yard, getting something out of a tree, and I froze. My children laughed at me because my fear of heights causes my entire body and brain to freeze. The power of the gospel is the height of Heaven coming down to us. We need not fear! Jacob was fleeing Easau to find a wife from Laban. Isaac re-enforced the blessing of Abraham for Jacob and his family before he left, a blessing that included the promise of a place, a people, and the presence of God. The latter is powerfully pictured in the ladder of Jacobs dream. Jacob stopped to sleep and God met him in a dream. A ladder connected the highest of heights, Heaven itself, with earth. Angels were going up and down the ladder while the Lord stood at the top and re-enforced His promises. God is not afraid of heights and accommodates us by sending His revelation down to us. We are unable to climb to Him. God’s revelation came down in Jacob’s dream, revelation fully realized in Jesus Christ who later claims to be the ladder Jacob saw (John 1:51). We cannot comprehend the height of this love that pursues us when we are on the run, sleeping on stones in the wilderness. God sends His revelation and blessing from the heights of Heaven to find a home in our heart. Only through Him can we have peace. Richly Dwelling -Jacob was sleeping in the wilderness and on the run, looking for love. Do you identify with Jacob’s journey? -God meets Jacob and reveals the height of His love for His people, revealing the hope of His promised blessing. How does God’s faithfulness encourage you? -Jesus is Jacob’s ladder! And there is no height that can separate us from God’s love in Christ (Romans 8:39). Do you trust His love? Key Verse 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! Comments are closed.
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