The Blessing Conveyed to Jacob Genesis 28:10-22 October 27, 2013 Introduction Sometimes this life leads to paths unknown. Sometimes we have a direction to follow but are uncertain about the outcome. What lies up ahead? becomes a hindering question that can rob you from being all that God has called you to be. It is times like these when we need an extra measure of reassurance that everything is going to be alright; that this will work out for our good, Rom. 8:28. In today s lesson we find God giving Jacob this same kind of reassurance that His promise is still for him, and it s all going to work out according to His divine and holy will. Genesis 28:10-11 And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. In Genesis 27, Jacob underhandedly, with the help of his mother, took the blessing from Esau his older brother. The Bible tells us, Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob, (Gen. 27:41). His mother found out his intent and sought a plan to insure the safety of Jacob from his brother s wrath (Gen. 27:42-46). Isaac, under the influence of his wife, blessed Jacob and sent him away to thy mother s father, (Gen. 28:1-2). Beginning at our verse today, Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran, (click here for photos and information on Haran).
The journey before him was great and it would be some time before he reached his final destination. With this being said, some nights during his travels he would be forced to sleep and lie wherever he may find a place such as he did on this night when he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night. What would those first days of travel been like for Jacob? Yes, Esau was used to going out on his own but the Bible says, Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents, (Gen. 25:27). So, one wonders what this trip was like for him that was not used to such extremes? He was definitely out of his comfort zone when he sought comfort and took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. Genesis 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And he dreamed. Whether it was the exhaustion of the travels, the peace of the blessing carried with him, or a combination of both, Jacob experienced a good night s sleep where he was able to dream of the wonders of God. And behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. A few lessons back we discussed how the people got together to build a tower that would reach to heaven ( Scattering the Nations click here). But here, what man failed to do God expressed to Jacob in a dream. In his dream he saw a ladder, which most Bible students identify as some sort of a stairway. The purpose of the top of it reaching to heaven is revealed in the next part of the verse. And behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. The ladder shown was a point of access for these angelic beings that were going to heaven from earth, and vice versa, going from heaven to earth. it was a passage way for these divine entities to travel. Genesis 28:13-14 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, 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; 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: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, the LORD stood above it. There at the top of the ladder God made His presence known. Top is always viewed as a position of authority and power. With that, it s as if God is standing at His post declaring His authorship of all that Jacob is witnessing in this dream. And said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. First, God showed His presence. Now, He speaks. The first thing He does is to identify Himself on a level for Jacob to understand not only His authority over all (obviously), but His authorship over the blessing that has been passed down or conveyed through this special family. God s original promise for this family began with Abraham, which was then passed down through Isaac. No doubt the patriarchs of this family taught their children much about God. Also, they more than likely passed on the knowledge of how God promised to bless this special family. So, when God spoke to Jacob He identified Himself in a way that would leave no room for doubt for all that He is soon to reveal to him. The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. Laying down to sleep at night, a traveler on a dark road with a stone for a pillow, receives a spoken blessing of reassurance by God Himself. Back in Genesis 12, 15, and 17 God promised Abraham repeatedly of the land that would be his. Now, God reiterates this promise with Jacob also. God will always fulfill every purpose He has designed to do. To thee will I give it. This is a very important part of the verse that cannot be overlooked. This is what God was doing for His people. They did not earn it but it is a gift of favor they will receive because of Him; because, I give it, God says. And to thy seed. This is a perpetual promise as was originally told to Abraham himself, (Gen. 12:7; 15:18; 17:8). This land would be their possession.
And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, which equals out to a task that s not easier to number than the stars in the sky (Gen. 15:5). They will multiply as a people and as a nation whose touch on the land will be far reaching: west... east... north... south. And in thee and thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. It s as if God is speaking verbatim or word for word to Jacob as He did with Abraham when He said, In thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed, (Gen. 22:18, give or take a word). The point is God is a promise keeper. Though this promise is traveling down through generations it is still a promise that God is going to bring to pass. Genesis 28:15 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. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest. Is there anything more comforting to the heart that is walking out into the unknown then to know that God is with you? To know that no matter where the journey may lead He will keep you? This is the promise He was giving to Jacob. Who knows what he would face in the path of life before him, but one thing he did know is that he had a promise from God that insures he will never be alone. This is very similar to the promise that Christ gives His followers. He said, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world, (Mt. 28:20). And, He promised to keep him, which means to preserve. In a previous article titled God Keeps Me I wrote: God is a keeper of them that put their trust in Him. Ps. 16:1, KJV, says, Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust. What seemed like an impossibility..., God did it! Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32:37, KJV).
God specializes in taking care of His own and this is the promise conveyed to Jacob. And will bring thee again into this land. This is a foreshadowing revelation from God of things to come. As God promised Abraham, his seed would become a great nation. But, also as God promised Abraham, it would only be after 400 years (see lesson: A Promise of Land, Gen. 15:13-16). God will once again reassure Jacob with this promise before he goes down to Egypt during a time of famine. He says, Do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again..., (Gen. 46:3-4). Genesis 28:16-17 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. 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. Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. Jacob then wakes up. The ladder, the angels, the words God spoke just for his hearing brought with it an awesome revelation: The LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. When he laid down that night to rest for the remainder of the journey he had not a clue that God was near him. That is awe-inspiring and frightening at the same time. That s why verse 17 says, He was afraid. Men have often, because of the realization of their own unclean self in front of a holy God, feared. That s why Isaiah said, Woe is me! for I am undone, (Is. 6:5). How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. That fear brought with it another revelation of respect for where he was currently standing. This realization caused him to have a reverent attitude and response for being where God is: How dreadful is this place! The word dreadful here is not as most use it today. It s more like a wow word. Wow! This place is none other but the house of God. it s awesome to be in that place and recognize it for what it is; a place to be revered.
Genesis 28:18-19 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. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. From pillows to pillars is the best was to describe verse 18. The very stones he rested his head on at night now became a pillar of faith to rest on the promises God just spoke to him. Awesome! See the amazing things God does for His people! And he called the name of the place Bethel. To him it didn t matter if the place already had a name. God allowed Jacob to experience something awesome there that night because of that he could never just view it as Luz any longer. This was now to him Bethel, which means house of God. Genesis 28:20-22 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; then shall the LORD be my God: 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. If God... God made many promises to Jacob which he repeats in verses 20-21. Jacob makes a vow that if God will hold up to all that He has said, then shall the LORD be my God. God is a promise keeper. God is never short-sighted in what He tells His people will happen. He deserves our reverent devotion for all that He has done in our lives. I will surely give the tenth unto thee. A tenth is a tithe. All that we have is because of God s goodness and mercy over our lives. We, like Jacob, should be more than willing to devote some of those proceeds back to Him. This is seen in other areas of the Bible also ( see Gen. 14:20; Mal. 3:8-10; Amos 4:4; Mt. 23:23, just to name a few). Conclusion
As with all of our lessons of study recently we see more evidence of proof that God will fulfill all that He has said to His people. Be blessed!