*Genesis 28:10-22
Fleeing Esau’s anger, Jacob arrives at a place where he dreams of angels ascending and descending a stairway to heaven.
- Jacob’s Journey:
- Jacob leaves his home in Beersheba and heads toward Haran to find a wife from his mother’s family.
- As night falls, he rests at a place and takes a stone for a pillow.
- Jacob’s Dream:
- While sleeping, he dreams of a ladder set up on the earth, reaching to heaven, with angels ascending and descending on it.
- The Lord stands above the ladder and promises Jacob the land on which he lies, the promise of descendants, and divine protection.
- Divine Assurance:
- God reassures Jacob that He will be with him, protect him, and bring him back to his homeland.
- Jacob awakens from his dream and realizes the significance of the place, calling it Bethel, meaning “house of God.”
- Jacob’s Response:
- Overwhelmed by the encounter, Jacob sets up the stone he used as a pillow as a pillar and anoints it with oil as a memorial to the encounter.
- He makes a vow, promising to serve God faithfully if God fulfills His promises to him.
This passage illustrates God’s faithfulness in meeting His promises to Jacob and reaffirms Jacob’s role as a central figure in the lineage of the Israelites.
28:10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
28:11 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.
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.
28:13 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; 28:14 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: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
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.
28:16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
28:17 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.
28:18 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.
28:19 And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
28:20 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, 28:21 So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: 28:22 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.