Category: Patriarchs
Scriptures:
Genesis 28:10-28:22
Genesis 28:10-28:22
10 Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
11 He came to a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep.
12 He dreamed. Behold, a stairway set upon the earth, and its top reached to heaven. Behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
13 Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, “I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your offspring.
14 Your offspring will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your offspring will 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 again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you.”
16 Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, “Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I didn’t know it.”
17 He was afraid, and said, “How dreadful is this place! This is none other than God’s house, and this is the gate of heaven.”
18 Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on its top.
19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first.
20 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 clothing to put on,
21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, and Yahweh will be my God,
22 then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, will be God’s house. Of all that you will give me I will surely give a tenth to you.”
Commentary
Jacob’s vision is of a “ladder” joining heaven and earth. Most commentators believe stair steps are in view here as the Hebrew word used may be related to words used to describe towers with staircases. Thus, we may compare the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1–9) with Jacob’s ladder.
In Babel, arrogant sinners vainly attempted to climb up into heaven. However, in Jacob's case, God in His grace takes the first step towards His chosen man. Nothing indicates that Jacob was looking for the Lord; rather, God sought him and found him just as He finds all His people (Ps. 139:1–16; Luke 15:1–7; Rom. 8:29–30).
God’s appearance to Jacob comes at a crucial point in his life. Though he has received the good blessing from his father (Gen. 27:26–29), he is homeless and his life is endangered. The Lord’s gracious visit thus assures Jacob that Isaac’s words have not been spoken in vain.