God’s Promise to Jacob

When we last saw Jacob he was running from his home in Beersheba, headed for his mother’s kinfolks in Haran. Why was he a fugitive from home? He and his mother had tricked Isaac into giving him the fatherly blessing that was supposed to go to his brother Esau.

Rebekah and Isaac agreed for him to leave home to prevent Esau from killing him. Isaac gave Jacob another blessing and told him to find a wife among his mother’s people. So, the trip was to accomplish two things; preserve his life and find a wife. Supposedly, Jacob gathered food and other supplies for the trip and headed for Haran.

Research I’ve done says the trip from Beersheba to Haran was about 450 miles. That’s a one-day car trip today, but Jacob didn’t have modern transportation and we are left to assume he walked the entire journey. This meant he would be on his own through the country for about fifteen days, alone and sleeping under the open heavens.

Last week’s post was about what happened early in his trip when he spent the night at Bethel. Bethel was about 60 miles from Beersheba, meaning he was only a day or two into the long trip. Jacob had a life-changing dream, an encounter with the God of Abraham and Isaac. The dream began with a “ladder” extending from earth to heaven with angels traversing back and forth. The dream ends with God appearing to Jacob with reassuring promises and how he will carry out God’s plan to bless many people.

Here is one artist’s idea of how the ladder or staircase may have looked to Jacob. The important thing to remember is not the angels or the ladder but that God Almighty appeared to Jacob. Jacob was confronted with the holiness of God. He was rightly scared and humbled by this experience.

How did Jacob respond to his dream? Early the next morning, he took the stone he had used for his pillow and set it as a monument to his experience, anointing it with oil. This is the first indication of Jacob recognizing God’s existence or presence. He is now a believer in his father’s God.

At the close of Genesis 28, we have Jacob’s vow of dependency as he seeks God’s protection and blessing in his life.

“Then Jacob made a vow saying,’ If  God will  be with me and watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give  me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I may return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have  set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and that all you give me I will give you a tenth.'”  Genesis 28: 20-22

Genesis 29:1 states ” Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples.”

This single verse encompasses about thirteen days and 400 miles of travel for Jacob. It says he made it to Haran. There is no comment about how he spent the days and nights, only that he finished the trip. This reminds me of the statement about Jesus’ wilderness temptation, ” For forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.”  Luke 4: 2.

I don’t think it’s irreverent to wonder what Jacob was thinking about from Bethel to Haran. What was he thinking, feeling, and processing from his encounter with God? He was alone with God, the rugged country he traversed by day and the expansive heaven under which he slept at night.

He had no modern-day gadgets to distract him; no radio, TV, cell phone, computer games, or books to read. He was alone with God, the rugged country he traversed by day and the expansive heaven under which he slept at night.

I am convinced that some experiences, good and bad, can significantly shape our lives. This is true of me and I’m sure it’s true of you also. What memories do you have of events and people that have influenced who you have become?

When Jacob left Bethel to continue his journey to Haran, he didn’t leave that powerful dream experience behind. No, this encounter with God will be recounted and processed over the next 14 days of his trip, and the remainder of his life. Such an encounter with God did not leave him unchanged. Neither you nor I will remain the same should we meet God.

One thing we can be sure of is that Jacob often remembered and gained reassurance when he recalled the dream and  the promise God made to him,

“I am the Lord, the God of  Abraham and the God of  Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the east and to the west, to the north and to the south. All the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:13-15

What memories do you have about meeting God? What were the circumstances and what did you learn about God and yourself from that experience? How did your experience change your thinking and acting?

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