Gen. 28:13-1913And, 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; 14And 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. 15And, 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. 16And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. 17And 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. 18And 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. 19And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. (Genesis 28:13‑19)
IN HIS DREAM, Jacob not only saw the ladder reaching into heaven with the angels ascending and descending on it, but he heard the voice of Jehovah as well. “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 in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 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.” vv. 13-15.
In the days of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, when as yet there was no Bible written revealing to God’s people His mind and ways, God often employed dreams and visions to communicate His thoughts to people. Such was the case in the scene bore us. How refreshing to hear the promises that God had given faithful Abraham and renewed to Isaac, now extended to Jacob. Even though he had acted in such a carnal way, so unworthy of a child of God, God would not be frustrated in Jacob’s weakness, but would be faithful to His promises. “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.” Prov. 19:2121There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. (Proverbs 19:21). The psalmist also proved the good of this in his heart when he wrote: “The counsel of the LORD standeth forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance.” Psa. 33:11,1211The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. 12Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. (Psalm 33:11‑12).
But Jacob did not have a heart that could enjoy God’s gracious words. He was strange to the God of his fathers so that when he awoke he was filled with fear. “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.” vv. 16,17. Aware that he had been in a privileged place, he yet did not know how to respond to the One who had spoken such amazing words to him and could only say, “How dreadful is this place!”
“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 Beth-el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.” vv. 18,19. In his fear Jacob felt there should be some token to mark this spot where he had so startling an experience and the pillar was set up which he named Beth-el or, “the house of God.”
Bethel, the place on which Jacob lighted, was to be notable in the later history of God’s earthly people. Bethel was God’s pledge of assured mercy to Jacob when he was an outcast and utterly forlorn. The dream of the ladder set up on earth and reaching to heaven, with the Lord Himself above it, foretold of the coming blessing to Jacob’s children and to all the families of the earth in him and his seed. Whatever the sad and lonely beginning, this should be the glorious end.
ML-09/04/1966