Jacob's Ladder (Genesis 28)

Do we limit God to a physical place? Can we truly limit God to a house of worship or is He with us everywhere? Was a mysterious promise of Christ included? Let’s look at Genesis 28.

Did Isaac come to his senses and bless Jacob according to God’s will?

Later, Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, instructing him, “Don’t marry a wife from the local Canaanite women. Instead, get up, travel to Paddan-aram, and visit the household of Bethuel, your mother’s father. Marry one of Laban’s daughters, since he’s your mother’s brother. May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful so that your descendants become a whole group of people. May he give you and your descendants the blessings that he gave Abraham. May you possess the land where you have lived that God gave to Abraham.” So Isaac sent Jacob off toward Paddan-aram to visit Bethuel’s son Laban, the Aramean and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau. (Genesis 28:1-5 ISV)

What did Esau decide to do? Did he marry within his father’s wishes?

Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take to himself a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,” and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Paddan-aram. So Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan displeased his father Isaac; and Esau went to Ishmael, and married, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth. (Genesis 28:6-9 NASB)

What happened to Jacob? What kind of dream did he have?

And Jacob went out from Beersheba, 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. 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. (Genesis 28:10-12 KJV)

What prophecy came in the dream? Would all peoples be blessed by his offspring or seed singular? Was that seed Christ?

There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father 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 west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring [seed, singular]. 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 NIV)

What did Jacob say? Did his immature faith limit God to a place?

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” (Genesis 28:16-17 NKJV)

What did Jacob call that place? What did he vow? If God would be with Jacob, How could he truly only worship God in a special place?

The next morning Jacob got up very early. He took the stone he had rested his head against, and he set it upright as a memorial pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it. He named that place Bethel (which means “house of God”), although it was previously called Luz. Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.” (Genesis 28:18-22 NLT)

Do we limit God to a physical place? Can we truly limit God to a house of worship or is He with us everywhere? Was a mysterious promise of Christ included? You decide!