Meeting God When Running Scared

“Jacob left Beersheba in the desert and walked through the hills of Galilee. When the sun set and night descended, he laid down to sleep at that spot. He took a stone as his pillow and went to sleep. He dreamed and saw a ladder set on earth with its top reaching to heaven. There were angels going up and down the ladder. I stood at the top of the ladder and said, ‘I am the Lord God of your father, Abraham, and of Isaac. The land which you are laying on, I will give to you and your descendants. You will have descendants like the dust of the earth. You will spread out over this land to the west, east, north and south. Through your descendants I will bless all the people of the world. I will go with you and protect you and bring you back to this land. I will be with you until I have done everything I have promised you.’ Jacob woke up and said, ‘Surely God was in this place and I didn’t know it.’ He shook with fear and said, ‘This is a reverent place. This is the house of God; this is the gate to heaven.’ Jacob got up early the next morning and poured oil on the stone he had used as a pillow. He called the place Bethel (House of God); previously the place was called Luz. Then Jacob vowed, “God if You will be with me and keep me in the place I am going, and give me food to eat and clothes to wear, and bring me back to this place, then You will be my God. The place of this stone will be Your house, and I will give You a tenth of all that is mine” (Genesis 28:11-22, The Bible by Jesus)

A. INTRODUCTION: MEETING GOD

1. God took the initiative. “I stood at the top of the ladder and said, ‘I am the Lord God of your fathers’” (Genesis 28:13, NLT).

2. When a person is limited . . . threatened . . . and scared, he/she will listen to God and respond positively.

a. Esau planned to kill Jacob (27:41).

b. Jacob thought he would get father’s blessing, but Isaac “trembled uncontrollably and shook with fear” (27:35). Got the opposite.

c. The blessing/vow on Jacob was irrevocable (27:37).

d. Mother (Rebekah), schemed to protect Jacob, her favorite son. She faced Esau’s threat, schemed again (1) go to her brother Laban, (2) stay a few days (20 years). She never saw Jacob again (33:1-4).

B. JACOB RUNS AWAY FROM FAMILY

1. Location, “The place occurs six times in story (28:11, 16-17, 19).

2. Far away from home.

3. Away from family support and comfort.

4. Jacob was alone. The criteria for a life-changing experience.

5. When you are completely cut off from family, friends, comfortable surroundings, and no place to “hide” . . . God is the only place to turn.

6. No pillow, only a stone.

7. Jacob’s day turned to black night.

C. GOD APPEARS

“I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, the God of your father Isaac” (28:13, NLT).

1. Ladder “a stairway” (28:12, NLT), a way, entrance, access to God and heaven.

2. Angels ascending and descending (28:12), already on earth.

3. Stairway had a walk, personal involvement; Jacob’s solution to his problem.

4. Ascending and descending, God’s messengers (1) busy for God, (2) communicating, (3) accomplishing God’s purpose.

5. Promise of a place. The ground you are lying on belongs to you.

6. Promise of influence. You will have children/descendants will be numerous.

7. Promise of God’s presence. “I am with you” (28:15).

8. Promise of protection. “I will protect you” (28:15).

9. Promise of future. “I will bring you back to this land” (28:15).

10. Promise of fruitfulness. “I will fulfill . . . everything I have promised” (28:15).

D. JACOB’S RESPONSE

1. Recognized what God had done that night. “Surely the Lord is in this place” (28:16, NLT).

2. Recognized his limitation. “I wasn’t even aware of it” (28:16, NLT).

3. Responded with fear. “He was also afraid” (28:17, NLT).

4. Recognized God’s significance. “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven” (28:17, NLT).

5. Remembrance. “The next morning, Jacob . . . sat it (stone), upright as a memorial pillar.”

6. Sanctified or dedicated the spot. “He poured olive oil over it” (28:18, NLT). This is called “geographical anointing.”

7. Asked God for four things, “If God will . . . be with me, and protect me . . . and provide me food and clothing . . . return me safely” (28:20, NLT).

8. Vowed three things. “The Lord will continually be my God . . . this place will be a place for worshiping God . . . I will present to God a tenth of everything He gives me” (28:22, NLT).