The ancients understood that the world of dreams opens a channel of communication between mankind and the spiritual world, and opens sleepers to a different realm from the one they manage during the day. The ancients dared to imagine, moreover, that this mysterious communication is one venue in which God's messages come to us. They knew too that this kind of communication is not obvious. It requires interpretation.
Today we are going to learn about one of the most remarkable dreams in the Holy Scripture. Jacob's Dream changed the course of his life and established a foundation for future generations of worshipers.
Genesis 28:10-22 (ESV)
10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall 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 back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it." 17 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." 18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob made 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 wear, 21 so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you."
This dream happens after Jacob has duped his older brother and is going to Canaan to find a bride. s. But he must stop to sleep. This is a very dangerous situation since he could be attacked during the night and he is in a an extremely vulnerable situation.
Jacob dreams with angels coming and going, dreams of messengers and promise-makers. He hears God's voice of promise. The same God who is rooted in his family promised land. This holy voice of the night also promises to be with him and and to bring him safely home.
As we read this description of the events that happened we can divide them in different parts.
1. Preparation for sleeping
2. The Dream
3. The Interpretation
4. The Life-changing vow (The promise)
This dream requires a total re-description of Jacob's life defined by God's promise. The place of his sleep is converted into a place of worship, a landmark and a place of a new beginning.
In this place Jacob pledges to be allied with the God of promise, a promise that entails accepting himself' as a carrier of the blessings send by God and to come over the earth and its families. Quite concretely, Jacob promises to tithe (v. 22). When he awakes, the whole world is different because of this dream. Dreams can change our destiny and the world around us!
Today we are not going to analyze or interpret Jacob's dream but I would like to focus on the aspects that may help us to be more sensitive to Godly dreams and to become aware of God's voice during the night.
1. Preparation for sleeping
Genesis 28:10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep.
I would like us to note that the distance between Beersheba and Haran is about 900km. At this point he is departing from home and decides to rest at sunset.
Jacob chooses a stone and takes it out of place. Is there anything special about this stone? Latter in Scripture Isaiah says,
Isaiah 28: 16-17 See how I lay in Zion a stone of witness, a precious cornerstone, a foundation stone: The believer shall not stumble. And I will make justice the measure, integrity the plumb-line.
The Stone (The Rock) is a prophetic reference to Jesus Christ. What Jacob did in the Natural should be a discipline for the believer. Before we fall asleep we need to find rest and peace in Jesus Christ.
Psalm 62:2 He is my God and my Savior, and the great place of my refuge, so that I shall not be moved.
2. The Dream
Genesis 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall 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 back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."
The dream is described in the Bible but we cannot visualize what Jacob really saw. It must have been a tremendous vision and such a powerful Encounter with God that changed his life forever.
Jacob saw God standing above the ladder. God repeated the promise of support he had made to Abraham and Isaac. He told Jacob his offspring would be many, blessing all the families of the earth.
3. The Interpretation
Most scholars interpret Jacob's ladder as a connection between heaven and earth, with God taking the initiative to reach out to man. The perfect "ladder" is Jesus Christ, who was God come to earth to save humanity. Jesus refers to himself as this ladder in John 1:51: "And he (Jesus) said to him, 'Truly, truly I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.'" (ESV)
Various religious traditions try to symbolize this encounter. Around here we have what is called a "believer's baptism" where people often get 're-baptized' to sign this event. Other traditions including Judaism mark this event as Bar or Bat Mitzvah noting that often this event of coming to know God often happens in our youth.
In the Gospel of John 1:51 there is potential reference to Jacob's dream (Genesis 28:12) in discussion of the Son of Man: And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.
4. The Promise – Jacob's vow
When Jacob wakes from his dream he knows that " Surely God is in this place and I did not even know it." We recognize the presence of God in our lives and can claim it. It is pure gift. It is not anything we can manufacture. And we cannot make it happen.
At the conclusion of his dream, he arose in the morning and sanctified the site of his vision with anointing oil and vowed, or covenanted, to live in complete harmony with God's will. He then promised to tithe all that he would come to possess to the Lord from whom all blessings are given. "Jacob realized that the covenants he made with the Lord there were the rungs on the ladder that he himself would have to climb in order to obtain the promised blessings-blessings that would entitle him to enter heaven and associate with the Lord." This is clearly a process of commitment on the part of Jacob.
Because he recognizes the importance of this covenant, and the holy nature with which it was administered, he sets apart the location as sacred, calling it Bethel. Bethel is a contraction of the word Beth-Elohim which literally means "the house of the Lord"
Conclusion
As Christians we see this dream of Jacob's as highly symbolic, representing the Mediator, Jesus Christ, who came to earth and became that ladder or stairway for us to reconnect the relationship with God that was severed because of sin.
Romans 5:1-2 says: "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand."
How can we apply the principles we learned today to our Spiritual life?
We can apply this into our life in the following way
1. Preparation for sleeping – Always pray before you go to sleep. Make sure you lay your head "on the rock". No I'm not talking of a hard pillow...but of a spiritual discipline of prayer before you go to sleep.
2. The Dream - There is no way you can force Godly dreams to happen but if you declare to the Lord that you will be paying attention to them you can expect the Lord to communicate with you through dreams.
3. The Interpretation – Keep a notebook handy and make sure you take notes about the dreams while they are still fresh. Use the simple system I mentioned before in another lesson.
4. The Life-changing vow (The promise) – If you are called to action there are two things you need to do:
a. Obey the Lord – Make yourself available to pray, talk or go according to the instructions you received in your dream.
b. Sacrifice at the Temple – This can be a sacrifice of praise but your obedience and tithes should be a sacred offering to the Lord.
Spiritual maturity has progress, as we become more Holy Spirit conscious and less selfish.
Romans 8:5-6 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
We are in a process of dying to ourselves that Christ life may become manifested is us, the more we die to ourselves the more of His life is in us.
