Jacob’s dream at Bethel.
We continue today with the deep dive into scripture, and we will be referring to a couple of things, well more than a couple.
In the Christian calendar today is? That is right, Pentecost. The other thing is that we have been following the journey of the patriarchs being Abraham, Issac and now we come to Issac’s son Jacob.
What do you know about Jacob?
He was the child of Issac and Rebekah, he was born at roughly the same time as his brother Esau, he was the second born twin. He came out of the womb holding onto his brothers heal, he was smooth, and Esau was red and hairy. He liked to hang out around the camp of his family while Esau would go out hunting in the wild country. His name means “he who holds the heal” or more literally “deceiver.’ He was a very cunning character. Esau sold his birthright to him for a good feed of meat stew, and Jacob tricked his Father with his Mother’s blessing, into believing he was Esau to ensure that he received his Father’s blessing. This blessing gave him all the rights as a first-born son to all his Father had to give as inheritance.
Jacob pretended to be Esau, the blessing went like this, I’m reading from Genesis 27: 27-30;
27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac (his old Dad) caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said,
“Ah, the smell of my son
is like the smell of a field
that the Lord has blessed.
28 May God give you heaven’s dew
and earth’s richness—
an abundance of grain and new wine.
29 May nations serve you
and peoples bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers,
and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed
and those who bless you be blessed.”
30 After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting.” (Pause)
As you see, Jacob certainly was a cheat. Also, Esau then held a grudge against him, as you would having been deceived out of your inheritance.
But we come to an understanding that a whole nation of people would come from Jacob’s line and his name would eventually be changed and that nation would be named after him. The name of that nation is? Right Israel.
If you would like to open your scriptures to Genesis 28:10 and I’m going to be reading down to verse 22.
Then the dream Jacob has this dream, like Abraham had a dream. Angels on a stairway ascending and descending from heaven to earth. “God talks with him, like Abraham, three things are promised: land, descendants…lots of dust like descendants, spreading descendants who a blessing for the whole earth will come through. Also, God says this; “I am with you wherever you go, I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:15. Jacob’s response was one of awe!
Why is this important? Well this is when Jacob has his spiritual awakening, his understanding changes from just all of life being about physical/inherited things to spiritual, heavenly things. To the place where he was at that time being Bethel, which means “the house of God” he also stated that the place was the gate to heaven.
The thing to remember here is this is a past age, no comics, no tele, certainly no movies or sci-fi. This dream was a real eye opener to Jacob. Jacob will have had an understanding, knowledge of his father Isacc’s experience with God and his Grandfather Abraham’s journey with God and the history of how God had interacted with this reasonably physically well off but dysfunctional family since Adam and Eve left the garden.
Of interest is that there are a number of step hill’s around the world that have a track or road called Jacobs Ladder. Remember this dream of Jacob’s was the spiritual encounter that would alter his life, he had been a deceiver, the theft of his own brother inheritance by deception but God had a plan for him. The plan included like what his forefathers had been promised, land, offspring and blessing. God desires that in our relationship with him that we do his will and are blessed but also a blessing to others.
Now for a sneaky little segway here into our own spiritual journeys:
Acts 2:1-4 NIV
When the day of Pentecost?came, they were all together?in one place.??Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.?They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.??All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit?and began to speak in other tongues?as the Spirit enabled them.
Quoting Oswald Chambers here we see that through Jesus' death and resurrection something had occurred that allows us access to God in a special way. Oswald said this;” [Jesus] cross is the door by which every member of the human race can enter into the life of God; by his resurrection he has the right to give eternal life to anyone, by His ascension our Lord entered heaven, keeping the door open for humanity.” End of quote,
There are some things that are key points in Jesus' ministry that point to the ongoing connection that he established through his death and resurrection to our ongoing relationship with God; The Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Jesus said this in John 15, you may have already read this on the front cover of you newsletter: “But I will send you the Comforter—the Holy Spirit, the source of all truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me. And you also must tell everyone about me because you have been with me from the beginning.” John 15:26-27 Living Bible. God desires that in our relationship with him, that we do his will and are blessed but also a blessing to others, that is why we receive the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is with us as He was with the disciples, He witnesses to us, he is the source of all truth, he informs us about Jesus, he enters our lives with gifts to help us personally and corporately as the Church, as we grow deep into Christ Jesus, we grow The Holy Spirit’s fruit in our lives, He is the deposit of eternal life, this is personality altering stuff, as we develop those fruit. We must use what he has given us and witness, declaring all we know about Jesus! A tip on who the Holy Spirit is, yes Spirit, the same Spirit who hovered over the waters at creation (Genesis 1:2), but also person of the Godhead. Our doctrine about the Godhead is this “We believe that there are three persons in the Godhead, The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory.” We don’t refer to The Holy Spirit as it, we refer to him as The Holy Spirit, just as we refer to The Father or Jesus The Christ. He is God, he is the source of all truth.
After Jesus had risen from the dead, he said this to his disciples, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised which you have heard me speak about. For John baptised with water, but in a few days, you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4-5) One of our non-sacramental stances in The Salvation Army relates to our not baptising with water as we believe the baptism of The Holy Spirit is enough.
Now at the time of the coming of The Holy Spirit to the disciples in Jerusalem, they were celebrating the Feast of Shavuot which occurred 50 days after the Passover Feast or the feast at the time Jesus died. The festival was a celebration of the first harvest of two in the calendar of the people of Israel, the other would occur in. Autumn this was Summertime harvest. This time Pentecost, is the celebration of first fruits
In addition, “One of the Hebrew titles for the holiday is?Zman Matan Torah—”the season of the giving of the Law,” as the rabbis believed that the Torah was given on the day of Pentecost. [Jewish people] eat special holiday bread shaped like a ladder—a reminder of the Jewish tradition that Moses climbed a ladder to heaven to receive the Law.” Source: (The Giving of the Law, the Giving of the Spirit | Celebrate Messiah).
Right now, for a few parallels between the various things that require a bit of wrapping up in this sermon because it is intentionally a bit fragmented.
Jacob was a deceiver, we prior to giving our lives to Christ are deceived and quite likely deceived, this allows us to be trapped in our sins, At the cross Jesus defeated sin and death, not just death. Freedom from our sins is achieved for us if we will give our lives over to God. If we seek to make his will for our lives our number one priority. You might think; “Yeah, but I’m happy with my way of life.” Here’s a truth, Jesus said this: “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’” (Matthew 16:24) This passage is about putting aside our own interests, lusts and desires, coming to Jesus, then living in his will. That our lives conform to the sinless example set by him, also incidentally many who have followed him, and if necessary to possibly suffer much and even die for the faith we have in God. Like many who have followed him. The Christian retirement package is not assured to be an earthly one. I have heard some people say that they find a tension in this that there is something in this that leaves them feeling condemned, myself I have realised that that feeling of condemnation was because of the sin I was living in, the sin I was burdened by, and that in living in God’s will was freedom from sin and release from condemnation. God desires that in our relationship with him that we do his will, and are blessed but also a blessing to others.
The promise of God to Jacob was that He would not leave him until he had accomplished all the things he said he would do for him and through him. Jesus tells us this, in Matthew 28:18-20:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Those verses point us to the desire of Jesus that his disciples be like Jacob was to be, a blessing to others. That they would take the Good News of the gospel of Christ to the whole world to be a blessing to the whole world. Like God in his interactions with Jacob this is an eternal journey. God desires that in our relationship with him that we do his will and are blessed but also a blessing to others.
The goodness of God to Jacob when he was a deceiver was to allow him to see the plans that he held in hand for him, to see the way to him. Through Jesus we also can see the way that God has for us, as we are guided by The Holy Spirit, encountering life change, being gifted for the sake of the church and our witness to others of God’s redeeming grace. We are in constant relationship with God as we do his will.
Alter call – Prayer.
