God Speaks to Jacob Genesis 28

 

Genesis 28 – God Speaks to Jacob

 

Rebekah did not mention to Isaac that she wanted to send Jacob to her brother so that he would get away from the wrath of his brother, Esau, but she did mention the fact that he could chose a wife from among her family.  Jacob was a lonely fugitive, forced to flee from home.

He comes to Bethel where God appears to him and confirms to him the covenant made to Abraham.  Bethel is twelve miles north of Jerusalem.  Jacob covered at least forty miles that first day.  The farther he gets away from Esau, the father he gets away from home.  At Bethel he discovered that God was with him and working for him and had a perfect plan for his life.  Jacob may have been away from home, but he was not separated from God.  The very angels of God were caring for him.  The first night God says to him “I am going to be with you, Jacob, and I’m going to bring you back to this land.”

In Jacob’s vision he saw a ladder with angels descending and ascending.  The ladder is Christ, not one that we climb, but one we can trust.  Jacob has a lot to learn and like us he will be disciplined.  Jacob called the place a dreadful place.  That is because he was a sinner trying to run away from God.  Every church ought to be a dreadful place to any sinner running away from God.  It is the place where the sinner ought to be able to meet God, through Christ.  Jacob thought that when he left home, he left God too.  Instead, God found him and that surprised Jacob.  God tells him what he is going to do for Jacob, and he answers, okay, if you do this I will serve you.  God does not do business that way and He did not do it with Jacob.  If he had, Jacob would have never made it back to that land.  God’s grace and mercy brought Jacob back into the land twenty years later, a wiser man.  He came back to worship and praise God for his mercy.

God extends mercy and grace to us without asking anything in return.  He does say that if you Love Him, you will want to serve Him.  Many people are trying to make a deal with God.  God just wants to become your Father through faith in Christ.