Genesis 28:10-22 – Jacob’s Ladder
Jacob sets out on his own, but he is not alone – God is with him. On his first night away from home, God comes to Jacob in a dream in which Jacob sees a stairway reaching from the earth to heaven. Angels are walking up and down the stairway, and there at the top of it is the Lord. The Lord speaks to him and declares the covenant promise He has given to his grandfather Abraham and father Isaac – the promise of salvation for himself and his family; the promise that through his family all the peoples of the world will be blessed; the promise of protection and provision.
Filled with awe and fear at God’s work in his life, Jacob does two things:
1. He worships God. He takes the stone he has used as a pillow and sets it up as a memorial pillar, calling the place Bethel, the house of the Lord.
2. He commits himself and his family to God. The place where God has met with him will be established as a place of worship. He is also going to return to the Lord a tenth of all that the Lord will bless him with in recognition of the fact that all he has comes from God.
Questions
- What happens to Jacob on his first night away from home?
- What does God promise him and is this promise new?
- How does Jacob respond?
Prayer Points
- Pray for the preaching and hearing of God’s Word tomorrow.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters