In our study of Genesis chapter twenty eight, we look at the promise of access to the God of heaven. We will look at Jacob's dream of a ladder and his understanding of the dream as well as its meaning for us and the Jewish people.
** Note ** In this study, we will be using the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) translation which was translated directly from Hebrew into English. You can get your own hardback or paperback copy on Amazon where we will earn a small commission.
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So Yitz'chak called Ya'akov, and, after blessing him, charged him: "You are not to choose a wife from the Hitti women. Go now to the home of B'tu'el your mother's father, and choose a wife there from the daughters of Lavan your mother's brother.
In chapter 27, we saw that Rivkah informed him that she did not want Ya'akov to marry a woman from the land that they were in which was known as Canaan. The land was named after the cursed son of Ham (see Genesis 9:24) and, in Hebrew, the name means "humiliated". We are reminded of the fact that Canaan was cursed because his father, Ham, had humiliated Noah by exposing his nakedness. Here, we see that Yitz'chak grants Rivkah's request and instructs Ya'akov to go to her relatives and get an acceptable wife.
May El Shaddai bless you, make you fruitful and increase your descendants, until they become a whole assembly of peoples. And may he give you the blessing which he gave Avraham, you and your descendants with you, so that you will possess the land you will travel through, the land God gave to Avraham." So Yitz'chak sent Ya'akov away; and he went to Paddan-Aram, to Lavan, son of B'tu'el the Arami, the brother of Rivkah Ya'akov's and 'Esav's mother.
The name El Shaddai means God who is sufficient and Yitz'chak delivers a prophetic blessing about the kingdom of God and this is a prophecy that speaks to the fact that the kingdom will be made up of not only the Hebrews but many peoples (a mixed multitude). Yitz'chak also prays that the covenant of Avraham would be passed on to Ya'akov and that he would possess the land of Canaan. Once again, we see that Ya'akov is listed ahead of the older 'Esav and this is an indicator of God's approval of Ya'akov receiving the birthright.
Now 'Esav saw that Yitz'chak had blessed Ya'akov and sent him away to Paddan-Aram to choose a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he charged him, "You are not to choose a Kena'ani woman as your wife," and that Ya'akov had listened to his father and mother and gone to Paddan-Aram. 'Esav also saw that the Kena'ani women did not please Yitz'chak his father. So 'Esav went to Yishma'el and took, in addition to the wives he already had, Machalat the daughter of Yishma'el Avraham's son, the sister of N'vayot, to be his wife.
'Esav heard the conversation about Ya'akov getting a wife. We also remember that 'Esav was more concerned about wealth and things of the flesh than spiritual matters. With this in mind, he decided to get back at his father by marrying a woman that Yitz'chak and Rivkah would not have liked. In doing this, we are reminded, once again, of the family of Ishmael and how he was born out of man's efforts instead of trusting in God. 'Esav married Machalat which, in Hebrew, means "sickness". We also see that he already had other wives and so was definitely out of the will of God. This choice would have consequences for 'Esav but they continue to affect our world today. God had promised Hagar that Ishmael would be a great nation but that he would not be a part of the chosen nation (see Genesis 21). 'Esav was a part of the chosen nation but was not selected by God to be the leader of that nation. He could have chosen to seek and accept the will of God in the matter but was not concerned about the things of God. This unholy union between the two families would constantly remind them of the fact that they were not the chosen ones. With this would come the "sickness" of disobedience and trying to overthrow the will of God which continues even to this day. Most of the strife that we see in Israel today, as well as in much of the region, is due to the fact that man seeks to overthrow the will of God for His chosen people and land.
Ya'akov went out from Be'er-Sheva and traveled toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed the night there, because the sun had set. He took a stone from the place, put it under his head and lay down there to sleep.
Ya'akov was really moving in his effort to get away from the threat of death at the hands of his brother, 'Esav. He traveled about forty miles in one day through mountainous rocky terrain and finally stopped when it was getting dark. This would have been his first night away from home and he was surely feeling alone and afraid. He knew that God was back at home but, for all that he knew, he had left God there with his mom and dad. In the Hebrew text, the phrase "the place" or "that place" is mentioned four times for emphasis and so we should take notice that this is going to be a special place. The translation here says that he took a stone and put under his head but, in the Hebrew, it says that he took stones (plural) and put them around his head although we are not told why he did so.
He dreamt that there before him was a ladder resting on the ground with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of ADONAI were going up and down on it. Then suddenly ADONAI was standing there next to him; and he said, "I am ADONAI, the God of Avraham your father and the God of Yitz'chak.
Ya'akov had a dream in which he saw what has been commonly called "Jacob's ladder" but the Hebrew word is "cullam" and it is more accurately described as a staircase and it basically speaks of a bridge between two places. He saw angels, which are messengers from God, going up and down the stairs with God at the top. He knew that it was God as He identified Himself as the God of his father and grandfather. We must remember that anytime the patriarchs are mentioned it is speaking of the promise and this remembering the promise of God would have been encouraging for Ya'akov. How wonderful it is to see that, during his first time alone and feeling scared, God showed up to reassure Ya'akov that he was not alone. So, why would God show Jacob a staircase? A ladder or staircase provides access to a higher place and, in this case, God was demonstrating the fact that He was active in the world through His messengers. Although this is a rather routine idea for us, as believers, it would have been an amazing revelation to Ya'akov. We also notice that Jacob saw the angels going both up and down the stairs and that is a reminder that angels are simple messengers who take their orders from God. It seems that everyone in our world, today, believes in angels but sometimes they are elevated to godlike status and that is wrong. They, like us, are created by God and it is God alone that deserves our worship.
The land on which you are lying I will give to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the grains of dust on the earth. You will expand to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. By you and your descendants all the families of the earth will be blessed.
God's promises that are stated here are still in effect today as the world is truly blessed through a Jew named Jesus. You can follow this promised path from Ya'akov to Jesus in Matthew1. We remember that, at this time, Ya'akov is asleep in the land of Israel as he was about twelve miles north of Jerusalem. In the first part of this promise, we see that God confirmed that the land of Israel was given to Ya'akov and his descendants. Most of the problems in that part of the world are due to man's refusal to accept this fact. The land of Israel was given by God Almighty, the Creator, to the people that are known as Jews. Any efforts of men to give the land away or to take it and give it to another people will fail. It is not possible for there to be peace in that land or even in the world without the acceptance of that fact. In the last part of this passage, we see the promise of Jesus Christ and the fact that He is our staircase (bridge) to heaven.
Look, I am with you. I will guard you wherever you go, and I will bring you back into this land, because I won't leave you until I have done what I have promised you."
What a reassurance this verse would have been to a young man that was away from home for the first night and was going to be going even further away to a foreign land. The idea that God was going to travel with Ya'akov to Paddan Aram would have been a huge revelation for this young man. This same promise is extended to us through Jesus Christ. Like Ya'akov, we can rest assured in the fact that God is with us and will not leave us until He has fulfilled all of His promises.
Ya'akov awoke from his sleep and said, "Truly, ADONAI is in this place - and I didn't know it!" Then he became afraid and said, "This place is fearsome! This has to be the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!"
When Ya'akov woke up, he recognized that God was in that place but he did not understand the dream and the promise that God had made to him. He did not understand that God would be with him wherever he went and that the access to heaven was with him as well. This is a fundamental mistake that has continued throughout the history of the world and down to this day. He made the mistake of thinking that the staircase of his dream was located there instead of recognizing that it was everywhere. This would continue with the building of the temples and, today, with "churches". There are many people who think that they have to "go to church" to meet with God, to pray, or to serve Him. This has been passed down through the years and is a part of religion. As Christians, our staircase (access to our heavenly Father) has been built through our relationship with Jesus Christ. He has also given us the Holy Spirit to reside in us as a means of communicating with the Father even when we do not have words to use. That access and ability is not confined to a time or a place but is to be enjoyed each and every second of our lives.
Ya'akov got up early in the morning, took the stone he had put under his head, set it up as a standing-stone, poured olive oil on its top and named the place Beit-El; but the town had originally been called Luz.
We see a change here in that Ya'akov had taken stones and put around his head but now he took one of those stones and used it to mark this spot. He put oil on it as way of consecrating it to God and named the spot Beth El which means "house of God".
Ya'akov took this vow: "If God will be with me and will guard me on this road that I am traveling, giving me bread to eat and clothes to wear, so that I return to my father's house in peace, then ADONAI will be my God; and this stone, which I have set up as a standing-stone, will be God's house; and of everything you give me, I will faithfully return one-tenth to you."
Here we see that Ya'akov took an oath to be faithful to God and the covenant that He had made with Avraham. We also see that he took an oath to give back to God one-tenth which is what is known as the tithe. This giving back (tithe) was to be a testimony of what God had done and that is for today as well as we are called to testify to what God has done and is doing in our lives as Christians.
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