Jacob’s Ladder


So, how did you sleep last night? Did you sleep in a bed? Do you have a favorite pillow? And, did you have any dreams? If you did, do you even remember what you dreamt?

Yesterday in our Bible reading, Ross did an amazing job of describing how Jacob schemed his own plan to steal the birthright from his brother Esau. Of course, Esau was furious with Jacob, so Jacob fled from his home and family. Jacob had to be exhausted from all that he had just experienced. His mind had to be swirling with many thoughts of what his future held. He was traveling to a place he had never been. Would he ever be able to return home?

Today, we will look at Genesis 28 and the story of Jacob’s dream.

“Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. As he slept, he dreamed…” Genesis 28:10-12

As Jacob slept, the Lord revealed Himself to Jacob in a dream. This vision opened up heaven for Jacob to see angels ascending and descending on a ladder from the throne of God. The Lord promised that Jacob’s descendants would return to the land, would multiply in population, and would bless all people on the earth. In addition, the Lord promised to be with Jacob for the rest of his life.

After all of the fear and anxiety that Jacob had felt, God gives Jacob this dream to say, “I will be with you.” There is no more guilt, fear or anxiety. Jacob is shown that there is no place he can go where God is not already there. “I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.” Genesis 28:15

In Jacob’s dream, God was at the top of the ladder and Jacob was at the bottom. The angels were going up and down the ladder to the throne of God. We still have the ladder from Heaven, but now Jesus is our ladder to Heaven. In John 1 Jesus the Son of God is at the bottom of the ladder. Jesus Christ has come down the ladder to join us here on earth.

Jesus Christ is himself the stairway that leads back to heaven. If you want to go to heaven, Jesus is the way. He is the ladder that will take you from here to there. “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6) “Very truly I tell you, you will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (John 1:51)

We all can see ourselves in the life of Jacob. Trying to scheme our own plans, running, anxious and fearful. We are not promised an easy life here on earth without struggles and pain. But God promises us that He is with us and will protect us wherever we go. God is waiting for us just as He was waiting for Jacob.