The Renewal of a Promise

Last week we were introduced to Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rebekah, the heel grabber who schemed to get his brother’s birthright. Here is your cliff notes - we have Esau, the older brother, who gave away his birthright due to emotions running high and hunger and dismissed a privilege. Later on Jacob and his mother tricked Isaac into giving him Esau’s blessing as well - so far what we know of Jacob has been scheming and dishonesty and seeking self gain. Rebekah helped him, he was her favorite child. We have read the scripture about Abraham’s descendants, about the mistakes that were made by Abraham, Isaac, and now by Jacob - also Esau as he married Caananite women…y'all - there is all sorts of deceit and drama happening…and now we are about to travel down Jacob’s journey. He and his mom realize that he isn’t safe at home anymore with all that he has done to Esau, so Rebekah manipulates Isaac and has him send Jacob away to find a suitable wife. This is not a soap opera or reality tv- this is reality scripture - real life stories of our ancestors. So we will pick up with Jacob on the run - he is going on a three days journey to Laban, Rebekah’s brother, and he is taking a route that is not the usual in case his brother chases after him.

Genesis 28:10–19 (NRSVue)

Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a stairway set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood beside him and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring, and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first.

The Word of God for the people of God!

Running away - have you ever tried to run away from a problem or even from home? I know when I was little and would get in a fight with my mom that I would run away to prove my point. I would always run away to my dirty clothes hamper - it was a built in closet hamper and I would act like I would go outside, slam the door and then run back into the hamper. Who knows how long I would stay there - this didn’t seem to alarm my mom as I would always come back out mad that she didn’t care. The reality was that she knew I was there all along. I was safe and just needed that time on my own. I think many of us try to run away from what’s heavy or not good news, we don’t want to face things head on - can’t we just put our heads in the sand and act like all is ok? The reality is we will always have to surface and the issues will still be there. But even when we run away, or hide, or face reality, God has been with us. God knows where we are all along - He sees us in our troubles and in our anxieties - when life is hard and when life is beautiful. God is always present.

Jacob encounters God in our scripture. He dreams of a staircase or a ladder with angels going back and forth. The Lord stood beside him - some versions say the Lord was above him, but no matter where God was, he was with Jacob. He renews his promise that he made to Abraham, to Isaac and now to Jacob - God has plans for his children. This encounter at Bethel confirms that God has chosen Jacob and is at work in his life. Jacob was alone, God revealed himself at Jacob's low point - are we more able to hear when our walls are down? When we are desperate for God’s goodness? God became Jacob's God, no longer just his father's faith. God spoke to him when he needed him the most and Jacob realized God is everywhere! I think it’s important to note that Jacob's faith became his own, he experienced God, revered God and began anew. He had grown up with faith, knew of God, but hadn’t experienced God on his own. Do you know God or know of God? Do you realize that God is always present?

Verse 15 speaks so loudly here “Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave until I have done what I promised you.” This is reassurance of God's promise to always be with us. We need to hear this promise from God and know this in our souls. When we feel alone or like no one understands, God does. When we feel abandoned or that no one else has gone through what we have, we need to rely on this verse and many others telling us God is with us. You see, fleeing, escaping - feeling alone - these are all normal feelings, but God continually calls us back to being in relationship with Him. He speaks to Jacob in a dream, maybe you have been spoken to in a dream, by a scripture that hits just at the right time, a devotional that was exactly what you needed, a song that expresses your heart for God, however it happens trust that it is from God.

We have a realization that we aren't alone - God has always been there. When Jacob realizes that God was with him he reacts in awe of God! He worships right there! Builds a sacred pillar and anoints it - names the location Bethel - which means home of God - Beth El - you may have heard El Shaddai, Elohim, El Roi - the name El is Hebrew for God. He is astounded that God is with him wherever he goes - this is a new thought to him - that God is so big that he is everywhere - to us we may know that and actually take that for granted - but this was a revelation for Jacob. Are there areas of your life that you know God is with you? Are there areas of your life where you ignore God or hope He isn’t with you? Does it work that way? That we can have separate parts of our lives - with God and without? I think we try to do that - or unconsciously do that by forgetting God. The reality is that He is always with you, whether you acknowledge that or not - you have the Holy Spirit inside of you that is an intercessor on your behalf - this Spirit speaks to you, guides you, leads you, but you do decide how to respond.

Jacob will speak of this encounter with God again - it has changed him and shaped him - he was given a vision that he said was the gate of heaven - how beautiful that would be! Later on in John 1:51, Jesus talks about this as well and tells his people that they will see “heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Jesus tells us he is the ladder by which the gulf between heaven and earth is bridged. His death on the cross offers us the pathway to salvation - the way to go. God is always with us - drawing us closer to Him, speaking to us, never leaving us. God wants each of us to have our own faith, to trust that He is with us and to worship in awe. Owning our own faith is primary. It can't be piggy backed by others around us. Jacob realizes God is with him and it amazes him. We need this faith as well, to be in awe of what God can do and who He is.

As you leave here today, where do you need to encounter that awe of God? The realization that God is with you always - has never left you - will never leave you! When we truly open our eyes to see how God works we will be in awe as well. I pray that God grants you the eyes to see…and to proclaim what you see to all who will hear!