Psalm 46 NIV

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song. 1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 8 Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. 10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Jeremiah 16:14–21 NIV

14 “However, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ 15 but it will be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors. 16 “But now I will send for many fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks. 17 My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes. 18 I will repay them double for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land with the lifeless forms of their vile images and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols.” 19 Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, “Our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good. 20 Do people make their own gods? Yes, but they are not gods!” 21 “Therefore I will teach them— this time I will teach them my power and might. Then they will know that my name is the Lord.

Hebrews 6:13–20 NIV

13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. 16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

Beginnings: I Put My Trust in God Genesis 28:10-22

Introduction:

Have you ever done something impulsive and then were gripped with fear that you had just ruined your life? I did once. In a moment of anger I spoke out and was overheard by my boss. I was sure I was about to lose my job and would have a bad reference that would jeopardize my future. I am telling you, I have never felt so sick in my life. My stomach knotted up and I am sure my face was “green” as they say.

I imagine that was exactly the way Jacob was feeling when that time came that he had his first personal experience with God. Stand with me for the reading of today’s text.

Genesis 28:10–22 NRSV

10 Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. 11 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. 12 And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 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; 14 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. 15 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.” 16 Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” 17 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.” 18 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. 19 He called that place Bethel; but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that you give me I will surely give one-tenth to you.”

The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!

Pray

I. I Put My Trust in God!

Sermon Intro:

In our homes, we are often isolated from others. In some cases, even our yards provide privacy. My house in Nampa had a tall fence all around the backyard. It shut out all view of my neighbors and provided near perfect privacy. However, in Isaac’s day, that was not the case. They lived in tents. They had servants in and out that gave them help. It did not provide much privacy and in this family with divided loyalties, I suspect the servants had their favorites also.

Last week, we saw evidence of this lack of privacy and divided loyalty when Isaac tries to give Esau the blessing in private. You get the idea that Rebekah is spying on her husband.

Genesis 27:5–6 (NIV)

5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau.

We see this lack of privacy again soon after.

Genesis 27:41–42 (NIV)

41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said...

And again in Genesis 28:6

Genesis 28:6 (NIV)

6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,”

It must have made things really awkward in that day. Especially when there are wives and concubines and children from various wives all living nearby in tents. The next time you think there is a lot of family drama in your family, think of this family. I guarantee these living arrangements made it much worse.

Esau was a man who acted impulsively upon his emotion. He was so angry with Jacob that it is truly conceivable that he would fly off the handle and kill Jacob. This would not be the cold, calculated kind of murder that we saw from Cain. This would be the hot, passionate kind, committed in a moment of anger. So, Rebekah fears for her son. However, instead of being truthful and risk being blown off by Isaac, Rebekah schemes to manipulate Isaac to do what she wishes. She pleads with Isaac to send Jacob to Paddan-Aram for a “decent” wife, not one the likes of what Esau has chosen locally.

Here we find Isaac a changed man. He has fully come to terms with the fact that Jacob has the birthright. We see evidence of this change in his final words to Jacob. There is no anger, or malice, but another blessing that shows his resignation to the situation.

Genesis 28:3–4 (NIV)

3 May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples.

4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now reside as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”

This is a different attitude than the one he had when he tried to give the blessing to Esau in secret.

So, Jacob packs his bag and heads out for Paddan-Aram. Now, the scriptures do not give a lot of details, but we can get an idea of what it must have been like. I believe Jacob was a man with...

A. Crushed Dreams.

Genesis 28:10–11 NRSV

10 Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. 11 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.

Now, I know the scriptures do not tell us this, but think about it. The birthright and the blessing he fought for was to inherit the land. To become master over his father’s properties. To be given the promise of Abraham for this land, many descendants and to become a nation. Now, he is fleeing for his life. His mom says for him to leave for a few days, but who is to say how many days Esau will harbor this hate? What if Esau follows him?

And there is this other problem. Esau is the outdoorsman with the skills for survival. Jacob is a tent-dweller. He is a gentle man with skills around the home. Now his is on a 500-mile journey all by himself?

If we think about it, we can imagine the fear and turmoil that is going on within him. For three days, he travels with this heavy spirit. It was a three-day journey to Luz, or as we know it, Bethel. But then something incredible happens. He meets God for himself and we find that...

B. Jacob’s Limited Concept of God is Expanded.

Genesis 28:12–15 NRSV

12 And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 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; 14 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. 15 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.”

Jacob has a narrow view of God. For one thing, Jacob thought he left God behind in Beersheba. The nations of the Bible felt that “gods” were isolated to particular places. They did not have the understanding of God’s omnipresence as we are taught. We see this at play later in the book of Kings when Naaman, a Syrian commander is healed of leprosy after visiting with Elisha. Naaman wishes to take dirt back to Syria with him. It is because he feels this is his only means of having God with him.

Jacob also thought that God would be only in Beersheba. That would have been another sense of loss for him on this journey. But now, in this dream, God is obviously with him and promises to go with him wherever he goes.

Last week, I shared that neither Jacob or Esau understood the true value of this inheritance. They both equated it with wealth and authority. However, neither understood that the real value was a personal relationship with God. I believe Jacob was open to God, unlike Esau who had no real interest in God. But Jacob did not really comprehend the scope of God and the purpose of what God had promised, but he is about to begin to understand.

This dream begins Jacob’s personal journey of faith. Jacob is about to experience what grandfather Abraham experienced over 200 hundred years earlier; a journey of faith into the unknown. Canaan was the unknown land to Abraham, but Paddan Aram is the unknown for Jacob. Abraham’s journey began in faith. Jacob’s journey begins in fear, but will be come a journey of faith at this point.

When God wants to do a special work in us, He often removes us from what is familiar, to a place where we have only Him to rely upon. Sometimes He does this by moving us to new places and at other times he allows circumstances to place us in these unfamiliar places. No matter how He does it, His purpose is to get us to rely on Him.

The first thing this dream does for Jacob is to assure him he is not alone. There is a spiritual realm that interfaces with our world. God was revealing this to Jacob to give Jacob understanding that God was not some far off entity only able to be with him in one place. It is not God above and people below. God is constantly with us. His angels our constantly moving between heaven and earth on our behalf. Jacob witnessed this, but it was recorded for our benefit to understand the same thing.

Next, God gives Jacob five promises.

First, God assures Jacob of the same promise He gave to Jacob’s grandfather Abraham. God will give him the land, the many descendants, and he will become a great nation.

Second, God gives Jacob the same promise he gave to Jacob’s father Isaac, that he would be with Jacob.

The next three promises are specific and personal for Jacob:

God would protect Jacob wherever he goes. (Remember Jacob’s current context. He is completely alone for the first time in his life.)

God would bring Jacob back to the land of promise.

God would not abandon Jacob or the promises he has made.

Jacob had thought he needed to take control of circumstances by manipulation and deception to gain what God had told his mother before he was born. But God is now revealing to him that He is working on Jacob’s behalf. He is everywhere at all times. It was God’s choice to give the blessing to Jacob and even though Jacob has made a mess of things, God is still in control and will fulfill what He has planned.

Psalm 46:10 NRSV

10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.”

This is essentially what God is teaching Jacob through this dream.

But there is an even deeper message found in this dream. It is about God’s grace. I really liked what Kent Hughes had to say on this passage.

Fellow believers, this is all grace. Jacob, the conniving believer who was outcast and alone due to his own sin, who merited nothing from God, was met by God in his misery with an unparalleled revelation of God’s care and assurance for the future. Jacob was not seeking God—he was fleeing the consequences of his deception. He was not expecting grace. But grace was unleashed upon his soul—and with not even a word of reproach. The vision and the voice of God only bore assurances.

Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt you had ruined God’s plan for your life? Perhaps you jumped ahead of God or maybe you made a decision without God. Perhaps you married someone who wasn’t a Christian. Or chose a job and place to live without God’s approval. I felt called of God to be a pastor, but in a very short period of time, found myself pregnant and outside God’s will despite my early desires to do God’s will. I thought I had ruined God’s choice for my life. However, I learned that God is not so concerned with our past mistakes as He is about our current obedience. It is never too late to make it right. The grace offered to Jacob is offered to each one of us. All we have to do is receive it. We forget the past and make the choice to start following God right where we are at. Paul gives that same encouragement. I think I shared this a week or so ago, but it is worth sharing again.

Philippians 3:13–14 NIV

13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

We cannot fix the mistakes we have made in the past, but we can start obeying God in what He leads us to do today and when we do, we experience what Jacob experienced when he woke from his dream.

C. Renewed Hope!

Genesis 28:16–18 NIV

16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” 18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it.

Here we see this revelation for Jacob that God is not in Beersheba alone. God is where he is. It sounds like he still associates God with a place, but we see in further reading that he is beginning to realize that God is not limited to a single location. God is always with him.

He is initial reaction is fear. Wouldn’t yours be also? He has just been confronted by God!

Proverbs 1:7 NIV

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 14:26 NIV

26 Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge.

In the U.S., I feel we have had too casual a view of God. We work to make people feel comfortable with God. In so doing, we take away some of the serious respect we should have for God. I am not talking about respect as in admiration, though that is important also. I am talking about respect for one that has the authority to punish us. We tend to want to under play this part, but just because we do not like to talk about it or acknowledge it does not mean it isn’t real.

Jacob had this proper kind of fear for God in this moment. He began to realize he had underestimated God’s role in his life. However, his fear did not drive him away from God. Instead, it drove him to God.

This is a new experience for Jacob even though it is an experience shared by his father and grandfather. Jacob does not take the time to erect an altar and worship like they did. However, he takes the stone and sets it up as a pillar for remembrance. When he comes back by this way, it will always be a reminder to him of this experience. He then pours oil on top of it. Later in Hebrew liturgy, this pouring out of liquid becomes symbolic for “pouring out one’s life in devotion to God.”

As Jacob prepares to leave we find he has...

D. A New Purpose.

Genesis 28:19–22 NRSV

19 He called that place Bethel; but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that you give me I will surely give one-tenth to you.”

This passage is often misunderstood. It sounds like Jacob is trying to make a bargain with God. Some say he is and in many ways it does fit his personality to do so. However, we do not see this attitude in Jacob as he moves forward. Probably a better rendering of this passage is like this.

“Since God is with me and keeping me as I go, and providing food and clothing in order that I live to return home, what better choice than to make the Lord my God.”

He is showing his appreciation for all that God is offering to do for him. He therefore, chooses to follow God.

Jacob has a new purpose. His focus is no longer on the promise, but has now been placed upon God and that is where he finds is true purpose and hope.

To better understand this, get this visual picture in your head. When Jacob arrived at Luz/Bethel, he drags in under fatigue, fear, and many doubts. Now as he leaves, he leaves with head held high and a spring in his step. Before fear drove him, but now he presses on in anticipation for what is to come.

Paul encourages us that we too, can have this hope.

Romans 5:1–5 NIV

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Conclusion:

It is never too late to turn our lives around. Just like Jacob, we just need to put our trust in God. It does not take anything more than our desire to do so. God does the rest. When we make the choice to follow Him, He will show us the way and give us the strength to obey. He never wants anything more than the best for us. We may face hardships, but God will see us through them.

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jacob is only just beginning to understand this but it will be a lesson that will continue through his lifetime.

Allow me to close with a poem by Annie Johnson Flint.

But God

I know not, but God knows;

Oh, blessed rest from fear!

All my unfolding days

To Him are plain and clear.

Each anxious, puzzled “Why?”

From doubt or dread that grows,

Finds answer in this thought:

I know not, but He knows.

I cannot, but God can;

Oh, balm for all my care!

The burden that I drop

His hand will lift and bear.

Though eagle pinions tire,

I walk where once I ran,

This is my strength to know

I cannot, but He can.

I see not, but God sees;

Oh, all sufficient light!

My dark and hidden way

To Him is always bright.

My strained and peering eyes

May close in restful ease,

And I in peace may sleep;

I see not, but He sees.

-Annie Johnson Flint

Pray

Romans 15:13 NIV

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.