January 4
“So (Jacob) came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: ‘I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants . . . and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, 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 spoken to you’” Genesis 28:11-16.
The story of Jacob’s life has many different accounts. Perhaps you know that Jacob had deceived Isaac, his father, and had received the blessing which Isaac intended for Esau, Jacob’s brother. The result was intense anger and hatred on the part of Esau, and he intended to kill Jacob. As a result, Jacob felt that he had to flee for his life. He fled from place to place.
The account above from Genesis chapter 28 reports that Jacob came to a certain place at the close of a day where he decided to sleep for the night. He used a stone for a pillow! Having fallen asleep, he had a dream. In his dream, he saw a ladder, on which angels were ascending and descending. The Lord stood at the top of the ladder and reminded Jacob that He was the God of Abraham and Isaac, and He promised Jacob that He would bring him and his descendants back to that territory. God also repeated the same promise that had been given to Abraham and Isaac: “In your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” This referred to the assurance that a descendant of theirs would be the promised Savior, Jesus, through whom all nations would be blessed. God constantly kept before His people that the promise to send a Savior, which was first given to Adam and Eve, would be fulfilled. That promise was fulfilled also for you and me, and for all people who ever lived, who are living now, and who will live in the future. God so loved all of us, “That He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,” John 3:16.
God gave Jacob another promise: “Behold, 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 spoken to you.” That promise was kept for Jacob and his descendants.
All of these promises and their fulfillment have a special significance for us: God keeps His Word! God cannot and does not lie! You and I also have His promises. “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5. He promises to provide us with the necessities of life. “(Cast) all your care upon Him, for He cares for you,” 1 Peter 5:7. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things,” Matthew 6:33-34.
Then there are the numerous promises of forgiveness of sins gained for us through Jesus’ suffering and death on Calvary’s cross, and sealed for us by His resurrection from the grave. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,” Acts 16:31. “He who believes and is baptized will be saved,” Mark 16:16. Rest your hopes for this life and the next on the promises of God! He will keep them for you and me as He kept them for Jacob!
“O God of Jacob, by whose hand
Thy people still are fed,
Who thro’ this weary pilgrimage
Hast all our fathers led.
Oh, spread Thy covering wings around
till all our wanderings cease,
And at our Father’s loved abode
Our souls arrive in peace.” Amen.