An Unlikely Candidate
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, I ask today for the gift of a productive day. You are my Lord and Savior.
Read GENESIS 28:10–22
10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
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. 19 He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Celebrate today the truth that the “grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 1:14).
Selfish, unscrupulous and on the run from his brother whom he’d twice robbed, Jacob was not an ideal candidate for a special visitation from God and his heavenly companions—and yet that’s what happened! God chose to speak to him in this vivid dream, in an era when direct revelation from God to individuals was very unusual. Jacob was left in no doubt about God’s identity as, awestruck, he listened to him state who he was. Jacob is reminded that he is part of a bigger story throughout which God has been present, shaping his people’s destiny (Gen. 15:1–21). The scale of the promise to Jacob is incredible—a huge territory, innumerable descendants and immeasurable blessing through him and his family—and he didn’t have to do it on his own: divine companionship and protection were to be his wherever he went.
Jacob’s response was to commemorate the event by marking the sacred spot where heaven had touched earth, the “gate of heaven” (17). The use of pillars and oil can be found on other occasions in the Old Testament as symbols of memorial and consecration (Deut. 27:2–8; Isa. 19:19; Lev. 8:10,11). However, was Jacob’s vow in verses 20–23 as conditional as it seemed? Was Jacob keeping his options
open, consistent with a character who preferred to live life on his own terms? Or was he committing himself as fully as he could comprehend to this God whom he barely knew?
Either way, God chose to meet with Jacob where he was and, as we shall see later, gave him repeated chances, ultimately meeting his conditions. What grace! He didn’t wait until Jacob repented of his past wrongdoing. Rather, he entrusted him with a central role in the unfolding of God’s purposes for his people and promised to journey with him along the way.
Apply
What image of God does your church portray to people outside? How does it respond to people’s flaws? Think about the language used and about church culture, behaviors and priorities.
Closing prayer
Loving Father, I am grateful that You use me, even with my flaws. What amazing grace You show me.
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