Day 8 -- Genesis 26-28

In our reading for today it says that "taking one of the stones of the place, [Jacob] put it under his head and lay down in that place. 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" (Genesis 28:12-13).

Jacob had made his own bed, and it was a hard one. With the help of his mother Rebekah, he had cheated his brother Esau of the birthright and the blessing to which, as the older brother, Esau was entitled. The Bible writer does not strongly disapprove of all this. Cleverness in the service of self-interest is seen in these early stories as a virtue. We would call it deceit. But clearly the hand of God is in all this family plotting and sharp dealing.

Actions, both good and bad, have consequences. Because of his tricks, Jacob, the mama's boy, is forced to run away from home. Alone and forsaken in a "certain place," he is overtaken my night, and lying down on the hard ground, he falls into a fitful sleep.

People in Bible times set great store by dreams--much more than we do. They looked for dreams and visions at the turning points of their lives, pondered them, and allowed them to guide their lives. Here Jacob dreams he sees a ladder or a stairway connecting earth and heaven. He sees the messengers of God ascending and descending upon it, going about the Lord's business. God is concerned in this matters of this world. He is active in our history and in our lives, working out his plans, with us or in spite of us.

To Jacob, in that moment of abandonment and isolation, the dream of the ladder spoke a word of assurance and comfort. The text says that "the Lord stood beside him, and said, 'I am the Lord, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your offspring. . ."(28:13). I will not forsake you, God tells Jacob. I am connected to you by my promise, a promise which I cannot break. I am with you. I am committed.

God is eternally invested in humankind--that it the cheering news that runs through all of scripture. Jacob was given comfort and hope by his dream. But the depth of God's commitment, the size of his investment was yet to be revealed.

In the cross of Jesus Christ we have a ladder, like Jacob's, set up upon the earth, that reaches heaven. It a ladder intended for us, not for the angels. The rungs of that ladder are the human situations, the joys and sorrows, through which we live. Some rungs are hot as fire, some cold as ice. Some rungs are easy, others much wider and harder to climb. I don't know where you are on that ladder, but where ever you are, the Lord is with you. The climb might be perilous, especially toward to end, and there may be moments of reeling fear toward the top. But the promise is binding and certain--hold on and you will not fall.