JACOB’S DREAM | Michelle LeRoux

Welcome to Genesis 26-30! What a crazy journey we’ve been on through Genesis; from the formation of the world to the formation of God’s promise! Sometimes I find myself loving to jump in and out of Scripture and just reading small sections, and that’s what we can get caught doing here with the story of Jacob’s dream at Bethel. We read it and go, “Awwwhh isn’t that a sweet dream!”.

But first of all, let’s not look past the fact that the man is using a rock as a pillow!?! You’ve got to be having a significant life crisis to resort to rock pillows. Let’s just do a quick rewind and take it back to a few days earlier. Jacob lied to his dad, stole his brother’s blessing (it’s a big deal), and then had to run away because his brother was planning to kill him! We find Jacob here at Bethel in Chapter 28:11 after around five days of walking from where he had left his father’s (Isaac’s) house. Yes, DAYS. No, I did not stutter.

Isaac knew that the covenant, or ‘promise’ that God had given to Abraham, His dad (Gen 15:18-21), and then to him (Gen 26:3), was a promise Jacob was to carry now. Like some Star Wars Jedi thing happening. Let’s just say; the force was with Jacob.

I could imagine being 4 days into a solo trek that you would get to thinking quite a bit. For Jacob, I have no doubt that he was feeling all sorts of emotions. Remember he lied to his dad, betrayed his brother, and had his life threatened; anyone with a conscience would feel pretty devastated. But God. He’s not just the God of Abraham and Isaac; the legends of the faith, He’s the God of Jacob!

Even when Jacob must have been feeling in his lowest, God reminded him in this dream of what HE saw in Jacob, the promise and plan HE had for him.

 God says, “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 promised you.” 

Just like Jacob, God has given us a promise in the hope of Jesus! As you continue to read the story of Jacob and his ups and downs, watch how faithful God continues to be! He is the one who sticks closer than a brother, and even when we mess up as much as Jacob, He’s there waiting for us to get up and go again.