Monday, November 2
Read Genesis 28:10-17. What is the context of this story, and what does it teach us about God’s grace for those who, in a sense, are on the run from their sins?
In his dealings with the rest of the family, Jacob, with his mother’s help, had fallen into cruel deceits, and now he’s paying for it. His brother is breathing violent threats against him, and he’s become a fugitive, headed toward his uncle’s place in Haran. Everything is unsettled and scary.
One day Jacob trudges into the dusk, and then the dark. He’s in the middle of nowhere, with only the sky for a roof. Finding a stone for a pillow, he falls asleep. But sleep’s blank unconsciousness is soon interrupted. The famous dream comes, and the ladder, or staircase, that he sees rests on earth and stretches to heaven. Angels are ascending and descending on it.
Then he hears a voice say, “I am the Lord God of Abraham”. The voice goes on to repeat promises Jacob is familiar with from the family lore. Your offspring will become great. They will be a blessing to all the families of the earth. “And, behold, I am with thee”, the voice continues, “and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, … for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of” (Genesis 28:15).
Ellen G. White wrote of how Paul, much later, “beholds the ladder of Jacob’s vision, representing Christ, who has connected earth with heaven, and finite man with the infinite God. His faith is strengthened as he calls to mind how patriarchs and prophets have relied upon the One who is his support and consolation, and for whom he is giving his life.” The Acts of the Apostles, p. 512
Jacob awakes, and he says to himself: “Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not” (Genesis 28:16). What’s happened here is “awesome.” He’ll never forget the place, and he gives it a name. Then he vows lifelong loyalty to God.
What can we learn from this story about how God, in Christ, is seeking to reach us despite our sins? Again, why must Christian education keep this principle at the forefront of what it teaches?
