Last week when we left Jacob, he had just pulled off a bit of a coup. In concert with his mother Rebekah, he had deceived his Father, Isaac, into blessing him rather than his older brother, Esau. Between that episode and today’s reading, things have not gone well. Shortly after Jacob’s exit from his father’s room, Esau had arrived, expecting the blessing, only to find that it had already been giving, and that all that was left for him was more curse than blessing. Enraged by his brother’s deception, Esau had plotted to kill Jacob. But, Rebekah heard the whispers, and warned Jacob, who had fled for his life, to visit with his uncle Laban. We meet him today, on his journey, his journey into exile. He’s in a strange situation. In some senses on top of the world, he’s got the older son’s birthright and the father’s blessing, yet despite all this he’s on the run, not able to come into any of that inheritance because of the way he went about getting it. He’s had to leave home, family, all that he knows, and is know asleep, on the roadside with a stone as a pillow.
As his head rests on that stony pillow, Jacob dreams, in that dream he sees this heavenly stairway / ladder reaching up in to the heavens. On the ladder are the angels, messengers of God, going up and down, indicating a traffic between earth and heaven, a connection. And then, from the top of the ladder, God speaks, in words that echo previous promises that God made to Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham.
But God doesn’t stop there, God continues from the affirmation of the family promises to personal promises and commitments to Jacob himself. In verse 15 we read this:
“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.”
To the lonely young man, bereft of family and friends, so alone that he couldn’t even find a roof to sleep under for the night, God promises presence. The ladder is a symbol of the connection between earth and heaven, and God promises that Jacob will not be alone, God isn’t just all the way up there in heaven, but is with Jacob and will continue to be with him.
To the defenceless young man, an indoorsy type with no skill in hunting or with weapons, God promises overwatch, defence, action. God will not just be with Jacob, but will act on Jacob’s behalf. This watching over is not a passive, keeping an eye on from a distance, it is an active guarding. It is the watch of a guardsman or shepherd who doesn’t just see danger coming, but reacts to it and defends the thing or person being watched over.
To the exiled young man, leaving home and going to live with strangers, God promises blessing – a return home. Not only will God be with Jacob, not only will God watch over and protect Jacob on his travels, but God will ensure that Jacob returns home, to take up his inheritance.
God makes a three fold promise to Jacob, one of presence, action, and blessing.
And how does Jacob react to that promise?
Well, the first thing that he does is acknowledge for himself that God is God. You see, this is the first recorded instance we have of Jacob having heard God speak to him. He had been raised in a believing household, and would have heard the stories of God speaking to his Grandfather and grandmother, and about how his father had been on the point of being sacrificed when God spoke from heaven and stayed Abraham’s hand. He would have heard the stories about how his own birth had happened after his father had prayed for his mother to have children. He knew the stories of faith, and had believing parents, but it seems that it had never really hit home for him personally. But now God has spoken to him, he realises that God is active and present in his life, not just in the stories of his family, or the experience of his parents, but in his life, in that place. I wonder if it is significant that this happens when Jacob leaves home and goes out into the world to fend for himself.
Anyway, having had this experience, Jacob responds in awe and worship. We might not choose to express our worship by setting up a stone, and pouring oil on it – but that is how they did it in those days. It was all about recognising the presence of God and the holiness of that presence.
Having worshipped, Jacob then makes a vow, a commitment in response to God’s promises. There is a big difference though. God’s promises are unconditional. God is going to do these things, no ifs, buts or maybes. On the other hand, although Jacob has had this experience, he is still Jacob, and is still on a journey towards fully comprehending his relationship with God. So, he begins his vow with a condition – “if God does all that… then”.
That aside, the vow that Jacob makes matches the promises that God made.
God is going to be with Jacob, and so Jacob will accept the Lord as his God. This is, however fainthearted, a commitment of obedience and faith on Jacob’s behalf. He recognises God as the one who created him, who directs his life, who is worthy of worship, who he will obey.
God is going to act on Jacob’s behalf and so Jacob will worship God. This is what the repeated reference to the stone and the oil is about. Jacob’s worship will not be a one off thing, but a lasting and continuing attitude of heart towards the one who cares for and guards him, the one who secures his life.
God is going to provide for Jacob, bless him, bring him home, and so Jacob will give a tenth of all he receives back to God. This is a response to the generousity of God, but it is more than that. It is a recognition that the land itself is God’s. The land was created by and belongs to God. God is going to bring Jacob back to it, and so continue fulfilling the promises made to Abraham but fundamentally it is still God’s, and the tithe is an ongoing recognition of that.
So, we have a threefold promise from God of presence, action, and blessing and a threefold vow in response from Jacob of recognition, worship, and tithe.
As we go on in the next few weeks, we will see how those promises and vows play out in the life of Jacob and his family, but for now, let’s leave them there and jump forward a few centuries to a fig tree outside a town called Bethsaida where Nathaniel is resting in the shade. His friend Phillip comes over to him and starts going on about someone who fulfils the law and prophecies of Moses, a man called Jesus.
Nathaniel is sceptical but goes with Phillip to find out more. As Nathaniel approaches Jesus, he is greeted with an interesting greeting. Jesus calls him an Israelite in whom there is no deceit. Nathaniel is the only person in the gospels described as an Israelite. And what does Israelite mean? It means “off the tribe of Israel”. Who was Israel? Let’s go to Genesis 35 9-10, “God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and he blessed him. 10 God said to him, ‘Your name is Jacob; no longer shall you be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.’ So he was called Israel. “ then God repeats the promises we have already heard once today. And where did this happen? V 14 &15. “Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured out a drink-offering on it, and poured oil on it. 15 So Jacob called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.”
Israel was the name given to Jacob, when all God’s personal promises had been fulfilled, in the place where the promises were made. The name Jacob means, “he deceives”- but that name is gone now, now we have a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit. I love this. Even before we get to the bit about the ladder, in a simple greeting, Jesus is giving us a massive steer that this is all about the fulfilment of God’s promises and the greater fulfilment of them in himself.
This indication is followed up by what Jesus says in v51. “You will see “heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on” the Son of Man.” Jesus is identifying himself with the ladder of Jacob’s dream. He is the connection between heaven and earth.
Let’s look again at those promises made from the top of that ladder.
God’s presence -fulfilled to Jacob and now fulfilled to the world in the Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, and reiterated at the end of Jesus’ life, “behold I am with you always, to the very end of the age”, a promise fulfilled by the sending of the Holy Spirit to inhabit and be with every believer.
God’s action to defend and protect. Fulfilled to Jacob, and now fulfilled to the world in Jesus, in the coming and actions of the Good Shepherd, the one who seeks the lost, guards the flock, and defends the weak and weary.
God’s homecoming for the exile and stranger – fulfilled to Jacob, and now fulfilled to the world in Jesus, in his death, resurrection and ascension. The cross is the ladder that now connects heaven and earth for all eternity. Jesus is now the gateway of heaven, the one who has reconciled humanity to God, torn down the curtain, and opened the way for us to go home, to our true home, forever.
The promises of God to Jacob, all fulfilled in their time, and all finding greater fulfilment, to all people, in Christ.
And what of our response? Jacob responded, conditionally, with recognition, worship, and tithe. Nathaniel responded initially with scepticism and then with recognition, worship, and then left his livelihood to follow Jesus as a disciple.
What of our response? Is there an element of conditionality in our response to God? We’ll do this, if we see God doing things for us? Is there an element of scepticism in our response to God? Is the Holy Spirit calling us, even challenging us, to let go of those conditions, that scepticism, and trust more fully, more deeply, with our whole selves?
Have we accepted God as God of our whole lives? Even for those of us who have been Christians for many years, there may still be areas of our lives that we have kept hold of, and not really handed over to God. It’s worth occasionally reflecting on our lives, and asking the Holy Spirit to point out any part of our life in which we are not allowing God to be God.
What of our response of worship? There might be aspects of our gathered worship that we want to reflect on. Do we come to worship primarily to be filled or to pour out? Jacob poured out oil, Mary poured out perfume. I am becoming increasingly convinced that worship is more about pouring out our love and devotion than anything else. And, of course, it’s not just about what we do on Sundays and other times we gather, but about living a whole life of worship – of expressing the esteem we hold God in with every word and action of every day.
Finally, do we accept God’s fundamental rights over everything we have, and everything we are. Do we express that acceptance by giving back a tenth of all that we have received? Are we willing to leave our livelihoods, if God calls us elsewhere?
In Christ God’s promises to us of presence, action, and blessing are Yes and Amen. Will our responses of recognition, worship, and tithe be similarly, Yes and Amen?
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