Genesis chapter 28
The ladder between heaven and earth
"And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night for the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And behold the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And behold I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of"
The story is applied by Jesus, and applies to Jesus in the New Testament, but first we learn the narrative context. Jacob was fleeing from the wrath of his brother Esau. He had defrauded his brother of the birthright (the right to rule, and to receive double portion of the inheritance), and the blessing from Isaac his father Isaac. We must never think of Jacob, in any other way, than a deceiver and a supplanter. Whenever we read of Jacob in contrast to Israel, we are viewing the sinful man as opposed to the new man God made him. There was no need for him to act in this way for God had pronounced both the birthright and the blessing upon him even before he was born-Genesis 26. His mother Rebekah was complicit in this fraud, and this was a case of human manipulation attempting to ensure the will of God. Jacob took her advice to go to Padan-aram, her home country, for safety. She said "for a few days", however this exile lasted 20 years, and he would never see his mother again. It was during this journey, a spectacular dream was given to Jacob as he slept on stone pillows in the night time. He saw a ladder set on the earth whose top reached to heaven! He saw angelic activity between heaven and earth! He saw the Lord God at the top of the ladder, and He was speaking!
Now we must see this in the wider bible context, for, apart from a few individuals, there was no contact between heaven and earth. Sin had broken communication. God had driven the man from Eden and barred his way back. Indeed on the very first page of the bible, in the account of creation, there was a firmament, an expanse from heaven to earth, a harbinger of the effect the Fall would have. This situation had spawned generations of sinners out of touch with God, with disastrous consequences. Yet here we have the vision of regular contact between heaven and earth! This, to Jacob, who was a sinner above the normal and who thought and acted without regard to God. The dream was given when he had left home, heading to a strange country, to escape the penalty for his sins. We note the fourfold reference to the word "behold", a word which commands our attention, that something important is about to happen.
V12 "Behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven..."-a staircase to heaven from earth-Divine provision. In the words of the hymn "There is a way back to God from the dark paths of sin...". We remember, in answer to Thomas's question, "How can we know the way", Jesus said "I am the way...no one cometh to the Father but by me."
V12 "Behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it"-Divine protection, angels protect those who are God's people. Constant activity, from heaven to earth. Note ascending comes first, so the vision is that they are on earth with Jacob, and in touch with heaven.
V13 "Behold, the Lod God stood above it and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac-Divine promise. What God promised to the patriarchs Abraham and Isaac, He now repeats to Jacob. God's promises are independent of man or their circumstances. Probably the last person we would have honoured was a deceiver and fraudster like Jacob. Unlike us, God's promises stand in His word, not in the fickle behaviour of men. He is a covenant God who keeps His word, what He promises He will fulfil.
V15 "Behold I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of"-Divine presence until the end of the journey.
What a picture of salvation,; Jacob, such an undeserving man, yet blessed of God with Divine provision of the way to heaven; Divine protection by guardian angels; the promise of the covenant-keeping God, whose word is sure; and the Divine presence to guide him in all things and in all places.
Jesus referred to this incident in John chapter 1v49-51. The context is of some finding the Messiah, the One in whom all the promises of God will be fulfilled. Jesus, by His life and His works, and His teachings had proved He was the one, and Philip, whom Jesus found Himself, told of Him to Nathaniel, a close friend. Nathaniel, a good man, was sceptical at first, when he heard Jesus came from Nazareth, a place with a dubious reputation. Jesus sought him out, and immediately proved who He was by declarations; He knew where Nathaniel was before Philip called him; He also knew his character, for He said "Behold...there is our word again-here is something very rare-behold an Israelite indeed in whom there is no guile". It may be that Nathaniel had been reading in Genesis 28; the reference is interesting, for it could be rendered "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no Jacob!" Nathaniel responds with an accurate declaration of His Messiahship, for only He would know such things. This leads to a most amazing revelation by Jesus who interprets the ladder to heaven as Himself, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." This astonishing prophecy previews the day when the Messiah shall rule on earth, and heaven and earth shall be in close communication, and the angels of God shall ascend and descend on the Son of man. Heaven's administration shall be on earth. God and man reconciled. Jesus is the link from heaven to earth, His the one mediator between God and man. He is the "daysman" of Job 9v33 to bring both together. Jacob's ladder will find its fulfilment in Jesus in the glorious world kingdom, when God and man live and act in harmony.
