#78 "I Will not Leave You" Genesis 28

Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said; "I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families to the earth shall be blessed. 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 spoken to you." Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it." And he was afraid and said, "how awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!" Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "if God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You." Genesis 28: 10-22 NKJV

God has chosen Jacob to carry the seed of Abraham, but here he is on a journey away from his father's house, and leaving on bad terms with his brother. He has received the blessing of his father Isaac, but  his current circumstances must ring with the air of uncertainty. Surely he has heard the stories of his ancestors, but tonight, in this place of rest, his heart will be consoled by the words of God. 

Jacob is given the Abrahamic covenant with a vision of angels ascending and descending from heaven. A spiritual message is given with images relatable to a very natural Jacob. The messengers of God, the involvement of God, God over all, and "behold I am with you and will keep you wherever you go." He  is not alone, and awakes in awe of both the revelation and the God who brings it. He pours oil on the rock that was at his head, and renames the place Bethel, or "House of God." 

Jacob also offers God a tenth of all that God gives him. Some would say that this is Jacob so of course he would make a deal for protection and food, but he says if God be with me, and keep me, and give me. He is, with this tenth, acknowledging the place from where all blessings came from. The God of Abraham has become the God of Jacob. 

 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 1 Timothy 6: 7&8