Jacob, the swindler, was on the run. Then “he reached a certain place.”
Not just any place, mind you. His grandfather, Abram, once built an altar to God in Bethel (Genesis 12:8). But the place he reached was more than locale. It was a certain point in his life, as well.
“Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” (Genesis 28:10-12)
With a rock for his head, Jacob dreamt of the heavenly realm. He saw angels ascend and descend on a sort of ladder. And at the top stood the Lord. He spoke reassuring words of promise to this exile, saying, “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” (Genesis 28:15, NIV).
Wow!
Who doesn’t need to hear that when you find yourself in a tight spot?
“He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.”
Jacob awoke and recognized the significance of that place as the House of God (Genesis 28:17). Up to this point, Jacob hadn’t realized the Lord was with him in that place: “When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it’” (Genesis 28:16). He thought he was in an ordinary place, on his own.
But where God is, is anything but ordinary.
It is certainly sacred.
What certain place do you find yourself in? A doctor’s office, courtroom, classroom, traffic? God is surely there.
Consider what Paul says in Acts 17:26-28 about God’s nearness wherever we are:
”From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’” (Acts 17:26-29, NIV)
“God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”
And then, God came in person. Jesus described himself as the bridge between heaven and earth, using language that matched Jacob’s dream:
“Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.” (John 1:50b, NIV).
The good news of the gospel is that Jesus opened heaven and bridged the divide so God might come near. And God would draw even nearer than coming in person. Paul further teaches that “you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst” (1 Corinthians 3:16, NIV).
The indwelling Holy Spirit makes you the Lord’s temple. He makes you a Beth-El. Everywhere you are, you are in the presence of God. You are in a certain Beth-El.
According to Ephesians 2:6, those in Christ are seated in that heavenly realm, the same realm the Lord revealed to Jacob. Awake to hear His reassuring words of promise.
“The indwelling Holy Spirit makes you the Lord’s temple. He makes you a Beth-El.”
Glorious are you, Lord! And how awesome is this place, for You are here! Thank You for the reassurance that You will never leave nor forsake us. Open our eyes to see that wherever You are is holy. And help us to grasp what it means to be seated in the heavenlies—even now—with Christ.
For more from Debbra, visit debbrastephens.com.
