Genesis 28:10-22. Jacob had a dream where angels were coming down from heaven and going back up on a ladder. God stood above the ladder and made many wonderful promises to Jacob about his descendants.
Bethel in Hebrew means: House of God
God said, “I will give you the land where you are at the moment.”
God said to Jacob, “All peoples on the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.”
Has this promise made by God come to pass? The twelve sons that Jacob fathered have become the Jewish nation.
Background Reading:
God Visits Jacob in a Dream at Bethel – Ladder
28:10 Meanwhile, Jacob had left Beer-sheba and was on his way to Haran. 11 He reached a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun was setting. He found a stone there, used it for a pillow, and slept there for the night, 12 when he had a dream! He saw a raised highway that had been built with its ending point on earth and its beginning point in heaven. God’s angels were ascending and descending on it. 13 And there was the LORD, standing above it and telling Jacob, “I am the LORD God of your grandfather Abraham. I’m Isaac’s God, too. I’m giving you and your descendants the ground on which you’re sleeping. 14 Your descendants are going to become like the dust of the earth and spread out to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. 15 Now pay attention! I’m here with you, and I’m going to be watching over you wherever you go. I’m going to bring you back to this land, because I won’t ever leave you until I’ve accomplished what I’ve promised about you.”
Jacob Worships God in Bethel
16 Then Jacob woke up during the night and told himself, “Surely, the LORD is in this place and I never knew it!” 17 In mounting terror, he cried out, “How scary this place is! This is nothing less than God’s house and the gateway to heaven!” 18 When Jacob got up early the next morning, he took the stone that he had used for his pillow, set it up as a pillar, drenched it with oil, 19 and named the place Beth-el, although previously the city had been named Luz.
20 Then he made this solemn vow: “If God remains with me, watches over me throughout this journey that I’m taking, gives me food to eat and clothes to wear, 21 and returns me safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God, 22 this stone that I’ve erected in the form of a pillar will be God’s house, and I’ll give you a tenth of everything that you give to me.”
Genesis 28:10-22
Other slides in this module:
- Jacob stole Esau’s blessing
- Jacob dreams about a ladder and angels at Bethel
- Laban meets Jacob
- Jacob marries Rachel the daughter of Laban
- Leah the older sister of Rachel
- Bilhah, the servant of Rachel
- Zilpah, servant of Leah
- Jacob had twelve sons
- Reuben finds some mandrakes for Leah
- Jacob flees with his family from Laban
- Jacob prepares to meet Esau
- Dinah
- Esau’s descendants
- Joseph’s Dreams
- Joseph is put down a well
- Tamar and Judah
- Joseph runs from Potiphar’s Wife
- The Cup that held the wine for the King of Egypt
- The head chef to the King of Egypt
- Joseph’s brothers’ first trip to Egypt for food
- The Second Journey to Egypt
- A silver cup belonging to Joseph was put in a Sack
- Jacob moves to Egypt in a cart
- Two Sons of Joseph
- Manasseh, Joseph’s older son
- Ephraim, Joseph’s younger son
- 12 sons of Jacob whom he blesses before he dies
- Death of Jacob at one hundred and forty-seven years old
- Death of Joseph at one hundred and ten years old
- 300-year gap between Joseph and Moses
- Questions and Answers 1-15
- Questions and Answers 16-30
- Life of Moses » »
- Timeline for the book of Genesis parts one and two »
- Resources – Genesis Part Two