Genesis 28 10 22 Divine Intervention Genesis 28

Genesis 28: 10 -22 Divine Intervention

Genesis 28: 10 -12 10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!

Genesis 28: 13 -15 13 And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall the families of the earth be blessed. 15 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 promised you. ”

Genesis 28: 16 -17 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it. ” 17 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. ”

Genesis 28: 18 -22 18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.

Main Point › These verses describe Jacob’s encounter with God › In his sleep he has a vision concerning the connection of heaven and earth › As well as angels of God › He sees God Himself who blesses Him › Jacob awakes making a vow to follow God

Application Points › Divine Intervention – Jacob was a changed man – Only after this experience does he seem to recognize God – Throughout the Scriptures when one encounters God it often causes one of two things…fear and change – We can think of Isaiah, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 6: 5) – Isaiah is concerned because of his sin – He is fearful of being undone – This is the closest understanding we can see of those who have this dread in experiencing God

Application Points › Divine Intervention (2) – It should not surprise us – “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. ” (Prov. 9: 10) – He is so far, yet so near, powerful, yet humble – He is holy and should be feared – They also acquire something else…a change in hearts and minds – In having an experience with God it is no wonder that they are changed – We do tend to have a different emotion, usually we feel love – Since Christ has lived died and rose again we know there is no longer fear but love – Thus, it may depend on our perception of Christ on whether we will experience fear or love – Like our friend who cried and has fear of that experience

Application Points › Divine Intervention (3) – Thus, it seems the reason she fears God is because she rejects Jesus – Because to reject Christ is to recognize guilt, shame, wrongness – The majority of us likely sense love because when we come to God it is through Christ – As we’ve seen through I John 4: 18 -19, “ 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. ”

Application Points › Divine Intervention (4) – We have been discussing emotions – We have experience of looking up at the sky and feeling awe or wonder – We experience holding a newborn and we feel love – We experience a passing, and we feel sorrow pain – We experience going to the dentist, we feel fear – It is a good thing – If we find an individual who feels nothing we would say there is some kind of cognitive or psychological malfunction – Whether good feelings, or bad, in the end they are good regardless of whether we have good or bad experiences

Application Points › Divine Intervention (5) – So when we experience God we should expect it to touch our emotions – But, such an experience will leave a lasting imprint – If we have had a true experience with God then we will be changed – Trying to get the emotion back would be missing the point – Like focusing on the ladder, or the angels – It would be like focusing on the feelings rather than the object of our feelings – The Object of those feelings is Christ, our God

Application Points › Divine Intervention (6) – Emotions are important, but not the end goal – It is Christ who is the beginning and the end – If we aren’t feeling the love it doesn’t mean we stop believing – It means we keep going trusting that the love we once experience will flourish if we are faithful – When we have an intervention by God on our lives it will cause something to stir, to cause a change – This change will be lasting – It will never let us go

Application Points › Divine Intervention (7) – There is only one who can create such a change in us and that is God by His mercy and grace – Whereas once we were sinners who loved our sin, we now find our affections placed in the right place, God Himself – Jacob experience awe and fear – His response is a change, dedication to God – While we likely have not experienced God in a dream or vision…the experiences we do have with God if true are real – They are just as palpable as the vision – If we are seized by the power of this great affection of the Gospel, then we will have had an experience which rivals such visions

Application Points › Divine Intervention (8) – So we remember the final point – We are being reminded that though God is so far above the universe, He is also very close to us – We rejoice when we consider all these things because it means our God is truly there – It also reminds us that God is always the initiator – If God doesn’t come to Jacob, then Jacob is little more than a runaway – God comes to Jacob and divine intervention takes place – Such is the case with each of us in our sin – Divine intervention takes place, and in this divine intervention we find salvation

Application Points › Divine Intervention (9) – Be blessed to know that you, and I, am blessed beyond measure over the Gospel – To be saved by grace through faith in Christ from darkness of sin, to be made sons and daughters of God most High through Christ – Our God is truly great – Let us not be deceived into following our fickle emotions – Instead, let us seek a lasting foundation which is God – If we should do this, then we will attain the unattainable, grasping the ungraspable, because He allowed Himself to be both grasped and attained by His own divine intervention in our lives

Application Points › The Gospel of Christ – Origins – Fall – Redemption – Glorification