Jacob's Ladder, God Seeks us
Genesis 28
What you may have heard of as “Jacob’s Ladder” is what we see in this chapter. While sleeping God gives Jacob a vision of a stairway between heaven and earth. On the stairs we see angels going up and down and at the top stands The Lord (Jesus) who makes himself known to Jacob and promises him blessing, provision, and protection.
Most religions will tell you that you have to seek God by performing with good works. They will tell you that it is up to you to work off the sin debt that you owe to God, that if your good outweighs your bad you get to go to heaven. All of these however, operate on the aspect of human speculation. That means men looking up to heaven guessing what they have to do to get there. Christianity however, revolves around the theme, the Bible teaches, of revelation. That is where God looks down at us and takes pity on us. We are helpless and he comes down to do what we can’t and teaches us what he has done. It is by works we are saved, but not by our works. Its by the work of Christ who has lived the perfect life that we never could and who himself shoulders the burden of our sin that we could never lift on our own. In this passage we see God coming down to Jacob to make himself know. Jacob is not searching for God, God is seeking Jacob. The Bible tells us that none are righteous and none of us seek God. We also see that Jacob is a young man at this point when he meets God. It shows us that just because he grew up in a Christian home with his parents worshiping God, that doesn’t automatically make him one too. You faith is not inherited from you parents you must have your own personal relationship with God. You may have grown up with a head knowledge of who God is but until you move God from your mind to your heart you don’t know him.
What you may have heard of as “Jacob’s Ladder” is what we see in this chapter. While sleeping God gives Jacob a vision of a stairway between heaven and earth. On the stairs we see angels going up and down and at the top stands The Lord (Jesus) who makes himself known to Jacob and promises him blessing, provision, and protection.
Most religions will tell you that you have to seek God by performing with good works. They will tell you that it is up to you to work off the sin debt that you owe to God, that if your good outweighs your bad you get to go to heaven. All of these however, operate on the aspect of human speculation. That means men looking up to heaven guessing what they have to do to get there. Christianity however, revolves around the theme, the Bible teaches, of revelation. That is where God looks down at us and takes pity on us. We are helpless and he comes down to do what we can’t and teaches us what he has done. It is by works we are saved, but not by our works. Its by the work of Christ who has lived the perfect life that we never could and who himself shoulders the burden of our sin that we could never lift on our own. In this passage we see God coming down to Jacob to make himself know. Jacob is not searching for God, God is seeking Jacob. The Bible tells us that none are righteous and none of us seek God. We also see that Jacob is a young man at this point when he meets God. It shows us that just because he grew up in a Christian home with his parents worshiping God, that doesn’t automatically make him one too. You faith is not inherited from you parents you must have your own personal relationship with God. You may have grown up with a head knowledge of who God is but until you move God from your mind to your heart you don’t know him.