From Dream to Fulfillment

MEMORY SELECTION: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” —I Peter 5:6

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Genesis 28:10-22; 32:1 through 33:4

THIS week’s memory verse points out the importance of humility in the life of the Christian. The background material for this lesson is built around two rather unusual, and often misunderstood, episodes in the life of Jacob. The first of these experiences consists of Jacob’s vision of the ladder. The second involves the story of his wrestling with the stranger.

Jacob had incurred the wrath of his brother, not only because Esau had been persuaded to sell his birthright for a mess of pottage, but even more so because of his faith in his grandfather Abraham’s covenant with God. Jacob was in reality fleeing for his life when God caused the vision of the ladder to come upon him.

And what a vision it was! There was the golden ladder descending from heaven to earth, with holy angels ascending and descending upon it. And even more than this, “the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”—Gen. 28:13,14

Jacob’s faith truly must have been increased, for he was assured that the covenant given to Abraham was a reality. Further, he understood that the covenant had passed to Isaac rather than to Ishmael; and now he realized that it had been passed to him rather than to his elder brother Esau.

Having awakened from his dream Jacob was quick to praise God, first of all by taking the stone which he had used as a pillow and setting it up as a monument, and then pouring oil upon it to represent honor, and appreciation of the Lord’s goodness to him. Next he gave the place a name, calling it Bethel, which means the house of God, in memory of the great event which had taken place there. Finally Jacob made a vow to serve God throughout the remainder of his life, saying (28:20-22), “if God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: and this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me will I surely give the tenth unto thee.”

There are important lessons in Jacob’s experiences that will appeal to those who seek to know and serve God. They understand the golden ladder to represent their Lord and Savior Jesus, who as their Redeemer, is the way to God and the truth. The angels that ascend and descend on that ladder picture the ministering spirits which are sent forth by God to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation. And as God spoke to Jacob from the heavenly end of that visionary ladder, those who desire to communicate with God through the great gift of prayer do so through their Redeemer. The Heavenly Father draws unto himself those that are attracted by the wonderful promises of his Word.

Coming to the foot of that ladder, the follower of Christ makes a vow of consecration to God, and bringing himself in touch with the throne of the Most High, he receives of the blessings that are promised. Jacob vowed to give one-tenth of his income to the Lord; the Christian, on the other hand, vows to give his “little all” as he presents his body a living sacrifice, which is made acceptable through the provision of justification, as a result of faith in the shed blood of his Redeemer.

The memory selection for this lesson points out that God places a premium on humility in the life of the Christian. Those who are faithful in overcoming the spirit of the world and its accompanying spirit of selfishness will, in due time, receive the reward for their faithfulness.

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