Genesis 28:10-22 “Blessing at Bethel”

“Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.”
Genesis 28:12 (NKJV)

While running for his life, Jacob had an encounter with God that forever changed him. In his hour of desperation and loneliness, God revealed Himself to Jacob.

Often God comes to us in our lowest moments—in an hour when we feel desperate, destitute or unworthy. We don’t control when these epiphanies occur, but we must mark them as significant spiritual milestones. There is nothing in life more transformational than a genuine encounter with God.

In his dream, Jacob saw a ladder (or stairway) stretching from earth to heaven, and angels were ascending and descending on it! According to John 1:50-51, this was a picture of Jesus. He is the Way from earth to heaven, and no one can go to the Father except by Him (John 14:6). Through our relationship with Christ, God dispatches angels to help us (Hebrews 1:14).

In this encounter, God gave Jacob a fourfold blessing of His presence, protection, provision, and perseverance (God would never leave him until He did all that He said). Moreover, God would bring him back to this land in due time. Jacob was so impressed that he named the place Bethel, meaning “house of God,” and he vowed to make the LORD his God.

Have you ever had such an unforgettable encounter with God? When and where was it? What did the Lord impress on your heart? How did it change you? (Please comment below.)

If you have never experienced a divine encounter, then why not ask God to reveal Himself to you?

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”
Luke 11:9–10 (NKJV)