December 20, 2018 – Genesis 28:13-15

At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. Genesis 28:13-15.

Jacob laid his head on a stone to sleep.  Alone, he fell asleep. He dreamed the heavens opened.  Angels climbed up and down the stairway to heaven. At the top of the stairway, stood the Lord, who declared, I am the Lord of your Grandfather Abraham.  This place, I give to you and your descendants.

Jacob woke up and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place.”  The stone, he laid his head, he anointed with olive oil. Jacob named this place Bethel, meaning the house of God.  Jacob vowed he would return to this place to worship.  The Lord will certainly be my God!  I will give Him a tenth of all He gives me.

Jacob made his choice to serve God that day.  He knew God would protect and guide him.  Even today, Deuteronomy 30:19 speaks to us. “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!”

Judah was the son of Jacob. Jacob was the son of Isaac. Isaac was the son of Abraham. Abraham was the son of Terah. Terah was the son of Nahor. Luke 3:34