J A C 0 B ' S D R E A M
JACOB SAID GOOD-BY TO HIS MOTHER AND HIS BLIND OLD FATHER BEFORE STARTING ON HIS LONG JOURNEY. HE TRAVELED ALONE. HOW AFRAID HE WAS OF ESAU! JACOB WONDERED IF HE WOULD EVER RETURN TO HIS HOME AND FEEL SAFE. WHAT GOOD WAS THE BIRTHRIGHT NOW? HE COULD NOT WAIT UNTIL ISAAC DIED TO GET THE DOUBLE SHARE OF HIS FATHER'S WEALTH, FOR THEN ESAU WOULD KILL HIM.
POOR, DISCOURAGED JACOB! HOW UNHAPPY HE MUST HAVE FELT AS HE CLIMBED THE ROCKY SLOPES OF CANAAN. PERHAPS JACOB WAS AFRAID THAT ESAU WAS ALREADY LOOKING FOR HIM. PERHAPS HE WAS SORRY THAT HE HAD TRICKED HIS OLD FATHER. NOW HE MIGHT NEVER SEE HIS FATHER AGAIN. PERHAPS HE WAS EVEN SORRY HE HAD BOUGHT ESAU'S BIRTHRIGHT. WHATEVER HIS THOUGHTS WERE AS HE TRAVELED, GOD KNEW ALL ABOUT JACOB.
WHEN THE SUN WENT DOWN, JACOB FELT LONELIER. HE WAS VERY TIRED, ANDSO HE CHOSE A STONE FOR HIS PILLOW, WRAPPED HIS CLOAK ABOUT HIM, AND LAY DOWN ON THE GROUND TO SLEEP. HE DREAMED OF A WONDERFUL LADDER THAT REACHED TO HEAVEN. BEAUTIFUL ANGELS WERE GOING UP AND DOWN THE LADDER. GOD WAS STANDING AT THE TOP.
JACOB DREAMED THAT GOD SPOKE TO HIM AND SAID,"I AM THE GOD OF YOUR GRANDFATHER ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF YOUR FATHER ISAAC. THE LAND UPON WHICH YOU ARE LYING I WILL GIVE TO YOU AND TO YOUR DESCENDANTS. AND YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE MANY AS THE DUST OF THE EARTH. THROUGH YOUR FAMILY I WILL BLESS ALL PEOPLE. I WILL BE WITH YOU AND PROTECT YOU WHEREVER YOU GO. I WILL BRING YOU BACK TO THIS LAND. I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU UNTIL I HAVE FULFILLED THIS PROMISE."
JACOB AWOKE FROM HIS DREAM AND LOOKED ABOUT. ALTHOUGH HE SAW NO ONE, HE FELT SURE THAT GOD WAS THERE. IN THE MORNING HE SET UP THE STONE THAT HE HAD USED FOR A PILLOW, POURED OIL ON IT, AND CONSECRATED IT TO GOD. HE CALLED THIS PLACE BETHEL, WHICH MEANS, "THE HOUSE OF GOD." THEN HE PROMISED TO GIVE BACK TO GOD A TENTH OF EVERYTHING IF GOD WOULD GO WITH HIM AND BLESS HIM.
