06/07/2026
Sunday Sermon
Genesis 28:10-19 A new vision with God. June 7, 2026
10 Jacob left Beersheba and started toward Haran. 11 At sunset he came to a holy place[a] and camped there. He lay down to sleep, resting his head on a stone. 12 He dreamed that he saw a stairway reaching from earth to heaven, with angels going up and coming down on it. 13 And there was the LORD standing beside him.[b] “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham and Isaac,” he said. “I will give to you and to your descendants this land on which you are lying. 14 They will be as numerous as the specks of dust on the earth. They will extend their territory in all directions, and through you and your descendants I will bless all the nations.[c] 15 Remember, I will be with you and protect you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done all that I have promised you.”
16 Jacob woke up and said, “The LORD is here! He is in this place, and I didn't know it!” 17 He was afraid and said, “What a terrifying place this is! It must be the house of God; it must be the gate that opens into heaven.” 18 Jacob got up early next morning, took the stone that was under his head, and set it up as a memorial. Then he poured olive oil on it to dedicate it to God. 19 He named the place Bethel.[d] (The town there was once known as Luz.)
This is a story found in the Talmud. There was a famous rabbi who once set out on a journey with a donkey, a dog, and a small lamp. As the sun went down, he found an empty barn outside a village and decided to spend the night there. Since it was still early, he lit his lamp and began to read a book. Suddenly, however, a strong wind blew and put out the lamp. With no light left, he had no choice but to lie down and sleep.
But that was not the end of his troubles. During the night, a fox came and killed his dog, and a lion carried away his donkey. He spent the night alone in a strange place, without light, without his dog, and without his donkey. Even so, he thanked God, trusting that God would somehow bring good out of these painful events.
The next morning, after a difficult night, he continued on his journey with only his lamp remaining. Eventually, he arrived at the gate of the village. Yet something felt strange. There was no one to be seen. As he entered the village, he was shocked and frightened. During the night, robbers had attacked the village, destroyed it completely, and killed many people.
Then the rabbi realized something important. If the wind had not put out his lamp, the robbers might have discovered him. If the donkey had brayed or the dog had barked, he also might have been found and killed like the villagers. Though he had lost many things, his life had been spared. Sometimes suffering becomes the way to blessing. Grace often comes through distress.
Did you have a dream last night? What kind of dreams did you have? We all dream while we sleep, but many dreams quickly fade away and leave no lasting impression. Yet in the Bible, there were people who received special dreams from God.
Today’s scripture tells the story of Jacob at Bethel, often called the story of Jacob’s pillow. Esau became angry with his brother Jacob because Jacob took both his birthright and his father’s blessing.
We look at the Genesis, Esau was the older twin son of Isaac, so he was supposed to receive the special blessing and inheritance of the firstborn son. First, Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew when he was very hungry. Jacob asked Esau to trade his birthright, and Esau agreed carelessly (Genesis 25:29–34).
Later, when Isaac was old and nearly blind, Jacob deceived his father with the help of his mother Rebekah. Jacob pretended to be Esau so that he could receive the blessing that Isaac intended for Esau (Genesis 27). After Isaac blessed Jacob, Esau discovered the deception and became extremely angry and bitter.
Jacob left his hometown and set out for Harran because he was forced to flee from the hatred and threats of his brother Esau. Jacob had stolen the blessing that belonged to Esau, and now he was alone, wandering in the wilderness. As night came, Jacob lay down on the ground to sleep in a place where wild animals could attack in the darkness. He no longer received the care and protection of his mother. It was certainly not a comfortable place for him. Before sleeping, he placed one of the stones under his head as a pillow. I have never slept on an actual rock, and I cannot imagine how uncomfortable it must have been. Yet Jacob fell asleep with a stone beneath his head.
That night, he had a remarkable dream. He saw a stairway, or ladder, resting on the earth with its top reaching to heaven. The scripture says, “He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it” (Genesis 28:12). Then the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying” (v.13).
At Bethel, God got Jacob’s attention. God showed Jacob that He cared deeply about him, even in his lonely and miserable condition. There in the wilderness, God repeated to Jacob the same covenant promise that God had given to Abraham and Isaac. The Lord made another promise to Jacob: “Behold, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (v.15). When we are going through difficult times, people often say to us, “You will be okay. Don’t worry. God will be with you. God will help you.” Those words can bring comfort and hope to our hearts.
In the midst of despair, Jacob discovered God’s grace through the ladder resting on the earth with its top reaching to heaven. Even more importantly, God spoke words of blessing and promise to him. When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it… How awesome is this place!” Jacob called the place Bethel, which means “the house of God,” though the city had previously been called Luz. He took the stone that had served as his pillow, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on it.
In Jacob’s special dream, we discover several important truths. First, Jacob received a new vision through God. He was completely alone. He had no family, no servants, and no animals with him. There was no one to share his fears or concerns. Yet God promised that He would always be with Jacob. The greatest promise was not material blessing, but God’s assurance: “I am with you.” God also promised to bring Jacob safely back to his homeland.
When we walk with God, we are never truly alone. In Gospel of John 14:16, Jesus says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.” Do you have a wilderness experience like Jacob? Do you sometimes feel alone, afraid, or surrounded by difficulties and enemies? Then look to God. Do you desire to meet God? Surely God is willing to meet us.
Jacob did not realize that God was with him until he encountered the Lord at Bethel. The same is true for us. When we feel lonely or discouraged, fear often fills our hearts. Yet God is already with us, just as He was with Jacob. Many times, God is near, but we fail to recognize God’s presence. There is an interesting book title: “God Was Here and I Was Out to Lunch.” How true that can be in our lives. God is present, speaking, guiding, and comforting us, yet we are often unaware of God. That is why James says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Throughout the Bible, God gives promises to God’s people. Here, God gives Jacob these promises: “I am with you, I will watch over you, I will bring you back to this land, and I will not leave you.” Among all these promises, the greatest o is this: “I am with you.” This is the meaning of Immanuel, “God with us.” Jesus says, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” We must hold firmly to this promise, because those who trust and cling to God’s promises become witnesses to God’s faithfulness.
My beloved congregation, have you ever truly encountered God? Do not forget that moment in your life. Jacob made this vow: “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking, if he gives me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God.”
Another important truth we learn is found in Jacob’s ladder. The stairway stretched from earth to heaven. It reminds us of the cross, which restores the relationship between God and humanity and also calls us into right relationships with one another.
Jesus Christ is the mediator between God and humanity. He is the only way by which sinful people can be reconciled to God. The apostle Peter declares in Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Our Lord meets us wherever we are. Wherever we encounter God becomes holy ground. The holy place is not only in a building; it is also within us when God’s presence fills our hearts. May all of us confess, like Jacob, that we meet God in our daily lives through God’s living Word. Amen.
