Awe-inspiring Jacob’s Ladder — 3 Lucid Lessons

Jacob’s Ladder is one of the fascinating episodes we witness in the Bible. Jacob’s ladder is a great story of God’s love and protection. It affirms the truth that God is faithful to keep His promises and nothing or nobody will stop Him from accomplishing them.

The Story of Jacob’s Ladder

Background Story of Jacob’s Ladder

Many times we find ourselves in prickly situations because of bad decisions or actions. We are forced by situations to do things that have certain consequences we would rather avoid. Similarly, Jacob found himself in trouble since he cheated on both his brother and father. He was not pleased with his act of deceitfulness as it caused stress and fear. He must have also been exhausted and felt regret for his shameful act of trickery. He started on his long journey to his uncle Laban’s house in Harran fearing for his life.

Are we like Jacob? Do we do things that hurt us and others due to our pursuit of selfish gain? Are we trying to run away from people whom we have hurt? If so, we need to ask forgiveness from people and God. We also have to give up everything that takes us away from God. We need to meditate, pray, and reflect so we can repent and move forward in the grace of God.

3 Lessons from Jacob’s Ladder

There are three valuable lessons we can learn from the story of Jacob’s ladder.

• Lesson #1 (Jacob’s Ladder) — God’s Promises Never Fail. God makes three promises to Jacob in Genesis 28. First, the Almighty promised Jacob that his descendants would be as numerous as the dust of the Earth. Second, God would be with Jacob and watch over him wherever he went. Third, Jacob would return to the land where he is now. God made good of all His promises. Jacob become the patriarch of the twelve tribes of Israel. God was with Him in all He did and made Him flourish. Jacob returned to his native land of Canaan after being in Paddan Aram for many years. Jacob responded to God’s faithfulness by being thankful. He took his stone pillow and set it up as a pillar. He poured oil over it and promised to give a tenth of everything he was given to God.

• Lesson #2 (Jacob’s Ladder) — Walk Away to Preserve Yourself. Jacob ran away not only to protect his life but also the godly seed. If he had stayed in Canaan, he would have married a gentile woman and thus would not have produced children of the promise. He listened to his parents and journeyed to Harran to marry one of the daughters of his uncle Laban. On his way, he had the great experience of the ladder reaching from heaven to earth in a remote place. Sometimes, God leads us to a place of loneliness to maintain our purity and holiness. He needs alone time with us to sanctify us for His eternal purposes. Jacob started a personal relationship with God in this place and began a new life. Know that God is always in control of our lives and leads us to the right path if we submit to Him with all our hearts.
• Lesson #3 (Jacob’s Ladder) — The Ladder is the Picture of the Messiah (Jesus Christ). We are sure of this as Jesus says in the Gospel of John, Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. John 1:51. We should be thankful for our good Savior who bridged the gap between us and the Almighty Father through his life, death, and resurrection. Humans would have never crossed the divide on their own. Our best efforts would amount to nothing more than filthy rags and we would be without any hope of having any relationship with God. We are not saved by works but through grace and sheer mercy of God. We cannot climb even one rung on the ladder based on our deeds. So, God in His infinite wisdom sent His only begotten son from Heaven to redeem us and give us eternal life. What a pure and unconditional love.

We hope that the story of Jacob’s ladder inspires us to become closer to God and rest on His promises.

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