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that he should be the chosen channel, God’s presence, God’s protection, Jacob’s sure return, future fellowship, and the purpose that would be fulfilled. Look up the New Testament parallels (Matt. 28:20; John 10:28, 29; 14:3; 14:18; Phil. 1 :6 ). God had to get Jacob away from home before He could do much with him along spiritual lines. Many other men since Jacob’s time have had to be separated from home and loved ones before they would give God the opportunity He needed to talk with them. Some one has said, “ The silver stars can only be seen in the darkness. V. Jacob Making Vows. The first effect of God’s revelation to Jacob was that it made Jacob afraid. He had come to realize as never before the nearness of God, and his own sin fulness. Sin, in the light of God’s presence, was what produced the fear in Jacob’s heart. God’s omnipresence had become very real to Jacob. Do we not all need to have that truth more clearly in mind, “surely the L ord is in this place,” no matter where that place may be? Sometimes we see over the door of a church: “ This is the house of God,” but remember that Jacob was far away from any building when he uttered these words. Here was a glimpse of that -truth revealed in the fullness of time by our Lord, and recorded in John 4:24. As John Rus- kin suggested in one of his lectures these words, “ This is the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven,” are just as true of the stock exchange, and the store, and the office, and the home, as of the building that we claim to set apart for the worship of God, and our conduct should be governed accord ingly. That it was all real to Jacob is plain from the fact that he took God at His word and humbly and gratefully pledged himself to worship and serve Him. Some see, in this Jacob’s charac teristic of bargaining breaking out, but to me it speaks more of humble, loving faith and gratitude than of bargaining.
There is no mention of the parting between Jacob and his mother. Do not forget that at this time Jacob was between 60 and 70 years old. Picture something of what must have been passing in Jacob’s mind and heart. Did he not think of the angry brother that he had left, of the unknown future into which he was going, and did he not bewail the folly of his sin? . Surely some such things as these were back of the vision that he saw. Like the Prod-:./ igal Son in Luke 15, and like the Psalmist in his day, Jacob “ thought . upon his ways,” and need we doubt that he turned his feet Godward? God was doing His work of transformation. Jacob was in the furnace, not for destruction, but for purification. III. Jacob Dreaming Dreams. They were not day dreams, but the day’s thoughts were followed by the night’s dreams. His stopping place the first night was at Beth-el, about 40 miles from home. That was a good day’s march, but doubtless the exercise and the change of scene were both good for him. The sleeping outdoors that night was- no hardship for Jacob. His dream is very familiar to us all. The ladder that he saw must have said to him that even though he was leaving home under such distressful circum stances, yet there was communication with heaven, and surely the angels that he saw meant ministration (see John The dream was more than a dream, it was the vehicle through which God communicated His will to Jacob. At the top of the ladder Jacob saw the L ord , and’ from that place the L ord spoke to him. Notice the name by which God called HJimself, reminding, Jacob of the covenant with his father and his grandfather. Notice also how God reminds Jacob of this incident years afterwards (Gen. 35:1). In verses 13, 14 and 15 God promises Jacob eight definite things: the land, the family, 1:51; ch. 14:6; Heb. 1:14). IV. Jacob Receiving Promises.
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