Shortly after I was called into the ministry, my parents gave me a Thompson Chain Reference Bible. In the back of that Bible were all kinds of study helps. It had a graph depicting the spiritual ups and downs of Jacob’s life—the highs when he was close to God, the lows when he was far away. It looked like a roller coaster. What would your spiritual life graph look like? When I lead our adult new members’ class, I often as them, “Does your spiritual journey look like this?” (and I draw a diagonal line, with a straight, uninterrupted incline), “or does it look like this?” (and I draw a jagged line with steep dips, sharp inclines and more dips). And then they begin to understand why we teach new members’ class! Lent is the season when examine darkness inside ourselves, and the grace that break through that darkness.

 

With all of this in mind, I’d like for us to get better acquainted with Jacob, the grandson of Abraham and the son of Isaac (remember last week, Genesis 22). Isaac and his wife had twin boys, Esau (born first) and Jacob. Jacob spent most of his life trying to get his father’s approval. But Esau was Isaac’s favorite. And Jacob lived his whole life in rivalry with his brother Esau. Though twins, they were nothing alike. Jacob was always trying to take Esau’s place in the family order. He tricked Esau out of both the firstborn birthright and the firstborn blessing. Esau was so angry about Jacob’s lying and stealing that he swore he would kill him. By the way, Jacob’s name means supplanter or trickster. You’ve figured out by now that he was conniving, wily, and self-serving. In looking at Jacob’s life I keep thinking of that word in Jeremiah 17:9—“The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse—who can understand it?” 

 

Jacob’s behavior also reminds me of Don Miller’s confession about his own life: “I was addicted to myself. All I thought about was myself. The only one I cared about was myself. I discovered that my mind is like a radio that picks up only one station, the one that plays me: K-DON, all Don, all the time”Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller, p. 181].

 

So after lying to his father and cheating his brother, Jacob believed it was time to “get out of Dodge”. His mother told him to leave for Haran, to hide from an irate Esau and to find a wife (a good Jewish mother: “It’s time you married!”). So Jacob took off. To be completely honest, Jacob was a pretty secular guy, not exactly a church-going dude. The last person he expected to run in to on this trip was God. A frankly, God was the last person he wanted to run in to! But God is always full of surprises. No, Jacob didn’t DESERVE an experience with God, but he sure needed one!

 

So our scripture reports that after a long day of travel, Jacob bedded down for the night. And he had a strange dream. He saw a staircase, or ladder, with angels climbing up and down on it. Now please note several things about the dream. First of all, why do you suppose God came to Jacob at night, in a dream? Could it be that when Jacob was awake, he was still in control, manipulating, controlling, conniving? You see, sometimes our pride doesn’t leave much room for God to work. Sleep may be the only time God can come in the back door and work in some of our lives!

 

Furthermore, as we look at the dream, it’s curious to me that the text says the angels were ASCENDING and DESCENDING the ladder (v. 12) Note the order—very important: not first descending, but first ascending, letting us know that angels are already down here, working, serving, guiding among us. And again, another twist of expectations. When you hear about the dream and the ladder, don’t you expect to find Almighty God at the top, up in heaven? Look again: v. 13. The LORD is right there beside Jacob, near him. Some translations say God was “beside” Jacob; others say God was “above” him…both are correct. A hovering, brooding presence, like a hen with her chicks.

 

And now note the words spoken by the LORD in the dream. Does it surprise you that after all his cheating, lying and selfishness, Jacob heard grace and care, not rebuke and punishment (read vv. 13-15)? OK, maybe a gentle rebuke: “I am the God of your grandpa Abraham, your daddy Isaac…” (v. 13). Victor Hamilton suggests perhaps God was saying, “I was your granddaddy’s God and your daddy’s; will I be yours? Jacob! Your grandpa trusted in me during the tough times; your dad learned to walk with me, what happened to you?” [New International Commentary of the Old Testament, Genesis, p. XXX] That’s a fair question to this generation. Your grandparents had a real, vibrant relationship with the living Lord; your parents had a lukewarm connection to a church; what do you have? A Sunday hobby? (unless something more important comes along!). And if that’s the case, how’s that working for you? What happened? Where did you lose the rich spiritual heritage handed down to you? Perhaps God is also saying, “Jacob, you can deceive your dad and brother, but not me. You cheated them, so you think you’re going to play me, too? Not on your life!”

 

But something happened to Jacob in that dream. He woke up (vv. 16-17) and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I didn’t know it! How awesome is this place!” King James translates it, “How dreadful.” Listen to The Message: “He whispered in awe: Incredible. Wonderful. Holy. This is God’s house. This is the gate of heaven.” Now that’s worship!

 

This was a new day for Jacob His world was greatly enlarged. He declared, “The LORD is in this place!” God is not limited. The old categories are gone. God doesn’t live in a sanctuary, only coming out once a week. God doesn’t have one foot nailed down. God is everywhere! He wants to be in all areas of our lives. My own testimony bears witness to this. As a young man, nothing began to happen in my spiritual life until I realized the lordship of Christ was to be over every area of my life, not just my Sunday life. So here’s a question: given Jacob’s track record, and what we know of Jacob’s behavior, was the statement by the LORD, “I am with you wherever you go…I will not leave you…” (v. 15) a promise or a threat? YES! 

 

Howard Judah was a northwest Missouri pastor who had a great influence on my early life. He told about sitting in seminary class one day as they studied the life of Jacob. A student raised his hand and asked the professor, “How could God bless a man like Jacob?” The teacher shot back, “How could God bless a man like you?” Maybe you’re asking today, “Why can’t I get my act together? I ought to be farther along than I am in the Christian journey.” Like Jacob, our lives are inconsistent. But God blesses, forgives and loves. His grace breaks through. Remember that later, Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. From him the sons were born whose names were used for the twelve tribes of Israel. God blessed and used him in a great way.

 

Like Jacob, some of us need a heart tune up. Oh, I don’t mean the physical heart. We know all about heart caths and heart stents (we read the prayer lists!). I’m talking about the spiritual heart. We’ve grown cold, manipulative, controlling. Perhaps we’ve become jaded and cynical. We may need a Lenten heart melt, or heart-breaking. Somebody here today needs a heart tune up. What about it? Are you ready to get your heart right?