10 July 2023

Jacob left Beer-sheba and went towards Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

From Genesis 28:10-22, NRSV

Having tricked his blind, elderly father Isaac into giving him the birth-right and blessing that rightly belonged to his brother Esau, Jacob had fled for safety. The birth-right he had gained meant that he would become the leader of his family and receive a greater portion of his father’s inheritance. Jacob would therefore have felt some relief at receiving this vision of angels ascending and descending a ladder or tower. The angels are taken to represent the outpouring of God’s love and presence. Even though Jacob had been deceitful in obtaining his brother’s birth-right, he is now the person through whom God’s promise to Abraham will continue to be fulfilled and he is safe in God’s presence.

• • Why do you think Jacob was given this reassurance of the presence of God?
  • Can acts of deception ever be justified?

Pray today for families who are divided and unable to repair relationships.