Jacob's Dream.

Jacob had to leave home because his brother Esau was planning to kill him. His parents sent him to his uncle Laban's house in order to find a wife. On the first night of his journey, Jacob lay down on the earth and had a dream. He saw a ladder set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven, and angels of God were climbing up and stepping down on it.

Then he saw the Lord standing above the ladder who said, "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants...and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Genesis 28:13,14

God also promised to be with Jacob wherever he went and that he would bring Jacob back to his homeland.

When Jacob awoke he was frightened and said, "Surely the Lord is in the place, and I did not know it." In the morning he made a pillar and poured oil on it and called the place, Bethel, and promised that God would be his God and he would give him a tenth of all he had.

When Jacob left home, he must have felt discouraged and ashamed of what he had done to his father in decieving him. Perhaps he was afraid of the future and what would become of him. Kindly, God sent him a dream to tell him that he was with Jacob wherever he went. This must have encouraged Jacob, for now he knew his sin was forgiven and God was with him as he had been with his father Isaac.

The ladder from earth to heaven shows our connection with heavenly angels and the heavenly city and the Lord who is above all. The angels are constantly going back and forth from earth to heaven in order to help and encourage us. They are God's messengers and guardians to people. We are not alone. Wherever we are; God is there.