Jacob’s on the lam. He’s crossed the line with his brother Esau. Extorting Esau’s birthright was one thing . . . but fraudulently securing their father’s blessing, well, he would pay for that with his life as soon as dad was dead. So, under the pretense of finding a wife, his mother quickly arranges for Jacob’s departure to Paddan-aram . . . to the house of her brother.

And it says that one night, in a certain place, Jacob lay down to sleep and had a dream . . .

And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. . . . ” (Genesis 28:12-13a ESV)

And in that vision, God reveals Himself to Jacob in an “up close” and personal way. “I am the LORD . . . I will give the land on which you lie to you and your offspring . . . I am with you and will keep you . . . I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (28:13-15).

And Jacob wakes up and is overwhelmed.

“Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it. . . . How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” (Genesis 28:16-17 ESV)

And what strikes me is that the ladder was put in place not that Jacob might come up . . . but that God might come down. “The LORD is in this place” . . . “How awesome is this place” . . . “This is none other than the house of God.”

When Solomon dedicated His magnificent temple (2Chron. 6) he asked this question, “But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth?” Answer? Yup!

Solomon asked his question as he wondered at a God who could not be contained by heaven dwelling in a house built by man. I’m in awe this morning that a God who is holy, holy, holy . . . would come down and reveal Himself to such a scoundrel as Jacob the deceiver. But there is a ladder.

It’s not a ladder built by man which reaches into heaven so that he might work his way up. But a ladder lowered from heaven in order that God might descend and lift him up. Jacob’s encounter of the divine kind at the place he would call Bethel, literally house of God, would be but the start of God’s work of grace in taking Jacob the deceiver and transforming him into Israel the father of God’s chosen people. There was a ladder for Jacob. And there is a ladder for me.

“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 ESV)

Jesus says, I am the Ladder. The heavens opened, the Son of Man sent down, that a bridge might be placed between heaven and earth. Not put in place for the righteous who think they have no need of it, but for the scoundrels . . . for the deceivers . . . for sinners like me. And by God’s grace, He opens sleeping eyes to see the Ladder, the Son of Man. And when we do, we cannot help but proclaim, “How awesome is this place!”

Pretty awesome!

Amen?