What a nightmare! Jacob pretends to be his brother Esau so his father will give him the blessing of the first born son. Esau is steamed, plotting to kill his brother. Mom tells Jacob to run away to his uncle’s house.
What a dream! With nothing but a rock for a pillow, Jacob goes to sleep under the stars. In his dream, he sees a ladder stretching up to heaven, crowded with angels going up and down. At the top of the ladder, he sees the Lord, who connects the covenant promise of a Savior to Jacob and his offspring (Genesis 28:13,14).
When he wakes up, Jacob says, “The Lord is here!” He thought he was running away. But he was actually running towards the plans and promises of God.
There are plenty of things in life we’d like to run away from. Who wants to be around angry people, dangerous places, past mistakes, and hurtful words?
But in stead of running away, let’s think of it as running towards our Lord. After all, God’s always a step ahead of us with protection, provision, and powerful promises. (How’s that for alliteration?)
Jacob gets an ornament on the Jesse Tree, heir of God’s promise of a Savior.
Waite for it... 