Intro: For our Advent season this year, I have chosen to enjoy the Jesse Tree by sharing a 24-day practice to prepare us for the celebration of Christ’s birth; the event we celebrate and honor at Christmas. From the root of Jesse’s stump, we will discover or rediscover the people in the family Tree of Jesus Messiah who were instrumental in bringing the presence of God near to us in order to revive the Spirit-led family of faith. With each day’s reading, we will add a new symbol—an ornament—to our family tree.
Today, is day six of our journey and our symbol is Jacob’s Ladder.
Last week, as we were decorating the church to celebrate Christmas, I spent quite a bit of time climbing up and down a ladder. If you are short in stature like me, most of the time a ladder is your friend. When you need to go closer to something out of your reach, you grab a ladder and start climbing until what you desire is within reach. We tend to climb up a ladder slowly; however, sometimes we can come down much too fast [yes, I fell off the ladder!]
Jacob is the son of Issac and the grandson of Abraham. Jacob is a hard worker, but the way he goes about climbing the ladder of success is not rooted in integrity. He deliberately deceives his father and tricks his brother, Esau, in order to get the Lord’s blessing. Because of his sinful actions, Jacob fearfully flees to Haran, but on the way, Jacob has a dream from the Lord. Isn’t it just like God to find us when we are running from ourselves? Anyway, God takes the initiative to communicate through this dream, because He wants to be closer to Jacob so He can redeem him.
In the dream, Jacob sees a ladder connecting heaven and earth. Strangely the ladder is not for Jacob to climb up in order to be with God, it is for God to descend from heaven to earth. The Lord is standing near the ladder in heaven and He knows Jacob. The same God who promises Abraham that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, reminds Jacob He is now with him.
From the Old Testament, we know the Lord desires to come close to His fallen human creation, but He cannot because He is holy. In the New Testament, the Lord descends and takes on human flesh so He can live with humanity. This way, He can heal what is broken…to bring and restore human beings in the shalom of God. The ladder is not for us; it is an image of Christ and His angels as salvation comes to earth. Christ is the One who connects heaven and earth in the Love of God. Jacob learns the Lord Jesus is the Way!
Genesis 28:10-17 NLT Jacob’s Dream at Bethel
10 Jacob left the town of Beersheba and started out for Haran. 11 At sunset he stopped for the night and went to sleep, resting his head on a large rock. 12 In a dream he saw a ladder that reached from earth to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down on it.
13 The Lord was standing beside the ladder [or stairway] and said:
I am the Lord God who was worshiped by Abraham and Isaac. I will give to you and your family the land on which you are now sleeping. 14 Your descendants will spread over the earth in all directions and will become as numerous as the specks of dust. Your family will be a blessing to all people. 15 Wherever you go, I will watch over you, then later I will bring you back to this land. I won’t leave you—I will do all I have promised.
16 Jacob woke up suddenly and thought, “The Lord is in this place, and I didn’t even know it.” 17 Then Jacob became frightened and said, “What a frightening place! It must be the house of God and the gateway to heaven.”
John 1:51 NLT 51 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway [ladder] between heaven and earth.”
John 14:6 NLT 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for descending down the heavenly ladder to earth in order to have a relationship with us. Even though, like Jacob, we may try to climb our way toward you through our own efforts and works, the ladder is about your work of grace and love to restore us. You are the only Way to the Father. Help us to trust and wait for your timing; your appointed time to move in our lives. We need you, Prince of Peace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.