Siblings,
It is sometimes good for us to realize that those who preceded us also made some stupid mistakes with God. They were real human beings with real challenges, failings, and gifts. So we don’t just meet a well-formed, faithful Jacob. We meet the conniver, who tries to chart his own destiny without God… and finds that there’s more to life with God. Yet, God kept him. And God will keep us too. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Genesis 28:16 CEB
[16] When Jacob woke from his sleep, he thought to himself, The LORD is definitely in this place, but I didn’t know it.
Emmanuel: God with Us
Jacob, our real-life human hero, met God en route ‘banishment’ to Isaac and Rebecca’s kin. He received a promise, the sign of Emmanuel, in a vision one night. The promise, we know (having reflected on it for 2 days), assured Jacob of God’s presence with him until all God’s promises to him were fulfilled by God.
On waking, Jacob realized that God’s presence was at that spot.
Self-Check
Where do we particularly sense God’s presence? How so
Application
I wish to challenge Jacob’s theory slightly. Despite the theophany he had in that place, his dream signified that God was not only in that place, but God was with him. That place, like many of our worship spaces, may have been more conducive to his experience of God, but it wasn’t the only space where God was choosing to dwell. God chose to dwell with him, to be with Jacob every step of the way. Just like he later promised Ahaz, a slightly wayward king. Just like he promised Joseph even later, before the birth of the Messiah.
It may seem convoluted siblings, but I assure you that this is a real as it gets. We might recall that Isaiah, the prophet, introduced the concept of Emmanuel, God with us, in a message to Ahaz. The same words are presented in Matthew’s account of Y’shua Jesus’ birth. Joseph was encouraged to support Mary and he was given the name ‘Y’shua’ (God saves) to use for the child. Matthew immediately reminded the readers that Y’shua’s birth fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy of God with us (for all time).
When we meet God in Y’shua as Emmanuel, God with us, we no longer need to be afraid. We know that God’s presence is with us, dwelling within and alongside us, until all God promised us has been fulfilled. Despite what we’re experiencing, God has already got a plan.
Let us then be alert for signs of God’s presence with us. God is for us – promising presence, protecting, and accompanying us – we need not be afraid. We’ve met Emmanuel, let’s give Him the praise for choosing us.
Point to Ponder
Did Jacob meet Emmanuel in the dream, or was it only a promise of Emmanuel?
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May all we seek be found in Christ
