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Bible story · Genesis 28:10–22
Surely the Lord Is in This Place
Read it yourself in the King James Bible: Genesis 28:10–22 ↗
“And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.”
Genesis 28:16 (KJV)The Story
Jacob was on the run. He had tricked his father, Isaac, and stolen the blessing meant for his brother Esau. Now Esau wanted to kill him, so Jacob fled toward his uncle’s home in Haran, hundreds of miles away.
When the sun went down, he stopped in the middle of nowhere. He took a stone for a pillow and lay down to sleep, alone, with nothing but the guilt of what he had done.
And Jacob dreamed. He saw a ladder set up on the earth, reaching all the way to heaven. The angels of God were going up and down on it. And at the top stood the Lord.
God spoke. “I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac.” He promised Jacob the land he was lying on and descendants as many as the dust of the earth. Then He said, “Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest… for I will not leave thee.”
Jacob woke up shaken. “Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.”
He set up the stone he had slept on as a pillar and named the place Bethel, which means “house of God.”
Reflection
Of all the times God could have spoken to Jacob, He chose this one. Not when Jacob was at his best, but when he was running from the mess he had made.
More Bible stories from Genesis. More about: Hearing God’s Voice · Jacob
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Day 3 of Book 4
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