Jacob's Dream

10Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 11When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13There above it^c stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.^d 15I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28)

9Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, Lord, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ 10I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps. 11Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. 12But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’ ” 

Thoughts: Jacob had two dreams.  One when he left (Bethel) and when he came back.  The first dream was a dream of promise that defined God to Jacob and helped define who Jacob is and would be.  God came to Jacob to introduce Himself as the same God of yesterday but also the God of the future who would promise him and his descendants a future and a hope.  Jacob realized that God didn't just live in heaven, nor is He stuck on earth.  "Bethel" means "house of God."  (Genesis 32)
    When Jacob came back and was about to confront his armed brother, Esau, whom he deceived twice, he gave thanks to God.  Jacob was not proud, but humbled.  He was not the deceiver (the name Jacob means "crooked" or "deceiver") that he used to  be.  In fact in another dream Jacob would wrestle with God and have his name changed to "Prince of God" (Israel).
     In the end, Jacob believed the promise of God and gave thanks to Him for his prosperity.  

Prayer: Lord change me from a deceiver to a prince.