Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
Comment: I get the impression that before this startling dream Jacob had pretty much wandered through life being pretty selfish and without much direction. In some ways his mother had been his strength. On his way to seek a bride, going from the promised area into past history (he was going back to where Abraham had come from!) he clearly hears the voice of God and receives for himself the promise which had been given to Abraham, repeated to Isaac, but is now shouted clearly into his own ears by the very voice of God. We might say it was only a dream, but for him it was life changing!
Prayer: We don’t always hear You speaking in dreams, but when You do lead me, help me to follow attentively.
As I read it! 