Angels in a Dream (Genesis 32:10-22)

Jacob has had to leave the family home because of threats made against him by his annoyed brother Esau. He was leaving at his mother’s suggestion, who had proposed that he go to the home of his uncle Laban in Haran and find a wife there. On the journey he slept overnight near to a place called Luz, which was about fifty miles from Beersheba, and he still had four hundred and fifty miles to go.

Archaeologists have discovered ruins of ancient temples at Luz, and that detail may or may not have relevance to what happened to Jacob that night. It could be the case that the living God chose to reveal himself to Jacob in a location where other religions may have seemed attractive and protective, or maybe frightening and threatening. Jacob was leaving the land to which the promises of God were linked, so perhaps he was apprehensive in more ways than one.

Luz had a special place in the history of the family. Abraham had built an altar there when he was exploring the land that God had given him. It was while Abraham was living there that he and Lot separated (Gen. 12). It was Jacob that renamed it Bethel (although it is called by that name by Moses before this incident). Bethel was one of the places that Samuel visited on his annual circuit. Bethel remained a place of religious importance in the history of Israel, especially after the division of the kingdom because Jeroboam I made it a worship centre to prevent northerners going to the temple in Jerusalem. In Elijah’s and Elisha’s time there was a school of the prophets in Bethel. People from Bethel were among the number who returned from the exile in Babylon. Perhaps the greatest event to take place at Bethel was this dream that Jacob had.

During that evening God appeared to Jacob in a dream. In his dream, he saw a staircase of some kind which stretched from earth to heaven. Although the term is translated as ladder, this is the only time the word is used in the Old Testament, so there is some uncertainty about its exact meaning. It would not have been like a ladder you can buy in B&Q. Some say that in his dream he saw the staircase being made as it ascended upwards to where God was.

The ladder or staircase was not a way for Jacob to climb to God. Rather it was a means of illustrating to him all that God is and what he would yet do for him. It was a means of expanding his vision, of strengthening his faith, of extending his awareness of the activities of God on his behalf.

In his dream, Jacob saw a number of angels ascending and descending the staircase (we are not told how long the staircase was or how many angels were on it at a given time). The impression given is that they were active. Perhaps their activity was a form of preparation for the heavenly King to speak to Jacob or maybe the picture is of the King sending them out on tasks to perform, with some having completed their task and returning for more missions to engage in. One notable feature is that the angels here are not recorded as saying anything to one another or to the Lord, unlike the usual descriptions of them. Maybe they knew that the Lord was going to speak and only his voice should be heard.

The only one who speaks is God and he addresses Jacob. It is an announcement rather than a conversation. In the announcement, the Lord repeats the promise he made to Abraham about giving the land, except the beneficiaries of the promises is narrowed to Jacob’s descendants. Their number will be very great, and the source of the world’s blessing will come from them. (Later on, Jacob will later narrow the source to the tribe of Judah, and many centuries later it will be narrowed to the line of David.) In addition, Jacob is given the assurance of divine company and divine protection, that at some stage he will be brought back to the land, and that God will keep his promises to him. How would he know that God would protect him? We could suggest, ‘Look at all the angels who are active.’

Jacob probably thought he was alone. He had to leave behind all that was familiar and he was stepping into the unknown. His parents would not know where he was that evening. He could not send them an email to say that he had reached Bethel, or even that he was safe. But God knew where he was, and God knew how to reach him and encourage him. Part of that encouragement would be constant angelic activity in divine providence.

Jacob woke and realised that God had been very near to him. Moreover, he had been brought near to heaven. He had seen the gate through which the angels entered and exited on their God-sent missions. Jacob engaged in a form of private worship, perhaps making a pillar so that he would identify the location in the future. He made a vow that should God bring him back safely he would regard Bethel as a place of worship. Moreover, he would tithe whatever he had when he returned.

What does Jesus say?

In John 1:51, Jesus refers to this dream when speaking to Nathaniel (and others, the ‘you’ is plural) who may have been thinking about the incident involving Jacob. ‘And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’

What did Jesus mean by this announcement? Obviously, he said that he was the fulfilment of the ladder or staircase. Jesus is the link between heaven and earth. He also said that he is the path along which angels travel to fulfil their missions of helping the Lord’s people. Is he saying that he will not merely send them to various places, but that he will take them to those locations? His words seem to say that much of his providential activities involve angelic ministry.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that all angels are sent forth to help God’s people. From one point of view, a solitary angel would have been enough for solitary Jacob. But God in his great mercy revealed to Jacob that numerous angels were nearby, near to where he was because of his own folly, there engaged in many activities, meaning that he was safe in the plan and protection of God.  

Lessons

The house of God can be in surprising places on earth, even as angelic activity can be in surprising places on earth. What makes a bethel? Surely it is the presence of God. The building-less terrain became a house of God for Jacob, and the person-less space became full of heavenly servants. How many bethels can we have? When we do have them, perhaps angels are present, serving their Master in the enactment of his great and gracious plans.

Because there was a ladder Jacob could have angelic help. The interpretation of Jesus in John 1:51 suggests that we receive heavenly help because we are Christians and not because we are creatures. The actions of angels on our behalf are connected to the exalted Christ. Because he came down and suffered here, and is now highly exalted, he uses his power for the benefit of his kingdom. Part of that expression of power is the activity of angels.