Sunday, July 25, 2021

God’s Timeline – Part 34 Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

 God’s Timeline – Part 34

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

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This Document is a Sermon Outline, you may hear the full audio of the actual sermon by following the link Online Audio Files located above for this, and other Full Sermon Audios.  For a complete list of Sermon Outlines, visit TruthDigest.org or Truth Digest on facebook; for our Official Church website, visit PS127.org, or find us on Facebook at House of Faith Church

 




SERMON INTRODUCTION (2021 A.D. = 5781 Jewish Calendar Year)

 -         Creation Week (Approximately 4000 B.C.)

o   Adam, Eve, and the Fall

 

-         Cain and Abel

o   Evil Fills the World

 

-         Noah Did All God Commanded Him

o   The Flood 2400 – 2300 B.C.)

o   God’s Covenant with Noah

o   Noah’s Sons and Ham’s Sin

o   Nations of Noah’s Sons

-         Tower of Babel

-         God calls Abram (2112 B.C.)

o   Abram and Lot part ways

o   Rescue of Lot

-         The Lord’s Covenant with Abram for Isaac

o   Hagar and Ishmael Born (2101 B.C.) Abram 86 years old

o   Sarai and Isaac

o   The Three Visitors

o   Abraham Pleads for Sodom

-         Birth of Isaac (2088 B.C. Abraham 99 years old Sarah 90-Hagar and Ishmael sent away)

o   The Lord tests Abraham (2070-2068 B.C. Isaac 18-20 years old)

o   Sarah Dies 127 years old (2051 B.C. Abraham is 136)

-         Isaac marries Rebekah (2048 B.C. Isaac was 40 when he married Rebekah)

-         Jacob and Esau are born (2028 B.C. Isaac was 60 Abraham 159)

o   Abraham dies at 175 (2012 B.C. Isaac was 82)

o   Isaac receives the Birthright and his father’s blessing

o   Esau marries two Hittites at 40 (1988 B.C.)

o   Jacob travels to his Grandfather’s family to find a wife

o   Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

 

 

SCRIPTURE READING

Genesis 28:10-22

 

THE VISION

“Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 11 When 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. 12 He 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. 13 There above it 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. 14 Your 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. 15 I 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.”

 

JACOB’S VOW

16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

 

18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel [means House of God], though the city used to be called Luz.

 

20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.””

 

  

       I.         JACOB IS TRAVELING TO FIND A WIFE FROM HIS GRANDFATHER’S CLAN

a.      Remember Jacobs brother married Hittite women

                                     i.      Genesis 26:34-35 “When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.”

                                  ii.      Genesis 27:46 “Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.”

 

 

b.     Abraham warned not to allow Isaac to marry a Canaanite women

                                     i.      The savior was to be born from the lineage of Shem

                                  ii.      Canaanites and Hittites are from the line of Ham

                               iii.      Genesis 9 25-26 tells us Canaanites (and their descendants the Hittites) were cursed because of Ham

                                iv.      So there was two reasons not to marry Canaanite/Hittite women.

1.      They were cursed by God

2.      They were from the lineage of Ham, not Shem

                                   v.      Knowing this, Isaac would also want his children to marry from the lineage of Shem to fulfill the promise of God through them, the birth of the Savior!

                                vi.      This cannot happen if you marry outside the lineage of Shem!

 

 

c.      ISAAC SENDS JACOB TO HIS GRANDFATHERS CLAN TO MARRY FROM THE LINEAGE OF SHEM

                                     i.      The lineage of Shem were obedient to the Lord while the descendants of Ham were not.

                                  ii.      Isaac was the work of God’s Spirit while Ishmael was a work of the flesh

                               iii.      Ishmael was never part of the Lord’s plan to bring about the Savior through his lineage because he was the result of the work of the flesh

                                iv.      When Esau finally acknowledged his parents, Isaac and Rebekah were upset he married Hittite women, he figured he would fix it by marrying a third women, this time a daughter of Ishmael.

1.      Again, this was a work of the flesh

2.      Esau trying to put himself in a good position

3.      However, Jacob was the one who now had Isaac’s birthright (and the passing of the promise of the Lord, from Abraham to Isaac now Jacob), as well as his father’s blessing.

                                   v.      It was ALWAYS God’s intention for Jacob to have these, again, the Lord showing just as He did with Ishmael and Isaac, it matters NOT who is born first, rather, whom God chooses.

                                vi.      It MUST be the work of the Spirit, because the work of the flesh will always fail.

 

 

   II.         WHEN JACOB SLEPT IN THE CITY OF LUZ HE HAD A VISION

a.      Jacob falls asleep with his head upon a rock

                                     i.      Jacob has a vision in his sleep

                                  ii.      He sees a stairway resting on the earth and the top reaching heaven

1.      Remember Creation week!

2.      First God creates His abode, the 3rd heaven where He resides, the 2nd heaven which is basically the entire universe, and the first heaven which is our atmosphere (Genesis 1:1 “God created the heavens and the earth”)

3.      There is a door between the 3rd heaven where God’s home within creation is and where God Himself “actually” is. Revelation speaks of the throne room door being opened in heaven, I believe this is the door between heaven and where God Himself is

4.      In Genesis 1:3 God creates TIME in the 1st and 2nd heaven

5.      Because TIME exists in the 2nd heaven (the universe) and 1st heaven (sky around us) there must be a scientific/logical way for angels to travel to and from heaven to earth crossing immeasurable distances between earth and the third heaven.

a.      Remember this was written long before science or even science fiction existed

b.     They knew nothing about space travel, the expanse of the universe or the scientific LAWS God put into place at the time of creation which allows the universe to operate like an enormous clock.

c.      I believe this stairway Jacob saw is just that!

d.     A wormhole (which is scientifically possible within the laws of the known universe) which allows angels to travel the immense distance quickly and efficiently from the 3rd heaven to earth and back.

6.      Again, to me, I believe this is just more evidence of how true the Word of God is, with science written within its words before science for man even existed.

 

b.     Jacob has a vision (though asleep)

                                     i.      Some visions take place while we are awake, some while we meditate on the Word of God and some in our sleep.

                                  ii.      A vision from God is like you are awake, and conscious of what is taking place, while a dream may be images, words, situations shown to you in which they must be sometimes deciphered for understanding

 

 

c.      The Lord speaks directly to Jacob about His covenant with Abraham

                                        i.      Verse 13 says “there above it” speaking of the stairway, however this would have been better translated, “there beside him”

                                     ii.      The Lord tells Jacob who He is, and of the covenant with Abraham and Isaac

                                  iii.      The Lord them tells Jacob He will do the same for him, give him the land he sleeps on, and expand his offspring like dust of the earth

                                   iv.      The Lord also promises to be with Jacob wherever he goes, and never leave him until what He promises is fulfilled.

 

 

III.         WHEN JACOB WOKE HE MADE A VOW TO GOD

a.      When Jacob woke he was afraid

                                        i.      Jacob says, “the Lord is in this place and I was not aware of it!”

                                     ii.      This is probably because Jacob did not have the Holy Spirit, therefore no discernment

                                  iii.      “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the Gate of Heaven!”



b.     Jacob built an altar and declared it the Lord’s

                                        i.      Just as Abraham did when the Lord met him and made covenant with him

                                     ii.      Jacob turned the pillow/stone upright like a pillar and named the place Bethel, House of God

 

 

c.      Jacob then made his vow

                                        i.      If God will be with me as He promised, then when I return home safely the Lord will be my God

                                     ii.      THIS is where we see the covenant passed from Isaac to Jacob, just as it was from Abraham to Isaac.

                                  iii.      Jacob declares this to be the house of God, and swears “of ALL that you give me, I will give you a tenth.”

 

 

CONCLUSION –

 

As we have witnessed throughout Genesis, God makes a covenant and gives a command. Those who obey are viewed as righteous and qualify for the benefits, blessings, and protection of the covenant while fulfilling God’s will.

 

The Lord tells Jacob of the covenant with Abraham and Isaac, and offers it to him.

 

Jacob accepts and continues on his way to fulfill his quest, to find a daughter of the lineage of Shem, and have offspring just as Isaac and Abraham did.

 

As long as Jacob is obedient to the Lord, he will receive the blessings, benefits, and protection of the Lord God.

 

 

Next week we will look at Jacob’s marriage to Leah and Rachel

 

 

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