Bible Discussion Thread

...re-confirms the Abrahamic blessing to Jacob. This blessing is the same as Isaac said over Jacob, but God wanted Jacob to hear it from Him as well. A double witness to Jacob that what his father had told him all these years is indeed from God God did this same thing to Isaac when He first appeared to him after his father's death. In this instance, Isaac was still alive. Jacob exclaims that this very place was the House of the Lord (which is what Bethel means) and the very gate of heaven. Jacob recognized that this is a very remarkable vision/dream. He memorialized it by using the stone he used for a pillow and standing it upright to be a pillar, marking it as an awesome place, a holy place. It says he was afraid, so this vision must have made a deep impression on him, as I imagine any vision of God would do. He anointed the pillar with oil, setting it apart as a holy item set apart for the Lord.

After anointing the stone, Jacob makes a vow to God along the lines of, if God fulfills his promises to me, then He will be my God. At this time, Jacob had not committed to God. He perhaps was unsure if the dream or vision was real or just his imagination, or maybe wanted to see if he could trust God. He needed to grow in faith, as we all do.

Some commented why God appeared and blessed Jacob when Jacob had sinned. God's ultimate purpose and plan does not depend on man's perfect obedience. It is all about grace-Giving us what we do not deserve. Jacob can never say that he earned this blessing by perfectly obeying God. This knowledge will humble him. He also knows now that he can approach God even when he is not perfect, because God has made a way for that to happoen.