Greetings Sisters and Brothers, beneficiaries of God’s
interventions…
Genesis 28: 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.
In 1968, at age 13 and reading through Genesis rather
studiously, I was theologically tickled by this verse. “What in the world is
going on here?”, I pondered.
Jacob is having a dream in which this vision occurs.
Yet there are no verses around it to explain or describe its meaning. There
seems to be nothing to “contextualize” this verse. And yet it is there!
Many Bible commentators say something about this
verse, but they are all just “reaching” for a meaning.
Still, I can’t help but take a stab at it…
1. God
is continually in relationship and working with humans and all of creation. We
are not left alone.
2. Verse
14 says…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. I think these ascending and descending angels are busy at
work making God’s promise a reality. He will for us as well as for Jacob.
3. We don’t see this ladder of angels and thus, we
tend to think that God has become detached and remote.
4. Jacob was not told, nor did he ask what those
angels were doing. And yet, I speculate on their activities. Often, we may not
be told how God is going to keep his promises.
5. I think the verse about the angels ascending and
descending is meant as a comfort to us that God is always at work for the good
of those that love him, whether we see it or not.
I encourage you to travel
the day knowing that God is with you and I hope you get a good night’s sleep.
But use something softer
than a stone as a pillow!
Peace, Mike
