Genesis 28:10 - Jacob's Vow Questions

Jacob’s Vow

(Questions with Proposed Answers)

Background and Printed Text: Genesis 28:10-22

Genesis 28:10 And He-Will-Heel (Jacob) exited from Well-Of-Oath (Beersheba). And he walked toward Charred (Haran). 11And he reached in a place. And he lodged there because the sun came. And he took from the stones of the place. And he put his headings. And he lay down in that place.

12And he dreamed. And behold, a ladder is positioned landward. And his head touches the heavensward. And behold, messengers of Elohim are ascending and descending via him! 13And behold, Yehovah positioned upon him. And He said, “I am Yehovah Gods of Father-Of-A-Crowd thy father and the Gods of He-Will-Laugh. The land on which thou liest—I will give her to thee and to thy seed. 14And thy seed shall be as dust of the land! And thou shalt spread seaward and eastward and northward and southward. And all families of the soil shall be blessed via thee and via thy seed. 15And behold, I am with thee. And I will guard thee in all that thou shalt walk. And I will return thee unto this soil. For I will not forsake thee unto that, if I did what I spoke to thee!”

16And He-Will-Heel (Jacob) awoke from his sleep. And he said, “Indeed there is Yehovah in this place! And I, I didn’t know!” 17And he feared. And he said, “How fearsome is this place! This is not but rather House of Gods! And this is a gate of the heavens!”

18And Jacob early-rose in the morning. And he took the stone that he put his headings. And he put her a pillar. And he poured oil upon her head. 19And he called the name of that place House-of-Mighty-One. And contrarily, Perversion is the name of the city to her head. 20And Jacob vowed a vow to say, “If Elohim will be with me, and He will guard me in this way that I am walking, and He will give bread to me to eat and a garment to put on, 21and I will return in peace unto my father’s house, and Yehovah shall be to me for Gods, 22and this stone that I put a pillar will be House of Gods! And all that Thou shalt give to me—I will-tenth him a tenth to Thee!”

I. Jacob’s Depressed Journey (verses 10-11)

This was a very sad time for Jacob. He had quickly departed from his family. He loved his family. His father had blessed him, and his mother had shown him real graces. His brother hated him, and Jacob did not know how long this would last.

Jacob did as his parents commanded, journeying toward Haran, the place where his uncle Laban lived. On the way there, he came to a place that seemed ordinary. The sun had ‘come’ (set), and he wanted to stop. Sleeping on the ground can be uncomfortable, but he took from the stones of the place and formed them into his ‘headings’ (pillows for his head). He lay down and went to sleep.

Questions

1. Was Yehovah already leading Jacob? The text doesn’t tell the reader that He is, but He is. Jacob is doing exactly what he should be doing. It won’t seem that way to Jacob.

2. Why does the Hebrew language describe the sun as coming when it is setting? It has the appearance of coming down to the land!

3. How could stones be good for ‘headings’ (places to put one’s head)? If they are properly shaped, and if either much smaller stones are placed so that they act like a bean-bag pillow, or if material is put over the stones, the stones can be quite comfortable.

4. Why didn’t he leave home with his pillow? Jacob had to quickly leave. He left with what he could carry. A pillow is weight and bulk. It’s absense also would show his brother that he had left.

5. Why didn’t Isaac give Jacob an animal to ride and another animal upon which to carry his stuff, instead of Jacob leaving on foot with just what he could carry? If Esau saw Jacob leaving, Esau likely would have followed him (being a good hunter) to kill him. Jacob needed to just disappear. Doing that on foot would be best, since suspicion of Jacob’s leaving would not occur for several days. Had Jacob left with a camel and a camel burden, Esau might have concluded that Isaac had given Jacob a large inheritance.

II. The Dream (verses 12-15)

Jacob dreamed. He saw a ladder set up toward the land. Its head touches the heavens. This ladder was extremely tall. Messengers, which are angels in this case, are ascending (going upward) and descending (going downward) via the ladder. Jacob saw Yehovah positioned on the ladder. He began to speak to Jacob.

Yehovah first identified Himself: “I am Yehovah Gods of Avraham thy father, and the Gods of Isaac.” He then gave the same promise to Jacob that He had given to Avraham and to Isaac—that the land will be his and his seed’s property.

Jacob’s seed will be as the dust of the land. They will spread out to live in all four directions. (The Mediterranean sea, ‘seaward,’ was to Jacob’s west.)

All families of the soil will be blessed by means of Jacob and Jacob’s seed.

Yehovah next assured Jacob, who was running from his murder-planning brother, that He (Yehovah) is with Jacob. He will guard Jacob in all things that he will walk. Yehovah will return Jacob back to this very soil. He will not forsake or abandon Jacob even unto the point that He has done what He promised.

Questions

1. Was this dream from Elohim? Yes. This dream will be prophetic. It will exactly represent what Yehovah desires it to represent, as if it is a quote from Him.

2. Why was a ladder a necessary part of this dream? A ladder represents a way to go from one place to another that is above or below when there would otherwise be no good way. This ladder pictures the same thing: a way to Yehovah the Father.

3. Do other texts explain about this ladder? (If so, what is the explanation?) Other texts do.

John 1:51 And [Yeshua] says unto him, "Faith! Faith I say unto you! Hereafter ye shall see the heavens open, and the messengers (angels) of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

This is worded just like our text. This shows that the Son of man, Yeshua, is the ladder! This will make more sense if another text is added:

John 14:6 Yeshua says unto him, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes unto the Father but via me!"

That is why Yehovah was at the head of the ladder. Yeshua is the only way to Yehovah the Father.

4. What business did the messengers have so that they needed to ascend and descend the ladder? If you carefully read the following text, it will explain this. Pay attention to verses 1-5, then verses 10 and 11.

Matthew 18:1 At the same time came the disciples came unto Yeshua, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And Yeshua called a little child unto Him. And He set him in the midst of them. 3 And He said, “Faith I say unto you, except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of the heavens. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the Kingdom of the heavens. 5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my Name receives me! 6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones who believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea! 7 Woe unto the world because of offences! For it must needs be that offences come. But woe to that man by whom the offence comes! 8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off and cast from thee! It is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed rather than to be cast into everlasting fire having two hands or two feet. 9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast from thee! It is better for thee to enter into life with one eye rather than to be cast into hell fire having two eyes. 10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones! For I say unto you that their angels in the heavens do always behold the face of my Father Who is in the heavens! 11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

If these angels/messengers assigned to the little ones do always behold the face of Yehovah the Father in the heavens, they must take turns finding out what is happening to the little children. The ladder is their way of going to and from the earth. Yet, the ladder is Messiah Himself.

These little ones must be in special circumstances to need these messengers always standing before Yehovah. They must be in danger. Since the text above warns about offending these little ones (thus endangering them by harm or death), these messengers must be reporting to Yehovah on how these little ones are being treated. This will be especially necessary during the Tribulation, a time of seven years when Israel will be in the greatest danger of being destroyed! The little ones are very important. So, Yehovah has assigned messengers to directly report to Him; He will take action for the sake of these children, for the sake of adults who help them, and against all who desire to do them harm!

5. Is there really one place where there is an invisible ladder with angels ascending and descending on it? Jacob knew that there was! It is in Israel!

6. Why is the word Gods plural? Is there not only one God? There is only one God, and He intentionally showed Himself in different ways so that we could understand Him. He is Yehovah the Father, the God Who cannot die. (If He did, the whole universe would stop existing.) There is Yeshua the Son. He is also Yehovah of Hosts, so He is Yehovah. He was born as a child who could die. That way He was the sacrifice for sin. There is Yehovah the Spirit; He gives abilities to some folks so that they can do what couldn’t be done.

7. Why did Yehovah identify Himself as “I am Yehovah Gods of Avraham thy father and the Gods of Isaac”? This identification shows holiness—being owned. Yehovah is owned by Avraham as his Gods and by Isaac as his Gods. Ownership is the normal way to identify all things on this planet. Even a mailing address or a telephone shows ownership. Saying, “That’s my gramma!” shows ownership; ownership is always holiness.

8. What did Yehovah mean by “the land on which thou liest”? Jacob was lying on the ground asleep during this!

9. Who is Jacob’s seed? He is Messiah Yeshua!

10. In what way(s) will Jacob’s seed be as dust of the land?

Dust spreads and settles. The Israelis, each being like Messiah Yeshua in righteousness, benefit to others and Godliness, will likewise spread over the earth and will settle among the races to instruct them.

Dust multiplies; there is always more dust. The Israelis, each being like Yeshua, will have children and will multiply.

Dust goes where no one can really tell, because it follows the wind. The Israelis, each behaving like Yeshua, will go where folks don’t expect among the races:

John 3:8 The wind blows where it wills, and thou hearest its sound but thou cannot tell from where it comes and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.

Dust can provide great benefit. Each core of dust in each snowflake can provide nitrogen for plant growth.

11. How will Jacob spread seaward and eastward and northward and southward? Jacob’s offspring will become a great race with many folks! They will have homes in all directions! The center the spreading will be in Jerusalem!

12. How will all the families of the soil been blessed because of Jacob? Jacob’s offspring will make new discoveries and will teach Truth to all the world. Those new discoveries will provide great benefits for humans!

13. How will all the families of the soil be blessed by Jacob’s seed? Yeshua will provide humans with many things that add great benefits to life and living! He will be King over all kings, making certain that laws in all lands of the earth are good laws, and that they benefit their citizens.

14. What does “I am with thee” mean? If Yehovah is with anyone, He will make certain that what they do will prosper; it will work, do good, and be worthwhile. He will also protect that person until the time of the person’s life is finished.

15. Is He with all Christians? Most who claim to be Christian are not. He is only with those He says He is with. (He is with those who truly fear Him and who walk righteously, and He is with others who don’t even know Him if He determines to be with them.)

16. What does “I will guard thee in all that thou shalt walk” mean? That means that He will not permit enemies to overcome him, kill him, or keep him from doing what he sets his hands to do. The walk is the way one lives everyday. Even folks who cannot walk and who move around in a wheelchair have a walk before Yehovah.

17. Does Yehovah guard all His children? No, He doesn’t. Some of His children get killed or die from diseases. They are still His; they will live again. All eventually die; some die sooner than others.

He also doesn’t have that many children.

18. What is so important about Yehovah returning Jacob to this soil? The promises that Yehovah gave to Jacob have everything to do with that soil. Jacob/Israel must live on the Land of Israel if the promises will be kept.

19. What does “For I will not forsake thee unto that, if I did what I spoke to thee” mean? The wording in English is very funny and strange. The wording in Hebrew isn’t. First, He states, “I will not forsake thee.” That is not difficult to understand. Next, He states, “unto that…” This will tell the reader how long this promise is good. “If I did what I spoke to thee” sounds like He might not do it, but that isn’t what it means in Hebrew. The word if in Hebrew can be like an exclamation mark in English. I can mean, “I will certainly” or “I have certainly,” or even “I will certainly not” or “I have certainly not.” It means “I have certainly” in this case: “I have certainly done what I spoke to thee.” The whole sentence would sound like this: “For I will not forsake thee unto my certainly doing what I spoke to thee!”

20. Will Yehovah ever forsake Jacob or his offspring? He won’t. He will become furious with Israel, turning the Israelis over to their enemies at times, but He will not forsake Israel. If He did, He would be a liar.

MORE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR GENESIS 28:10

Genesis 1:1–31 with Questions and Proposed Answers