On reaching a certain place, he spent the night there because the sun had set. And taking one of the stones from that place, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. And Jacob had a dream about a ladder that rested on the earth with its top reaching up to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down the ladder. And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “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 now lie….When Jacob woke up, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was unaware of it.” And 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!” Early the next morning, Jacob took the stone that he had placed under his head, and he set it up as a pillar. He poured oil on top of it, and he called that place Bethel, though previously the city had been named Luz…And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”
Genesis 28: 11-13,16-19, 22 BSB
When I read the Bible, I look for themes that are being developed by the narrators of this holy story, a key word or phrase repeated in different contexts, a reference to an earlier event. They knew what they were doing in using these words. One of the keys to the meaning of any subject is to look at the first place where it’s mentioned. Genesis, the Book of Beginnings, is full of these “starting points.” Here, Jacob is running from Esau and going to his uncle Laban’s house to find a wife. It will be a 20-year sojourn. In his first night on the road, he has a remarkable experience with Yahweh. He receives from heaven his commission as the unlikely carrier of the covenant charge. It’s a big deal for a guy who has never acknowledged Yahweh as his God.
Within this story are the first mentions of two closely related concepts. This is the first time that anointing with oil is used to mark something as set apart for God’s use, in this case a place of interaction between heaven and earth. This place is so anointed, the Presence of God so real, that Jacob utters the phrase “the house of God” for the first time. That theme is carried on in the tabernacle and the temple, both being anointed with oil and being referred to as “the house of God.” Jesus, the Anointed One (Christ), commissions His followers (Christians) to be anointed as He was, with the Holy Spirit and power. Paul refers to the local assembly of these anointed believers as “the house of God” (1 Timothy 3:15). These are not coincidences.
Drawing from the experience of Jacob in this passage of primary reference, we can see at least 5 things that are associated with this place:
- It’s a place of communication between earth and Heaven.
- It’s a place to receive direction and instruction.
- It’s a place marked by the Presence of God.
- It’s a place of worship.
- It’s a place to bring our tithes.
Here’s the Point: It’s the house of God. It happens when we get there. Come expecting, ready to hear, worship, and obey.
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