FAMILY FEUD - Week 5

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday          Genesis 25:19-26

Tuesday         Genesis 25:27-34

Wednesday   Genesis 26:34-27:13

Thursday        Genesis 27:14-29

Friday              Genesis 27:30-46

Saturday        Genesis 32:22-30

Opening Prayer

Gracious God, as we study the story of Jacob, help us to see you at work in our lives. In Jesus’ name, AMEN

READING:

We can learn a lot by an unusual incident that happens early in the Bible. 

Jacob, the grandson of Abraham and the father of the people of God, is on a long journey in Genesis 28.  Because this is before the day of air travel, he’s exhausted after a long day of walking.

Jacob is so tired that he lies down in the open desert and uses a rock for a pillow to get some rest.  Sleep comes easy and deep when you’re exhausted like Jacob.  While he’s in a deep sleep, Jacob has a dream that is recorded in Genesis 28:12-13.  [And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground with its top reaching the sky, and God’s angels were going up and down on it…]

I’ve given a lot of thought to this dream, and I want to use this article to explain Jacob’s “Stairway to Heaven”.  By explaining this stairway, I want to give you a glimpse into the world of angels that God created.

Jacob was on a long journey because he ran away from home.  He’d gotten himself in trouble with his brother and father and was running for his life.  Sometimes, leaving everything that is familiar and comfortable to you creates the perfect opportunity for God to get your attention like he got Jacob’s attention.

Without leaving home, Jacob might have been too busy or too preoccupied to hear God’s voice or consider God’s message.  Is that true of you right now?  Are you in a place personally where you are sensitive to God’s leadership in your life?

Jeff Struecker