INTRODUCTION:  Jacob has had it easy up to now.  He has lived as a plain man in the tents (Genesis 25:27And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.
See All...).  He has been his mother’s favorite (Genesis 25:28And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.
See All...). He has purchased his brother’s birthright and tricked him out of his blessing (Genesis 27:35-36 [35] And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. [36] And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
See All...).  But now, his life of trickery begins to catch up with him.  He must flee the country for his life’s sake and go 500 miles from home.  Before God is through with Jacob, a “few days” (Genesis 27:44And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;
See All...) will become 20 years and his beloved mother will die before he ever gets to see her again.  Yet, God is working.  In this lesson, Jacob takes a major step toward spiritual maturity.  He will have far to go but he will be a better man for the experience in this chapter.

1. THE VALUE OF SEPARATION (Genesis 28:1-9 [1] And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. [2] Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughers of Laban thy mother's brother. [3] And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; [4] And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham. [5] And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother. [6] When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughers of Canaan; [7] And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram; [8] And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; [9] Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
   See All...)
1. Isaac’s Charge to Jacob (Genesis 28:1-2 [1] And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. [2] Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughers of Laban thy mother's brother.
   See All...)
1. Avoid the daughters of Canaan (Genesis 28:1And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
   See All...).
2. Go to your mother’s family (Genesis 28:2Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughers of Laban thy mother's brother.
   See All...a).
3. Take a wife of the daughters of Laban (Genesis 28:2Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughers of Laban thy mother's brother.
   See All...b).
2. Isaac’s Blessing of Jacob (Genesis 28:3-4 [3] And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; [4] And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.
   See All...; Hebrews 11:20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
   See All...)
1. The blessing of a seed (Genesis 28:3And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
   See All...)
1. God Almighty bless thee.
2. Make thee fruitful
3. Multiply thee
4. That thou mayest be a multitude of people
2. The blessing of a land (Genesis 28:4And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.
   See All...)
3. Isaac’s Sending of Jacob (Genesis 28:5And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.
   See All...)
4. Esau’s Imitation of Jacob (Genesis 28:6-9 [6] When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughers of Canaan; [7] And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram; [8] And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; [9] Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
   See All...)
1. Esau observes (Genesis 28:6-8 [6] When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughers of Canaan; [7] And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram; [8] And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;
   See All...).
1. Jacob’s blessing (Genesis 28:6When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughers of Canaan;
   See All...)
2. Jacob’s obedience (Genesis 28:7And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram;
   See All...)
3. Isaac’s displeasure with Esau’s wives (Genesis 28:8And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;
   See All...)
2. Esau marries of the daughters of Ishmael (Genesis 28:9Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
   See All...).
1. Adding tolerable to bad
2. Coming halfway in order to please
2. GOD’S VOICE IN SOLITUDE (Genesis 28:10-15 [10] And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. [11] And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. [12] And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. [13] And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; [14] And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. [15] And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
   See All...)
1. Jacob Stops to Rest (Genesis 28:10-11 [10] And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. [11] And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
   See All...).
1. The trip from Beersheba to Haran was about 500 miles and would have taken several weeks to complete.
2. Bethel is about 70 miles north of Beersheba.  Even with a donkey or camel, it would have taken about three days to get that far.
2. Jacob Dreams of a Ladder (Genesis 28:12-13 [12] And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. [13] And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
   See All...a).
1. This was a dream rather than a vision.
1. Dreams
1. Definition: a vision that comes when one is asleep (Genesis 20:3But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.
   See All...; Genesis 46:2And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.
   See All...)
1. Used to reveal the secrets of God (Daniel 2:28But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
   See All...)
2. Often had to be interpreted (Daniel 2:29-30 [29] As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. [30] But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.
   See All...)
2. May be visual (Genesis 28:12And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
   See All...) or verbal (Genesis 31:24And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
   See All...) or both
2. Visions
1. Definition: a visual revelation to one who is awake
2. A way for God to make Himself known (Numbers 12:6And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
   See All...; Ezekiel 1:1Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
   See All...)
3. The ladder is set on earth.
4. The ladder reached to heaven.
5. The ladder had angels ascending and descending on it.
6. The Lord stood at the top of the ladder.
7. The ladder is a type of Jesus Christ (John 1:51And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
   See All...).
1. He is set on earth in His humanity.
2. He reaches to heaven in His deity.
3. He connects the two in His ascending and descending.
4. He satisfies the demands of God at the top (Isaiah 53:10-11 [10] Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. [11] He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
   See All...).
3. Jacob Hears the Lord (Genesis 28:13And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
   See All...b-15).
1. The identity of the Lord (Genesis 28:13And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
   See All...)
2. God’s sevenfold promise to Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15 [13] And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; [14] And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. [15] And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
   See All...)
1. The promise of the land (Genesis 28:13And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
   See All...)
2. The promise of the seed (Genesis 28:14And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
   See All...)
3. The promise of a blessing (Genesis 28:14And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
   See All...)
4. The promise of God’s presence (Genesis 28:15And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
   See All... – “with thee”)
5. The promise of God’s protection (Genesis 28:15And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
   See All... – “will keep thee”)
6. The promise of God’s guidance (Genesis 28:15And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
   See All... – “will bring thee again”)
7. The promise of God’s preservation (Genesis 28:15And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
   See All... – “for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of”)
3. JACOB’S VOW OF SURRENDER (Genesis 28:16-22 [16] And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. [17] And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. [18] And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. [19] And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. [20] And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, [21] So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: [22] And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
   See All...)
1. Jacob Draws Some Conclusions (Genesis 28:16-17 [16] And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. [17] And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
   See All...).
1. The Lord is in this place (Genesis 28:16And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
   See All...).
1. “I knew it not.”
2. So many times we do not know when God is in something that we are going through.
2. This is a dreadful place (Genesis 28:17And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
   See All...).
1. God’s power and presence brings fear to man.
2. Yet, this fear can cause man to serve with greater conviction and obedience (Job 28:28And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
   See All...; Psalm 111:10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
   See All...; Psalm 112:1Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
   See All...).
3. This is the house of God (Genesis 28:17And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
   See All...).
4. This is the gate of heaven (Genesis 28:17And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
   See All...).
2. Jacob Dedicates the Place to God (Genesis 28:18-19 [18] And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. [19] And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
   See All...).
1. The pillar (Genesis 28:18And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
   See All...)
1. He sets up the pillar.
2. He anoints it with oil.
2. He renames the place (Genesis 28:19And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
   See All...).
1. From Luz
2. To Bethel (meaning house of God)
3. Jacob Makes a Vow to God (Genesis 28:20-22 [20] And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, [21] So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: [22] And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
   See All...).
1. God’s part (Genesis 28:20-21 [20] And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, [21] So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:
   See All...a)
1. To be with Jacob
2. To keep Jacob
3. To sustain Jacob
4. To bring Jacob back home in peace
2. Jacob’s part (Genesis 28:21So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:
   See All...b-22)
1. He will claim the Lord as his God.
2. He will establish Bethel as God’s house.
3. He will give a tenth of his goods to God (this is the second mention of tithing in the Bible – Genesis 14:20And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
   See All...).

CONCLUSION:  Just as God worked with Jacob in order to bring him to where He wanted him, so God works in our lives in the same way.  What life changing experiences have you gone through?  What is God trying to do in your life right now?