Beresheet (Genesis) 28:10-32:3

This week’s reading portion begins with the amazing account of Jacob’s dream, where God Himself reaffirms the unconditional covenant that He made with Abraham, Isaac, and now to Jacob:

“Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place. And he had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. 14 “Your descendants shall also be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. “And behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:10-15

As I wrote in my most recent blog entry, Parashat Toldot (Offspring), we can see the Lord’s undying faithfulness to fulfill His word. He has a very specific plan, and although it seems impossible from man’s perspective, He will do the “impossible” to accomplish it!

Verses 16 and 17 are two key verses, which I believe carry prophetic elements. In verse 16, it is written, “Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”

My dear brothers and sisters, the truth of the matter (which is a fact that cannot be denied) is that there is a God, He is real, He is the Creator of the world, and He is sovereign over everything within it.

Jacob’s sleep is actually a metaphor for his unawareness of the God of his father, Isaac, and grandfather, Abraham. However, as we read in this account, Jacob “woke up” to the reality that God is real, and that God was there in that place.

In many ways, it reminds me of my own personal story before my eyes were opened to God’s existence; it was a personal encounter with the Lord that made me aware of His presence. It did not matter how much one would try to prove Him to me because I was blind to the truth. However, at the moment that I said “yes” to Yeshua, I could see that God was indeed real, and not only that, but I could see that He had been with me through my entire life.

Verse 17 says “And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

It is amazing to see here the connection between the terms “the house of God” and “the gate of heaven”. The only way one can enter into the house of God (heaven) is through the gate. At the gate sits the King, our Messiah, and He will either give you access to enter into His house, or not…no one comes to the Father but through Him! There is no other way to enter the house of God, no shortcuts.

My dear brothers and sisters, it is the same for us today. The only way to enter into His house is through the gate, and the only way to be granted permission to enter through this gate is through the revelation and acceptance of the sacrifice that God has given to each of us. In short, there is no other way to enter the house of God but through Messiah Yeshua.

Are you awake to the existence of God? Do you know that He is here, and that Messiah Yeshua alone can give you access to the House of the Lord?

Shabbat Shalom,

Moran