A Vision of Love

Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 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 spoken to you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it. ” (‭Genesis‬ ‭28‬:‭12-16‬ NKJV)

Ever since I was a kid in church I’ve heard about Jacob’s Ladder. But did you know Jacob had this vision on his way to his first date?  Today, I’d like to look at this encounter from that perspective. Jacob is a young man on a mission, who receives a vision of love. 

Isaac has just blessed Jacob and sent him to his mother’s people to find a wife. While on his way to find a wife, God spoke to Jacob through the vision of the ladder about blessing his descendants. Think about that for a second. God didn’t give him a vision of how lovely his bride would be. He didn’t give him a vision of romance. He went beyond that. God showed him a vision of how fruitful and blessed his family would be for many generations. 

How far does your vision of love reach? Can you see past the candy, roses, and date night? Can you see beyond hooking up to true intimacy and marriage? Can you see your marriage bearing perpetual fruit through covenant stability, and generations of children who respect and reverence the sanctity of marriage?

Jacob received a vision from God of all these things before his first date. What about you?