Bethel

He called that place Bethel.

 - From Genesis 28

Occasionally I will depart from my normal pattern in this blog, and not be so preachy. Today I'm struck by Jacob's experience in a dream he once had. He had placed a rock under his head, for a pillow.

Now, first, I have to comment on this thing from the Old Testament. Everybody's always using rocks for pillows, and that doesn't make any sense. Maybe they used a rock to lift their heads a little, but still covered the rock with garments, straw, or something soft, so that their head isn't resting directly on a hard rock.

Here it was, that Jacob dreamed of seeing a ladder that reached to Heaven. It's where the phrase "Jacob's ladder" comes from. He saw angels going up and down the ladder. It creates an image of God's high level of activity on earth. Angels, or messengers, are coming and going, constantly. At first, you picture it in your mind, and they seem to be processing quite orderly, staying out of each other's way. But what if it's all  chaotic? What if the angels coming and going look like a hill of ants, bumping into each other, in urgent movement?

Angels are God's messengers. Their role is to communicate with people on earth. Perhaps they are "guardian angels" but I don't know about any scriptural support for that.

Jacob comes to believe that he has found "the gateway to Heaven." He calls the place "Bethel," which I believe places it in the vicinity of Bethlehem, if not the exact some location. This makes the birthplace of Jesus at the gate to Heaven, which makes lots of sense. The symbolism of Jacob's dream, could not be more striking.

It is a major breakthrough for God's plan on earth. Humans are meant to dwell on earth. We are very "place" focused. We like owning a plot of land. In fact, control of real estate is everything . . . if you own a piece of property, you get to dictate what can and can't happen on the property. It's why out of one side of their mouths, rioters can insist their should be no borders, but out of the other, if they ever take control of property, they can't establish boundaries fast enough.

A place is now identified. The place where humanity encounters God, physically, where He abides. The place is Bethlehem. And from now on, in history, humanity will contend with itself, for control of that spot.