Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20060903.htm

THE PREINCARNATE MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST
Part V: Christ's Ministry To Jacob: Providing Stable Support To The Alienated
(Genesis 31:7-13 and 28:10-22 et al.)
  1. Introduction
    1. Being alienated from supportive people is one of the most difficult experiences and even dangerous experiences one can have: Proverbs 27:8 reports that a (presumably young) man who strays from his home is like a bird that strays from its nest where its protective parents dwell, Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 964!
    2. The Preincarnate Jesus Christ ministered to Jacob at a time of tremendous anxiety for him as he was made painfully aware of being alienated from human support, and it ministers to edify us today (as follows):
  2. Christ's Ministry To Jacob: Providing Stable Support To The Alienated, Gen. 31:7-13; 28:10-22 et al.
    1. Jacob reported in Genesis 31:11 that the "Angel of the Lord" appeared to him in a dream, and, as we have learned in this series of lessons so far, this "Angel of the Lord" is the Preincarnate Lord Jesus Christ.
    2. That "Angel of the Lord" identified Himself in Genesis 31:13 as "the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar," a reference to the event of Genesis 28:10-22, so we view that event (as follows):
      1. In Genesis 28:10-13, the Preincarnate Jesus Christ appeared to Jacob in a dream as He stood atop a long ladder that stretched from heaven down to Jacob, and upon which the angels of God were ascending and descending in their ministry to Jacob from God up in heaven, cf. Genesis 28:10-12.
      2. This ladder symbolized God's meeting a matter of great concern for Jacob regarding human alienation:
        1. Before this dream, Jacob had been a man of the tents who did not go out hunting as did the outdoorsman in his brother Esau; rather Jacob stayed home as his mother's son, Genesis 25:27-28.
        2. However, Jacob's mother, Rebekkah urged him to steal Esau's blessing, Genesis 27:6-10.
        3. When Jacob followed his mother's advice, Esau responded with great hatred for Jacob, so the latter had to flee from Esau to the country of his relatives in Paddan-aram, Genesis 27:41-28:5.
        4. In fleeing, Jacob stopped in the open country to sleep; due to his lack of outdoor experience, he had not planned well ahead to stop in a safe spot or city before the sun had set, Genesis 28:10-11.
        5. So, as he reclined, Jacob felt lonely and vulnerable to harm re: his immediate and future welfare!
        6. The Preincarnate Christ thus graciously signaled in a dream to Jacob by way of a ladder that reached from Him up in heaven down to Jacob that, no matter how far from home Jacob would go, God would stretch out the "ladder" of His supportive angels to minister His help to Jacob, Genesis 28:12.
      3. In the dream, the Preincarnate Christ detailed the following meaningful promises of blessing for Jacob:
        1. The Abrahamic Covenant would pass through his father, Isaac to Jacob so that Jacob and his seed would be given all the land around him, and all the families of the earth would be blessed in that seed, Gen. 28:13-14. This promise implied present and future protection for Jacob's life so he could live long enough even have these children though he had gone to sleep unprotected in open country!
        2. Also, the Preincarnate Christ promised to be with Jacob wherever he traveled, and to bring him back safely to that land of promise where he was then sleeping vulnerable and anxious, Genesis 28:15.
    3. God's provisions to help the alientated Jacob from that point in his life are detailed in Scripture as follows:
      1. When he awoke, Jacob took his headrest and anointed it, calling it "Beth-el," the "house of God", Gen. 28:19. He vowed to make God his God and to serve Him where He to help him as promised, 28:20-22.
      2. Thus, when Jacob reached Paddan-aram and his uncle Laban repeatedly cheated him, the Preincarnate Christ revealed He was recompensing Jacob for his uncle's harm done to him, cf. Genesis 31:7-13a!
      3. The Preincarnate Christ then told Jacob to return to Canaan with all his possessions, Genesis 31:13b.
      4. After more dangerous trials like the challenge of leaving his angry uncle (Gen. 31) only to be met by his powerful, estranged brother, Esau (Gen. 32-33) followed by the rape of his daughter, Dinah and his sons' avenging atrocity at Shechem that risked reprisals from the area Canaanites (Gen. 34), God protected and led Jacob (Gen. 35:1) to return to Bethel to worship Him in blessing, Genesis 35:5-7.
Lesson: The Preincarnate Christ promised and provided His presence and help for Jacob in view of the vacuum of supportive, protective human associates he missed so that God's will for him might be done.

Application: If we lack adequate or past human support or protection in life, God does not want us to worry about it, but to focus on performing His Biblical will for us and to trust His Word for blessing!