Jacob's Ladder

The scriptures in general, and the Old Testament in particular, are full of symbols and types which give a richer texture and content to the stories told. When reading a particular narrative from the scriptures, one should often ask what else can be learned or discerned from the symbols used. Details which would otherwise be meaningless often make the difference between a situational narrative and a delicate yet solid connection between concepts and ideas.

One simple example of this is the story of Jacob and the ladder, found in Genesis 28:11-22. Almost every single time I hear a teacher or instructor present this theme in Sunday School or other setting, the focus goes to the ladder and its meaning, but I find much greater insight in every other detail about this story, which lead our mind and heart to Christ as the center of the narrative. Let me explain what I mean.


This particular story begins with Jacob stopping to spend the night in one of his journeys, at what seems to be a deserted place, on a hill (Gen. 28:11). It ends up this place will reveal itself to be so much more. He also stops there, because "the sun was set" and Jacob needed a place to spend the night. As he prepared to sleep, he arranged the site to make it comfortable enough, gathering up some stones to use as pillows (verse 11). He then laid down and began to sleep, during which time he had a dream. This dream was not a normal dream, but was in fact a revelation through which the Lord taught Jacob and promised him certain blessings (verses 12-15). As I said before, the dream is not my focus on this analysis.

Following this dream Jacob awoke and used the stones he had previously used for his pillows and made an altar, pouring oil upon them (verse 18) and recognizing that this was a sacred place, even "the house of God" (verse 17). He then called this place Bethel, or Beth-el (verse 19).

So what is there to learn from the details of this story? Think about it. Jacob received a revelation while he had his head laying on a rock. As dreams take place inside our mind, identified with the head, the symbol is that if our head or mind is upon the Rock, that becomes the source of revelation and blessings. The Rock is Christ, as we learn from Paul, who wrote to the Corinthians saying that Israel "drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ." (I Cor. 10:4).

To further strengthen this point, when Jacob rose in the morning, he built an altar with the rocks "and poured oil upon the top of it." (Gen. 28:18). The Hebrew word for "poured oil" is meshiach, or messiah, which means anointed, with Christos being the Greek form and the root for the English word Christ. Therefore, the rock which was the source of revelation was Anointed, becoming the Messiah or Christ.

To confirm this, the place where the Rock was raised to become an altar was called Beth-el,  Hebrew word composed of two distinct words, with Beth meaning house and el meaning God. This place was literally called The House of God.

Interesting as well that it was dark, and the Sun was set, and Jacob was tired, when he leaned on the Rock for  rest and revelation, and after having received guidance and comfort it was morning, the Sun was already up and light shone again upon Jacob, when he recognized the Messiah and worshiped Him at the altar of the Lord's House.