Torah portion: Genesis 29:10-32:2.

Have you ever seen an angel? It’s not uncommon for people in a difficult situation to call to someone else: ‘Please help me!’ or, ‘Save me!’, but when restored, they turn round to say ‘Thankyou’ to find that their helper has simply disappeared. I know two people to whom this happened. The writer to early Jewish believers encouraged them (and us) to welcome strangers because we may sometimes be hosting angels unawares (Heb 13:2). Abraham, Gideon and Manoah did just that.

A place to meet with God

This week’s Torah portion describes how Jacob, in obedience to his father, went out (vayetze) from Beersheva to find a wife from Abraham’s family. This contrasted his brother Esau, who deliberately married Machalat, the daughter of Ishmael (her name means ‘sickness’). On the way, Jacob came upon ‘a certain place’ (p’ga bamaqom, a place to meet with God: paga = a place of ‘meeting’, and maqom = a ‘place’ where God is).

As Jacob slept there he had a dream (Gen 28:12-14). He saw a ladder from earth to heaven with angels ascending and descending on it; and God confirmed his covenant promise both to give the Land to Jacob and his seed and to give Jacob Abraham’s blessing (i.e. through him, all families of the earth would be blessed).

Jacob recognised that this ‘place of meeting’ was the ‘house of God’ (beit-El) and the ‘door/gate of heaven’. Though it was a ‘fearful place’ for Jacob, this place of meeting with God (paga-maqom) was a sanctuary for him (28:15, 17), for God said to him: “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go”. It can be for us also a safe place, a hiding-place and a place of meeting with the One who watches over us: for God is an ever-present help in times of trouble (Ps 46:1). How awesome is this!

A place to struggle – and overcome

Remember that Jacob was a self-serving deceiver and a swindler. Yet God, standing above this ladder, saw in Jacob a part of His purpose for world redemption. When he was brought to an end of himself before God at Peniel (32:25, 27, 30), God anointed him with a change of name: no longer Jacob the deceiver, but Israel the overcomer (32:28).

We too, despite our fallen and rebellious state, can be overcomers and can meet with God. Like Jacob, though, we must come to the end of ourselves. Then, we overcome through the shed Blood of Jesus, through the word of our testimony and by not loving our lives so much as to shrink from death (Rev 12:11).

The Prophet Hosea picks up this theme (12:4), telling us that Jacob wept and begged for favour in his wrestling with the Angel, and prevailed. Do we too struggle/wrestle with God? We also need to come to that place of powerlessness in ourselves, as Jacob did, and plead the victory of the Cross in order to prevail. May God call you to this paga-maqom.

Postscript: Recognising Jesus

One other Scripture where angels ascend and descend over a man is in Jesus’ promise to Nathanael that he would see Heaven open and angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man - on Jesus Himself - because Nathanael had recognised Him as the Son of God and the King of Israel (John 1:51).

We too need to believe in this Jesus. The angels rejoiced when He was born, coming down to see this great miracle: the Messiah-Saviour (Luke 2:11-13), marked as the Chosen One through whom the redemption of the world would come. Hallelu-Yah! Come, Lord Jesus.

Author: Greg Stevenson

Enjoying our 'Thoughts'? Want to read more from a particular writer? Click here to browse our Thought for the Week archive by author.