Morning Nourishment Gen. 28:18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning and took the stone that he had put under his head, and he set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 22 And this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house... Jacob’s dream is the most crucial point in the whole book of Genesis (28:1022)....One of the most striking aspects of this dream is the stone. After traveling on a long journey, Jacob, being tired and lonesome, took a stone, made it his pillow, and slept in the open air. This might have been the first time in history that a man used a stone for a pillow. Have you ever laid your head upon a stone for rest? I have never done this. Firstly, Jacob made that stone a pillow; secondly, he set it up for a pillar (28:18). A pillow is for resting and a pillar is for building. Do you realize that one day your pillow will become a pillar?...In 28:22 Jacob said, “This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house.” In addition to the stone, the pillar, and the house, there was the oil poured upon the top of the stone (28:18). How could Jacob, a lonesome wanderer, have had oil with him? I do not know. Nevertheless, early in the morning, he poured oil upon the stone. Hence, in this dream there are four basic elements: the stone, the pillar, the house, and the oil. These four items are the basic factors with which the Bible is composed. (Lifestudy of Genesis, p. 927) Today’s Reading What is God’s house? God’s house is simply God’s satisfaction, rest, and expression. The kind of house you live in expresses the kind of person you are....God’s house is His expression. Eventually, His house will be enlarged into a city, and that city will have the same appearance as God. According to Revelation 4:2 and 3, God has the appearance of jasper, and according to Revelation 21:11the whole city of New Jerusalem will also have the appearance of jasper. This means that the city will have God’s appearance and be His expression. We may even say that this city will be God’s enlargement. Although the stone and the house are most crucial, there is still the need of the oil. In typology, oil signifies God reaching man. God is triune. The Father is the source, the Son is the course, and the Spirit is the flow reaching us. Jacob’s pouring oil upon the stone signifies the Triune God flowing to reach man. God is in heaven, but He has been poured out upon man. When the Triune God reaches man, He makes man the house of God. Before the oil was poured upon the stone, the stone was merely a stone. But after the oil had been poured upon it, the stone became the house of God. In Genesis 28, Jacob was in a homeless and restless situation (v. 10). When man is homeless, God also is homeless (Isa. 66:1). Thus, in Genesis 28, both Jacob and God were homeless....When man is homeless and restless, God is also homeless and restless. Genesis 28 is a picture showing that both God and man were homeless. What is man’s real home? For eternity, man’s home will be God. If you do not have God, you do not have a home. No unsaved person can ever feel at home, for man’s real home is God. What is God’s home? Man. Man’s home is God, and God’s home is man. Whenever man is separated from God, both God and man are homeless. For example, a divorce always affects both the husband and the wife. We cannot say that the wife is divorced and that the husband is not. Thus, when man is homeless, God is made homeless, but when we are at home, God also has a home. When we have God as our home, we become God’s home. That night in Genesis 28, Jacob was separated from God, and both he and God were homeless. Since Jacob was homeless, he was also restless. A homeless person is a restless person. Home is sweet because it is restful. Many times after I have completed a long journey, upon returning home, I have said, “Praise the Lord, I’m home!” This means that I can rest. But that night Jacob and God were homeless and without rest. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 930-932
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 08:38:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015