Ladders, Ladders, Everywhere

I have recently been finding little ladders all over my house. I know that sounds silly but seriously, everywhere I look there's a ladder or something very similar to it. There was even a ladder on our Jesse Tree ornament recently. As we read the verse on the back, I was reminded of Jacob's ladder in the Bible. The same story also showed up in our children's Bible storybook soon after that. Now it seems there is a ladder of some sort in every room of the house which brings Jacob's story to mind! By the way, I had no idea we even had these little ladders!

This is just the ones I found downstairs!

 I've learned over the years that God does this from time to time to get my attention. Sometimes its a song I hear over and over again or a verse that seems to pop up everywhere. This time, its a ladder. So, I said, "Lord, the ladders are perplexing me, please help me understand what you're trying to teach me."

I don't normally go into full-on Scholar mode while studying the Bible but I just couldn't seem to grasp what God had for me. (And if God has something for me, I'll do whatever it takes to grasp it!) So I got out the Strong's Coordinance, the ESV Study Bible, and the Roses Maps and Charts Study Guide to help me truly wrap my mind around this short little story in Genesis.

Genesis 28: 12-15

 “And he [Jacob] dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!  And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." 

In this story, Jacob has fled from his family after stealing Esau's birthright and finds a place to rest his head on a very hard rock.  While he sleeps, he dreams of a ladder that is set up on the earth and reaching all the way to heaven. Since ladders have bombarded my house this week, I want to focus on that first. I found that the term ladder could have also meant "stairway" but either way, it causes the Tower of Babble to come to mind. Do you remember the story when the people were trying to build a way to Heaven? That didn't work out so well for them but in this case, a simple ladder is stretching from the ground all the way to Heaven. It's serving as the bridge between the two. Perhaps it's purpose is much more important than the structure itself. The Angels of the Lord were ascending and descending on the ladder. This reveals something important about the ladder-- that it wasn't a one-way bridge. God is there speaking to Jacob, reminding him of the promises He had given his forefathers, and promising Jacob that He will not leave him.

When Jacob wakes up he says, "Surely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it." The dream confirmed in Jacob that this was a special place. He believed it was the gate to Heaven so he named it "Bethel" which means House of God.  He even anointed the rock he slept on with oil and would one day come back to this exact location to worship.

So what about the ladder then?? Well, these might be details that are often looked over but God made these things stand out to me. When people have tried to get to heaven, it never has worked because humans cannot get to Heaven on our own.  But in this story, we get a glimpse of God coming to us. He opened the clouds and allowed a stairway or ladder to fill the gap between Heaven and Earth. This is a voluntarily way of showing His desire to be near us. He is committed to making earth His dwelling place as well--just to be close to us. 

Eventually, Jesus would become that bridge and would forever close the gap between Heaven and Earth which is the greatest news of all, but I don't want us to look past the beauty in verse 12. It says, "Behold, the angels of the Lord were ascending and descending on it!" This makes me think of the escalators at the mall. There are people going up and down and coming and going and it doesn't end. What if Jacob's dream of a ladder was really more like a vision of what is truly going on between Heaven and Earth all the time?

Most of us view Heaven as this far off place that we will one day get to experience but if we look closely at this passage, I have to wonder if maybe our view has been skewed. Maybe God and His angels have little "ladders" all around us (just like in my house) where they are ascending and descending. God and His angels are among us. Wow, take amount to consider that, angels are coming and going and mingling among us, working on our behalf, full of love and blessings... That thought sheds breath-taking peace over my situations. It causes all of my anxiety to flee.

As life unfolds for each person, with wonderful events occurring, disappointing situations unfolding, and even heartbreak happening, it is so comforting to know that God is committed to being here with His people (v.16-17) and that He will never leave us (v.10). He and His angels are ascending and descending all around us. They minister to us in unseen ways and carry us on the most difficult of days. And I must believe they celebrate with us when the days are good as well!

Heaven is not far off. We just need eyes to see it. May we be aware of the "ladders" all around us where angels are ascending and descending and God is keeping His promises to us. I am so grateful for that thought today and for the peace it gives me.