Jacob’s Encounter with God

by Chris Hendrix

Advent Devotional ~ Day 8

Read Genesis 28:10-22

One of the most fun pieces of equipment in a park is the Seesaw. Early on as a kid, I learned quickly what being out of balance feels like. If I weighed heavier than the other kid, than I was going down fast. If I weighed lesser than the other kid, than I was going to be launched up in the air and had to hold on tight! As Christians, we tend to do this with our understanding of God. We either view Him as so far above us that He certainly does not understand our struggles, or we view Him as a cuddly Teddy Bear ready to comfort us when we demand. Both of these are dangerous to our understanding of God.

God taught Jacob these truths in the first recorded encounter between them. In this passage, we read that Jacob sees something similar to a Ziggurat, a tall, pyramid-like structure with stairs, in which Angels ascended and descended upon it. Though this vision alone creates wonder, the punch occurs right after Jacob sees the Ziggurat. God stands next to Jacob, then He speaks. God reveals that this imagery is depicting the truth of God’s transcendence, but also His immanence. Transcendence is the truth that God is above us and cannot be fully grasped by human beings due to His nature that is beyond us. Immanence is the truth that God is active in our world today and has enacted a personal relationship with His creation, specifically with mankind. The words of God clarify this truth through His Sovereign work of blessing, but also in His presence with Jacob. God demonstrates His far superior power and authority while being personal to Jacob.

At Christmas time, we understand the truth that Jacob received. God reigns over us, and this is clearly visible in the fulfillment of the many prophecies about the coming Messiah throughout the Old Testament. The arrival of the Christ upon this tiny planet in our universe demonstrates the personal nature of God. John 1:51 reveals that Jesus taught the truth from our Genesis 28 passage that He is the link between Heaven and Earth. He is the transcendent and immanent God.

He is not the far and distant God that is unreachable. We know Him through His Scriptures by the Holy Spirit. Just as He didn’t leave us, He also did not set aside His rule and authority. He is not our Teddy Bear or Genie, and this way of thinking devalues His love for us. Instead, we ought to follow John Owen’s thoughts, in which he writes, “We are never nearer Christ than when we find ourselves lost in a holy amazement at His unspeakable love.” We must acknowledge and approach Him as the Holy One who judges our hearts and calls us to repentance. He calls us to look to Him and find rest in His truth, His way, His life, and in Him alone. Let us think upon, worship in, and live out the truth that our God is a transcendent and immanent God.

 Application Questions

1. Do you praise God for both, His transcendence and immanence?  

2. In light of God’s transcendence, how should you live each day?  

3. In light of God’s immanence, how should you live each day?