THE NEXT PIECE

“’Your descendants will be as numerous as the grains of dust on the earth. You will expand to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. By you and your descendants all the families of the earth will be blessed.’”
Genesis 28:14

The promise given to Avraham that continued through the prayer of Yitz’chak when he prayed for his wife’s barren womb was now taking its next step through Ya’akov. Following his leaving, Ya’akov headed out toward Haran. As night fell he rested his head on a rock and began to dream. Seeing a ladder resting on the ground with its top reaching to heaven, Ya’akov watched angels ascending and descending. In the next instant, Adonai was standing next to him, giving him this promise.
“Your descendants will be as numerous as the grains of dust on the earth. You will expand to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. By you and your descendants all the families of the earth will be blessed. Look, I am with you. I will guard you wherever you go, and I will bring you back into this land, because I won’t leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
The awesomeness in this promise is that it matches exactly with the promise Adonai once gave Avraham. To Avraham Adonai promised he would be a father to many nations (Gen 15:5). Now to Ya’akov the promise continued in that his descendants would be numerous like the dust of the earth. To Avraham Adonai promised that his descendants would be foreigners in a land not theirs (Gen 15:13-16). Now to Ya’akov the promise was said again that He would bring them back to the land after they had been dispersed.
The next piece was in place, the next part of Adonai’s plan was in motion, and the next heir to take the promise forward had been told what was to come. So with a vow, Ya’akov took the rock that he had rested his head on and made an altar to Adonai.