By Joseph Ametepe
Introduction:
God is a God of promises. As such, He made many great promises to the patriarchs, that is, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Book of Genesis. Today, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I would like to shed light on the great promises God Himself gave to Jacob in Genesis 28:15.
Genesis 28:15 is a precious and profound verse in the Bible. To understand how precious and profound Genesis 28:15 is, we need to look at when it was given to Jacob. When were the words of Genesis 28:15 spoken to Jacob? God spoke these blessed words after Jacob in collaboration with his mother, Rebecca pretended to be Esau and deceived his father Isaac and stole the blessings that Isaac had intended to give to Esau. This is very important to note.
see, God did not speak the words in Genesis 28:15 to Jacob when he was on his best behavior. No. Not at all! Jacob’s life was soiled with the sins of pretense and deception. But because God is so gracious and so forgiving, He willingly chose to bless him with one of the greatest promises in all the Bible. It’s all about God’s favor. The God we believe in and belong to is a God of favor. May His favor abound upon our lives today!
Genesis 28:15 is just one verse. But it contains four very important promises of God that God Himself made out of His own goodwill to Jacob. So please allow me to bring to your attention each of these promises.
The first promise God made to Jacob, is not about great wealth or great riches or prominence. His first promise is the PRESENCE OF GOD WITH JACOB.
I. PRESENCE OF GOD WITH JACOB
That is why the verse begins with these blessed words: “Behold, I am with you” (Genesis 28:15a).
Please listen carefully! The presence of God with the child of God is the greatest blessing he or she can experience and enjoy here on earth. If God promises you that His presence is with you, then, you can rest assured that no one, no power, no enemy, no evil spirit, can succeed in derailing His plan and purpose for your life.
Why? Because, if God is with you, then it means He is for you. And if God is for you, who can be against you (see Romans 8:31)? It also means that greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world (see 1 John 4:4). Indeed, there will be none who can succeed in thwarting God’s plan and purpose for your life.
So, as Jacob made his journey from the land of Canaan to Paddan-aram (which is Syria today), the first thing God assured him of, is His presence with Jacob. His promise of His presence with Jacob is a promise of a lifetime. All throughout Jacob’s life on earth, Almighty God promised him that He is with him now and will be with him to the very end of his life on earth.
Please take this to heart! The God who promised Jacob: “Behold, I am with you,” is also with us today. You too, like Jacob, can be assured of God’s presence with you all throughout your lifetime on earth. Just as Jacob needed this assurance, so also we need this assurance today, especially in our world of many challenges, conflicts, crises and changes.
In fact, one of the last promises the Risen and Glorified Christ gave to His followers in His Great Commission Charge to them; just before He was taken into heaven, was the promise of His personal presence with them. He authoritatively declared: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20; NASB).
The question is: are you as a believer in Jesus Christ, aware of His presence with you, moment by moment? Are you living in His presence daily? In other words, are you practicing living in God’s presence with you? If not, why not?
The second promise God gave Jacob focuses on the PRESERVATION OF JACOB BY GOD.
II. PRESERVATION OF JACOB BY GOD
God knew Jacob needed to be assured of His ability to preserve and protect him from all harm on this journey to an unknown land.
Please notice that God adds to the promise of His presence with Jacob, the promise of His preservation of Jacob. That is why God says: “And will watch you wherever you go” (Genesis 28:15b).
This is a most timely, comforting, and assuring promise that remained engraved on Jacob’s heart during his sojourn in Haran, where he would live for many years. God is saying to Jacob. “I am committed to watching over you wherever you go. You can count on Me to preserve and protect wherever you end up going on this journey.”
Actually, in the time of Jacob, the powers of the pagan gods were thought to be tied to particular localities. Some pagan gods were thought to be the gods of the mountains. Others were thought to be the gods of the seas. They could only display their powers in the mountains or in the seas, but not everywhere (see 1 Kings 20:23-29).
God is telling Jacob that He is not like those pagan gods. His power can be demonstrated anywhere and everywhere. His power to preserve and protect him is not limited to the land of Canaan alone. Wherever he, Jacob goes, he can be assured of His preservation or protection.
Similarly, believers today can be assured that wherever they go on their journey in life, God is there to preserve and protect them. This is such a great encouragement to all believers. Everywhere we find ourselves in this life, God’s mighty hand is there to preserve and protect from all harm. He did it for Jacob, and He will do it for you and me. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
In fact, later in the history of Jacob’s descendants God further affirmed His commitment to preserve and protect His believing people. In the Song of Ascents we read of God’s commitment to preserve and protect His own. “The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever” (Psalm 121:7-8; NASB).
The third promise God gave Jacob in Genesis 28:15 has to do with the PLAN OF GOD FOR JACOB.
III. PLAN OF GOD FOR JACOB
God would make it clear to Jacob He had planned to bring him back to the land of promise. The Bible says: “And will bring you back to this land” (Genesis 28:15c).
This is very important. Remember, Jacob was fleeing from his brother Esau, who was planning to kill him after the death of their father Isaac (see Genesis 27:41). In other words, Jacob was forced to depart the land of Canaan with no hope of ever seeing or setting his eyes on the land of Canaan. But here, Almighty God Himself is assuring him that, He will bring him back to this land of promise.
God is telling Jacob: “No matter how long you live in Haran, know this. I will take you from there and bring you back to the land of promise. I will not fail you in this matter.”
God has a specific plan for your life as a believer in Jesus Christ. And He knows when to make His plan known to you. He knows when to reveal His plan to you to embrace for your life. Certainly, Jacob embraced God’s plan for his life and looked with confident expectation for its fulfillment in his life, at God’s appointed time.
Personally, God made known to me His plan for my life while I was in graduate school at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada. My goal, my plan, while pursuing graduate studies in civil engineering; was to graduate with my Ph.D. before leaving for my alma mater, the University of Science and Technology [now Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana].
But while pursuing this plan and passion of mine, God revealed His plan to me. I must give up my pursuit of a Ph.D. in civil engineering and pursue His plan of making me a messenger and minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I wished I could tell you that I immediately embraced His plan for my life. I didn’t. It took two full years of resisting God, because I still wanted to pursue my plan for my life.
Finally, after two full years of resistance, I lost “the fight” with God and embraced His plan for my life. I often thank my God for His mercy extended to me during the years of my stubborn resistance. Proverbs 19:21 became one of my life verses. “Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the counsel of the LORD will stand” (NASB). Please remember this! God’s plans for your life are far better than your plans for your life. Therefore, embrace God’s plans for your life and embark on an adventure of a lifetime. So it was in Jacob’s life. He embraced God’s plan for his life and embarked on an adventure of a lifetime.
The fourth and final assurance God gave Jacob in Genesis 28:15 centers on the PERFORMANCE OF GOD’S PROMISES TO JACOB.
IV. PERFORMANCE OF GOD’S PROMISES TO JACOB
Notice the Bible says: “I will not leave you until I have done all that I have promised you” (Genesis 28:15d).
Please take note of this! God is here assuring Jacob that He is not only a Promise-Maker, but also a Promise-Keeper. He is telling Jacob: “You can count on Me to accomplish, to perform, to fulfill all that I have spoken to you today. You can count on My PRESENCE being with you all throughout your life. Not only that, you can count on My PRESERVATION and PROTECTION of you wherever you go on this journey. And, you can also count on My PLAN of bringing you back to the very place I made these promises to you. Jacob, my servant, rest assured that I AM A PROMISE-MAKER AND A PROMISE-KEEPER. In other words, I perform what I say.”
In fact, one of the first promises God gave the prophet Jeremiah, later in the history of Jacob’s descendants is His commitment to perform His word. God had asked the prophet a question after he had accepted His call upon his life to be His servant and spokesman. “The word of the LORD came to me saying, “What do you see Jeremiah?” And I said, I see a rod of almond tree.” Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it”” (Jeremiah 1:11-12; NASB).
The almond tree is the first tree to bloom in spring. Here it is used to symbolize God’s watchfulness and constant readiness to perform His promises. Actually, the Hebrew word for “almond” [shaked, from shakad] sounds like the Hebrew word for “watching.” The Hebrew verb for “watching” [shakad] also means “to be ready,” “to hasten,” “to watch for an opportunity to do a thing.” God is telling the prophet Jeremiah, “Let My people know that I am watching for an opportunity to perform the word I have spoken to you.” In this context, it was about God’s coming judgment on Judah and Jerusalem.
But the principle is clear. God is always watching over His word to perform it without fail. God would later make the same promise to His people through the prophet Ezekiel who was ministering to the Jewish exiles in Babylon (see Ezekiel 12:25; 17:24). Believe it with all your heart! What God has spoken, He will also perform.
Believer in Jesus Christ, know for certain that the presence of God is with you, no matter what you are going through in life. He is right there besides you. He is walking alongside with you.
Not only that, you can count on His promise of preserving and protecting you wherever you go in obedience to Him. Rest assured as well, that He has a plan for your life. He knows when to reveal His plan for your life. Remember that His plans are far better than your plans for your life. Therefore, embrace them and embark on unforgettable adventure of a lifetime.
Finally, resolutely trust God that He is watching over every word He has spoken to you, to perform it. He doesn’t only make promises, He also keeps them. He performs them without fail at His appointed time. He declares: “I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will perform it” (Ezekiel 17:24b; NASB).
May the Holy Spirit impress these promises in your heart of hearts, that you may experience them in your life as a believer in Jesus Christ! “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us” (2 Corinthians 1:20; NASB).