Genesis 28:15

"And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of."

Jacob had stolen his brother's blessing. As he was on the run, for he knew that his brother intended to kill him after the death of their Father, he stopped to spend the night. For lack of any better accommodations, he made stones his pillow. As he dreamt that night, Jacob had a vision of a ladder into heaven, and the angels ascending and descending upon it. At the top of the ladder stood God Himself. In His address to Jacob, he made the above statement. There was more that God said that day concerning Jacob's seed, and the land upon which he slept. All of those promises were made to both Abraham and Isaac. Now Jacob was hearing them.

The words of God quoted above are more personal, as Jacob is literally running for his life. As noted, his brother plotted to kill him. His mother, aware of Esau's plans, sent Jacob away, promising to send for him after his brother had cooled off. All Jacob had with him was what he could carry. Now the God of the universe makes the promises noted above.

"...behold, I am with thee..." There is nothing like an all-powerful ally. Jacob was running for his life. He had no idea where he was going, neither had he any idea regarding who might be following him. So God's first statement would certainly have had the effect of allaying any fears Jacob might have had. Jacob felt, no doubt, that he was in great danger. But when God promises His presence there is no danger that should cause fear. God promises similarly to His people today. "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" He is quoted in the book of Hebrews. And in many other places God's presence with us is promised. This ought to be a great comfort in the trials of life. There is nothing like an all-powerful ally!

"(I) will keep thee in all places whither thou goest" This promise has future impact. There is no place to which Jacob can go where God will not be with him, and where God will not preserve him. The ever present quality of God's character is one of the many things that show us He is God. He is wholly, altogether and entirely with every believer on the planet as He is with every other believer. So the believing man in China has all of God's presence with him as much as the believing child in Peru, or the believing woman in Iceland. There is no place to which we can go where He is not. That being said, there is no event that can come upon any believer in the midst of which God cannot preserve them. There is no place, neither is there any event, in which we are not kept. For Jacob, not only is his past secure but so also is his future.

"(I) will bring thee again into this land" Now God gives Jacob a glimpse of what lies ahead. It is a small glimpse, but He promises Jacob that He will bring him back to the land from which he is fleeing. This promise must certainly cheered Jacob over time. For we all enjoy returning to the place from which we came. Those born in a given country are often happy at the prospect of returning for a visit. So Jacob has this promise from God. But more significant to him would have been the land itself, for it was the land of promise. God had promised the land of Canaan to Abraham, Jacob's grandfather, and to Isaac, Jacob's father, so now he was being told he would be coming back. He awoke every day he was away from the land knowing that he would live for that day because he was not yet back in the land, to which God had promised to bring him back. Many years, and 12 sons, later, Jacob does come back, and sees his brother. He even sees his father.

"I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of." When we want to assure someone that we mean business we may shake hands, or promise with an oath, that the thing we said we would do we will do. While God does not here do either of these things, there is no missing the emphasis God is making on His promise to bring Jacob back. It is a solemn word of promise, emphasized for Jacob's sake. Neither, by the way, was God saying that after He brought him back He would leave him. God is saying, "Look, I told you I would do this, and I will." Similarly, Jesus promises to return to take His people home to heaven to live with Him. It is impossible for God to lie, and so there is no doubt that He will return. Jesus told His disciples, "In my Father's house there are many mansions. If it were not so I would have told you." Like His conversation with Jacob, above, so Jesus brings a great assurance. If there were not many mansions, He would have said so. His veracity is impeccable.

To God's glory, this is His character. As was said, it is impossible for Him to lie. He does not play shell games with us. He isn't trying to trick us. He wants us to know about Him, and He wants us to trust Him and believe Him. His promised presence with Jacob until his return to the promised land proves this. Jesus' promise of many mansions, about which He would not have spoken were it not true, proves this. God cannot lie! To be His in this way is the most assured position one can have in this life, and in the next. God's promises to Jacob remind of Jesus' promises to us. The fulfillment of God's promises to Jacob assure us of the fulfillment of Jesus' promises to us. God cannot lie!

Walk Thou with me, nor let my footsteps stray
Apart from Thee, throughout life's threatening way;
Be Thou my Guide, the Path I cannot see;
Close to Thy side, Lord, let me walk with Thee.

Dear Savior, let me trust my hand in Thine,
And let me know Thy steps are guiding mine;
Life's changing way is oft times dark to me,
I fear no ill if I may walk with Thee.

HJK