Step 3: Dust in the Wind

A movie quote this time: “All we are is dust in the wind, dude.” If you’re a child of the eighties, then Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure just entered your mind as they traveled back in time and met Greek philosopher, Socrates. 

 

As I read Genesis 2 about the creation of Adam, and Genesis 28:14-15, I get sidetracked with the Bill and Ted quote as God created man from the Earth, combined with a little of divine “wind.” In continuing our series, Climbing Jacob’s Ladder, we come to two verses that wrap up Jacob’s dream with God. Earlier, we discussed how God explained who He was and gave Jacob a glimpse into the future; how his descendants will inhabit the land he was on. Verse 14 acknowledges that God means to bestow the Abrahamic blessing on Jacob here, therefore erasing any doubts Jacob (and the reader for that matter) may have that he has received the fatherly blessing from Isaac (making it legitimate), allowing Jacob to continue on the blessings of his forefathers. His descendants will be many and will spread throughout the nations in all directions. Another interesting note in verse 14 is the use of the word “also” as in the verse, “also be like the dust of the earth” (from the NASB). It refers to Adam who was made from the dust and earth (Gen 2:7). Jacob’s descendants will “also” be made from the dust (28:14). Some translations do not add this distinction.

            Verse 15 ends the dream in a big way. Jacob is reassured that God will not rest until the promise is fulfilled. I wonder if Jacob really understood how blessed he truly was to have that kind of reassurance. How many times have you had that happen? I simply pray for God to just show me the next step and give me the courage to take it. Jacob got the whole pizza pie in this dream (minus the hardships down the road, I suppose).

            The point to keep in mind here, and we’ll touch on this later too, is that the whole passage explaining this dream (Genesis 28:10-22) is about how God waited until the perfect moment in Jacob’s life to call Jacob to Himself. Personal testimonies are huge, and more than one person in your life has probably shared how God came to them, calling them to their purpose. Are you ready for God to reveal your purpose? Has He already spoke to you in some way and laid out the road map? Are you willing to follow through? Jacob was ready and willing; these are two attributes that are necessary to “go” as Abraham did in Genesis 12. When Jacob awoke from his dream, he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” Do you know God is calling? Are you answering?