Step 6: From the Top Rung

I grew up watching the World Wrestling Federation (WWF); the original stuff (or at least what I consider original) with wrestlers like Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, Macho Man Savage, The Ultimate Warrior (had to be my favorite) and of course, mainstays like Hulk Hogan. I always knew when it was going to get good when one wrestler was lying on the mat, while his opponent climbed to the top of the ropes in the corner. The announcer exclaimed, “From the top rope!” Then, an amazing leap of action commenced that Jimmy “Superfly” perfected, as the flyer either landed on the wrestler below, the mat, or got a knee to the sternum on the way down.  

              

The significance of God on the top rung of the ladder (literally, most translations say “stood over [the ladder]”) obviously signifies His omnipotence, which is a big word just to say, His holiness, or all-mighty authority. Jacob recognized this awe and wonder and set up a sacred stone, worshiped Him and made a vow from the moment he woke up. Jacob’s vow mirrors exactly what God said in verse 15, which is also significant according to J.P. Fokkelman, who wrote, “Reading Biblical Narrative.” On page 112, in Chapter 7, he states that most repetition in the Bible is intentional and deliberate. Although repeating exactly what is written or said is not the way we are taught in school, the Bible narrators have a divine reasoning behind it. In this particular passage, Jacob repeated in verse 20 what God had promised him from verse 15. It highlights the importance of God’s words that “He will be with me and keep me.” This foreshadows God’s words throughout the Old Testament and New Testament when God said, “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you” (Deut. 31:6; Heb. 13:5).

The word “keep” is an interesting study on its own as it can mean several different things to different readers, depending on the time and circumstances when it is read. Those are quite a number of variables, thanks to the English language. It is certainly an important word as it is used 156 times in the NASB translation. In this particular passage, it makes sense to say that to “keep” is to protect or watch over something, as a Sheppard keeps his sheep. In certain contexts, it is used in several Old Testament scriptures to obey or follow earnestly as to “keep the commandments” or “keep His statutes.” Many of these references can be swapped with synonyms like: observe, pay attention to, or preserve.

The main purpose and inspiring message of the whole passage (significantly verses 20-22 though) touches on one way God communicates with us on Earth, and more specifically, calls us to Him. Jacob “rose up” and began a number of events to honor the God of his ancestors who just spoke to him in a dream. God waited until the perfect moment in Jacob’s journey to “spring from the top rung” and pounce on him through this dream. Prior to this point, the notes in the New English Translation (NET) mention that Jacob may not have been a monotheist yet (having a belief in one God). This may also explain the reason Jacob grabbed a stone to sleep next to or to have under his head (the stone is thought of as having a source of power). God assured Jacob of his blessing and, in turn, Jacob made a vow to God to be faithful. The time for Jacob to take on God’s purpose for his life was now; and God nudged him in the form of a dream and settled any doubts Jacob had about the blessing he stole and gave him a righteous path to follow and humbleness to right the wrong in regards to his brother’s angst against him in the near future (Gen. 32). Jacob got the “3-count” and was pinned by God to begin his journey as a new man and it all began with a dream and a ladder.