"This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of
heaven."--_Genesis 28:17._
YOU know that Isaac, Abraham's son, had two sons, whose names were Esau
and Jacob. Now Jacob had grieved Esau by gaining God's great promise,
for which Esau was so angry with him, that he had to go out away from
his father's home, all alone. But Jacob knew he was not alone, for God
was with him. He went on till night came. Then he was in a dismal stony
place, with no house or shelter near--only big stones, and here and
there a thistle.
He said his prayers, and then he lay down, with a stone for his pillow
and the sky over him. But in the night he saw a wonder. There was a
ladder reaching from earth to heaven, and God's angels were going up
and down, and the Lord Himself stood at the top of the ladder. And
He told Jacob that He was going to give his children all the land he
saw--North, South, East, and West; and that He would take care of him,
and be with him wherever he went, and in time bring him safe home.
[Illustration: JACOB'S VISION OF ANGELS.--Gen. 28:12, 13.]
Jacob woke, and found it was a dream, but he knew it was true, and that
God had really spoken to him; and though he was glad he was afraid, and
he said, "How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house
of God, and this is the gate of heaven." And that he might always know
the place, he put one of the great stones upright, and he took some of
the sweet olive oil he had brought to eat on his journey, and poured it
on the stone, as the only thing he could do to show honor to God.
Then he made a solemn holy vow, that if God would take care of him on
his way, and give him food to eat and clothes to wear, he would make a
gift to God all his life of the tenth part of all he had. Good people
like to do like Jacob, and give God their tenth. And if we only had our
eyes opened to see, like his, we should see God's angels coming up and
down with blessings for us, for we go to the house of God and gate of
heaven whenever we go to church. Let us recollect how awful Jacob felt
it to be so near to God.