Genesis 28:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

NIV: I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.'

NASB: Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.'

CSB: Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

NLT: What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”

The Lord is communicating with Jacob in a dream, as he rests his head on a rock in the wilderness (Genesis 28:10–14). In the dream, Jacob sees God standing at the top of a ladder-like structure reaching from earth to heaven. In the previous verse, the Lord spoke to Jacob the very same promises He had made to Abraham. He would give Jacob's descendants this land. Those descendants would be as the dust of the earth spreading out in every direction. And through those descendants, all the peoples of the earth would be blessed.

Now the Lord gives to Jacob promises that are especially for him in this journey he is taking out of the land of Canaan. The Lord promises to personally be with Jacob wherever he goes, even into Mesopotamia. He also promises to bring Jacob back to the land of promise. Finally, the Lord promises never to leave Jacob until His other promises are fulfilled.

It's easy to read past these "be with you" promises, but the Lord knew that Jacob needed to hear and believe them. Traveling from his home to a strange place to begin a new stage of his life, and seemingly alone, it would have been easy for Jacob to forget the larger purpose of his life and live in fear. The fact that the Lord was with him in every step and had a definite plan for his future should give meaning and confidence to anyone.

In a similar way, God's promises to never leave or forsake those who trust in Christ should help us to overcome our fearfulness about the future (Hebrews 13:5–6).

Genesis 28:10–22 describes the Lord's appearance in a dream, given to Jacob while on the road to Haran in Mesopotamia, the region where Rebekah's brother Laban lives. Forced by nightfall to sleep on the ground with a rock for a pillow, Jacob dreams of a ladder, connecting earth to heaven, and full of angels going in both directions. Atop the ladder, the Lord stands and gives to Jacob the very promises He gave to Abraham. He also promises to be with Jacob on his journey from and back to the land of promise. Jacob wakes up and worships the Lord, vowing to make the Lord his God.

Isaac sends Jacob away from his household to find a wife in Mesopotamia, in Paddan-aram, where Rebekah's brother lives. First, though, he gives to Jacob the full blessing of the promises of Abraham. Esau marries one of the daughters of Ishmael to try to please Isaac. The Lord appears to Jacob in a dream, giving to him the promises of Abraham personally, along with the assurance that He will be with Jacob to Mesopotamia and back again. Jacob vows that if the Lord does this, he will make the Lord his God and will worship Him and tithe to Him.

The previous chapter concluded with Rebekah urging Jacob to run for his life to her brother's household in Mesopotamia to escape the wrath of Esau. Now Isaac, too, sends Jacob to Laban, except to find a non-Canaanite wife. Hearing this, Esau marries one of the daughters of Ishmael. On the road to Mesopotamia, the Lord appears to Jacob in a dream. God personally delivers the covenant promises of Abraham and assurances to be with Jacob. In awe and fear, Jacob renames the place Bethel, ''house of God,'' and vows to worship the Lord as his God. In the next chapter, Jacob will get a taste of his own deceptive medicine, as he seeks a wife.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.