November 16, 2009

Jacob’s Ladder
by Pastor George Van Alstine

A ladder from earth to heaven—what a great image! It’s the theme of the familiar spiritual
         We are climbing Jacob’s ladder;
         We are climbing Jacob’s ladder;
         We are climbing Jacob’s ladder;
               Soldiers of the cross.
You can feel the exhilaration as you ascend, step by step, from the burdensome gravity of earth to the increasing freedom and openness of the higher ladder rungs.

Of course, each step involves great effort, commitment and self-discipline. This is portrayed in the closing line of each stanza
            Soldiers of the cross.
Using strangely-mixed metaphors, from military service to crucifixion, the spiritual reminds us of the heavy price we must pay to climb the ladder, against the weight of fleshly desires and selfish sins. It takes a heroic effort.

But there is constant reward, as the second stanza reminds us:
         Every round goes higher, higher;
         Every round goes higher, higher;
         Every round goes higher, higher;
               Soldiers of the cross.
Yes, hang in there! You’re making progress. You’re climbing that ladder from earth to heaven.

This is an inspiring story. But whatever ladder is being described in the song, it’s not Jacob’s ladder. Let’s look at the Biblical account of a critical event in the patriarch Jacob’s life, found in Genesis Chapter 28. A family rift had caused Jacob to leave his homeland and launch out on his own. He felt quite vulnerable and confused, as he traveled through unsettled land many miles to the northeast of his family home.

One night he slept in a place his nomad grandfather had visited decades before. It was still unsettled wilderness. His bed was the ground, and his pillow was a stone. And he dreamed about a ladder, which extended from earth to heaven.

Did Jacob climb that ladder? Not one rung! Well then, who climbed the ladder?
“. . . the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” (verse 12)

While he was watching the angelic activity in awe, Jacob heard the voice of God:
“I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that 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.” (verses 13-15)
How high up the ladder was Jacob by the time God finished his speech? He was still lying on the ground.

You see, this is not a story about Jacob’s climbing, or about soldiers’ disciplined courage, or about voluntarily carrying a cross. This isn’t about Jacob doing anything! All the climbing activities are by angels, and they’re coming down as well as going up. And the voice in the drama is not Jacob’s, making promises to God, but God’s, making promises to Jacob!

Jacob’s ladder is all about God’s grace, not human effort. God speaks the amazing promises. It’s all about what God is doing, not what Jacob is doing.

The spiritual song, following our usual human tendency, takes a story about God and turns it into a story about us. It transforms a dramatic demonstration of God’s grace into a heroic tale of human courage and accomplishment. We are constantly trading in the gospel for a religion based on our good works that are supposed to impress God.

So really, Jacob’s life-transforming dream is not about a ladder from earth to heaven, but about a ladder from heaven to earth. And the ladder is called “grace.”