"Surely the Lord Is in This Place"

As Jacob travels to Padanaram to find a wife and be obedient to his father, he lights upon a certain place. The scriptures state:

"And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.

And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

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.

And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.

And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.

And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first" (Genesis 28:11-19).

Notice the repetition of the word place. This is a Hebrew writing style called Leitwort. It is a German word meaning "leading word."

Very often when you see the word place you will know the theme is the holy place, or temple.

Let's look at some temple imagery in this passage. First, there are the stones used as a pillow. Later in Genesis chapter 31 a heap of stones becomes a witness to a covenant made between Jacob and Laban. Witnesses are necessary for any gospel covenant. The stones also represent the Stone of Israel, who is Christ (Genesis 49:24).

He dreams of a ladder (or staircase) connecting heaven and earth. This is the definition of temple. It is sacred space where heaven meets earth. Messengers from heaven are visiting the earth, delivering a message, and then returning back to the presence of the Father.

Next, the Abrahamic Covenant is renewed with successive generations, and the promises given to Abraham are repeated once more. Jacob is promised a posterity as the dust of the earth and is told he will be brought again into the promised land, symbolizing exaltation. 

Jacob remarks, "How dreadful is this place!" The Hebrew word for dreadful (yare) means supreme reverence or awe. He calls it "the house of God" and "the gate of heaven." The temple is God's house and Bethel means "house of God." Temple ordinances, together with baptism, constitute the gateway to celestial glory. Another Jacob in the Book of Mormon describes Jesus as "the keeper of the gate." His role is explained as follows:

"O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name" (2 Nephi 9:41).

Jacob (Israel) participates in a ceremonial anointing of the pillar of stone by pouring oil on its top (or head). A king or queen, or a priest or priestess would be anointed the same way (see Exodus 40:13; 1 Kings 1:39-45).

The sealing power that binds families for all eternity is found in temple ordinances. How grateful I am to know this and know that our family can be eternal.