The God Beside Us
“And behold, the LORD stood [beside him] and said, “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. 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 in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 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.” (Genesis 28:13-15)
Words are important. Words shape our very lives, informing and transforming us in the inner recesses of our being. A single speech has done more to change the course of human history than an atomic bomb, artificial intelligence, or any other human invention. How much more true is this when we begin to consider God’s Word? This is the Word that formed the heavens and the earth, and it is the very same Word which gives man a new heart, new sight, and a new song. If this is the case, I must draw attention to one slight translation preference.
In Genesis 28:13, the ESV states: “And behold, the LORD stood above it.” “It” would be referring to the ladder connecting heaven and earth. However, they include a small footnote that says the passage could be translated as, “And behold, the LORD stood beside him.” Both of these are possible translations of the Hebrew text; however, which of these better match the character of our God? Which of these best correspond to Him? Your answer tells a great deal of how you view God.
Does our God stand aloof, looking down on the ants below? Does He call us to ascend to His height, command us to muster our own strength and pull ourselves up by our own boot straps? Or is this a God who stands beside us in our weakness and weariness, who bears us up on eagles’ wings, who brings us to Himself by His own strength, His own wisdom, and His own goodness? I could provide us a litany of Scriptures, but the best example is Jesus Christ. Do we not remember His name? It is not Immanuel – “God over us,” but Immanuel - “God with us.”
Throughout Jacob’s life, the blessing of the Lord also stood beside Him as a front guard and a rearguard. The blessings did not wait until Jacob cleaned up; rather, the blessings are what cleansed Jacob. As we read the Psalms, we find that our God is still the God of Jacob, standing beside His people. What of you? How much would our lives be different if we lived as if our God was always beside us? Would not our discouragement melt away? Our sin waste away? Our complaining wither away? Would we not find more strength for holiness? More power for prayer? More wisdom for living? We would find all that and more from the God who is beside us.
