Genesis 28 focuses on Jacob's journey from Beersheba to Haran and his encounter with God at Bethel.
Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and instructed him not to marry a Canaanite woman. Instead, he was to go to Padanaram (Mesopotamia) to find a wife from among his uncle Laban's daughters.
Jacob left Beersheba and headed toward Haran. While sleeping at a certain place along the journey, Jacob had a remarkable dream. He saw a ladder reaching from earth to heaven. Angels of God were ascending and descending on it. God stood above it and spoke to Jacob.
In this dream, God renewed the covenant previously made with Abraham and Isaac. He promised the land on which Jacob lay to him and his descendants. He promised that his descendants would be numerous and spread in all directions. He promised that all peoples on earth would be blessed through Jacob and his descendants. He promised to be with Jacob, protect him, and bring him back to this land.
When Jacob woke up, he realized the sacred nature of the place. Jacob took the stone he had used as a pillow and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on it. He named the place Bethel ("house of God"), though it was previously called Luz.
Jacob made a vow to God: If God protected him, provided for him, and brought him back safely, then the LORD would be his God, this pillar would be God's house, and he would give God a tenth of everything he received.
