Who climbed on top of who to get to the very top of the ladder? Who used who?
In the words of Toko Xasa, ANCWL national spokesperson, as well as league president, Bathabile Dlamini there has been a lot of blame shifting for the outcome of the results of the top six elected for the ANC leading party, reported News24.
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“They did not pull the candidate up. They used it (Dlamini-Zuma’s campaign) as a ladder for themselves — that one we are not shy to say. They used that as a ladder for themselves. It’s our demonstration to you to say this is how patriarchy is rearing its ugly head.”
Lizeka Tandwa of News24 went on to report the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) as saying that newly elected ANC deputy president David Mabuza and secretary-general Ace Magashule used presidential candidate Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to advance their own campaigns.
The ANCWL held a press briefing on the side-lines of the national conference to express its dissatisfaction with the outcome of the ANC top six.
Cyril Ramaphosa won the presidency against Dlamini-Zuma, however, three of the party’s critical top six positions were taken by her camp.
As I read this report on News 24, I was immediately drawn to do a little research on Jacobs Ladder in the book of Genesis and I wondered about the outcome and the word ‘ladder’.
Jacobs ladder?
Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring 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.”
When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” Genesis 28:10-17
A few points I thought one could ponder over
Jacob had stolen Esau’s birth right, and who would you say is the brother in this situation? Now before we take up the gavel and presume the position of judge of a supreme court, I would ask you to consider the verdict very carefully. Especially in prophetic circles we love to be right, but in the light of the bigger picture do you see things completely from the Lord’s perspective. After all Pappa God has the interest of every single person He has created on His heart. So we have to ask Him to give us His eyes to see. Maybe we have to lie with our head on a rock for the night — He is the Rock of Ages and He will open our eyes to see things from His point of view.
Angels at work
Maybe you might just see into the supernatural. You may even see how the angelic hosts are busy on assignment when you pray the Word of the Lord out into the heavens. Perhaps you may see the effects of the Word of the Lord as it goes back and forth accomplishing that which God has intended. The airways are alive with vibrations that are either from the Word of God or not. God’s angels are on a ladder busy with the Lord’s business. Ascending and descending, but let’s get back to Jacob…
Jacob gets a message:
Jacob saw God standing above the ladder. God repeated the promise of support He had made to Abraham and Isaac. He told Jacob his offspring would be many, blessing all the families of the earth. God then said,
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 28:15)
Jacob believes
When Jacob awoke, he believed that God was present in that place. He took the stone he had been using to rest his head, poured oil on it and consecrated it to God. Then Jacob made a vow, saying,
If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you. (Genesis 28:20-22, ESV)
Jacob called the place Bethel, meaning “house of God.”
Who is the ladder?
The ladder is none other than Jesus Christ — the connection between Heaven and earth. Jesus came to earth to save humanity from all the jostling for power. John 1:51 And He, Jesus said to him ‘Truly truly I say to you, you will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
What would you do?
If you had a dream like Jacob what would you do? Which ladder are you climbing? How do you climb and where are you climbing to and from?
Is your ladder filled with your own hard work and ideologies or do you have the plans and purposes of the Lord clearly in mind.
Some say to climb the social ladder or political ladder is acceptable and it’s not what you know but who you know. Jacob in Genesis had a world changing dream by encountering the living God. I honestly believe with an encounter with the Rock of all ages we can access all the promises of God for this nation.
