I will protect you wherever you go, and bring you back to this land. I will never leave you until I have done what I promised you. God’s promise to Jacob about which we hear in the First Reading was not a new one by any chance. It is the same promise that God had made to Jacob’s grandfather and father, Abraham and Isaac (cf. Genesis 17:7-8, 26:3-4). This is because God’s promise to Jacob is an extension of the covenant God had made with Abraham.
God’s promises to God’s people never change. They are simply renewed generation after generation. And even though the needs of each generation is particular and unique to that very generation, the substance of God’s promises remains the same. God’s promise will always include meeting a people in their immediate needs and concerns. The immediate concerns of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - the three great patriarchs of the Hebrew people - were the possession of land as well as siring enough descendants who would protect such a prize possession. God was aware of these concerns of theirs, and it is these that he addressed in his promises to them. In addition to possession of land and plenty of descendants, the Lord promises Jacob unending protection. For it is only with God’s protection that the promises of God get to be realized in the lives of God’s people.
My immediate concern or need today might not be land or descendants who will inherit and take care of my land/treasures. However, I still need God to have my back, so to speak. I need to realize that God’s protection will always be with me. God’s promises to us never go unfulfilled.