Patriarchs, ChatGPT, And The Promise Of Divine Rest
- Kerry Morris
- Oct 8
- 4 min read
Jacob would have loved ChatGPT. Patriarch of Israel and grandson of Abraham, Jacob was a man of big dreams and complex schemes, always planning and dreaming and seeking an advantage. I can imagine him up late, peppering his AI assistant with questions and ideas.
Yet, on the night his scheming led to a dramatic climax, he did not lay awake plotting his next move. He slept. And after that night of rest, he was never the same.
Jacob The Restless
Jacob was a twin, missing out on being the firstborn by just a few seconds. He was born grabbing his twin brother’s heel, earning him a name that means “supplanter”, foreshadowing a life of striving and scheming[1].
Jacob negotiated a deal to purchase his brother’s birthright for a bowl of stew, and later impersonated his brother to gain a special blessing from his elderly father. Afraid of his brother, he fled his homeland. Ahead of him was an unknown land and an uncertain future, behind him was a brother who had vowed to kill Jacob and exact revenge[2].
Every clever plan and sleight of hand had led to this dangerous climax. Jacob was isolated, afraid, and in grave danger. His mind must have been racing. At this most stressful moment, Jacob lay down for what might have otherwise been a restless night. He had no idea his life was about to change forever.
A Divine Encounter
Genesis says that as Jacob slept, he had a remarkable dream. “He dreamed of a stairway…from the earth up to heaven, [with] angels of God going up and down... At the top…stood the Lord, and he said, “…The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving itto you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! ... I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go...[3]”
Jacob was awestruck. Waking up in the middle of the night, he said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!”[4] He then quickly set up a rock as a memorial.
A restless man, in the most anxious season of his life, had an astonishing encounter with the divine. So what did he do next?
Jacob fell asleep.
The next verse says, “The next morning Jacob got up very early…[5]”
Divine Rest
While we do not have details on the rest of Jacob’s night, I believe his sleep was not in spite of the encounter with God, but because of it. Jacob knew how to plan and hustle. But in the moment of his calling, God did not let him sit up all night thinking and scheming. God did not rush him off on his journey. God gave him rest. Sometimes the first step to a divine quest is a divine rest.
Even if you do not believe in the God of Jacob, chances are you have experienced moments of awe when eternity seems close: a birth, a death, a breathtaking view, an unexpected act of courage or grace.
In moments like these we feel the presence of something greater — and an odd stillness. Things we cared about a few moments before seem foggy and distant. Neuroscientist Andrew Newberg found that during prayer and mystical experiences, the regions of our brain involved in planning, analysis, and orientation grow quiet[6]. The resulting sense of stillness is a physiological echo of awe.
I think about my hike to a mountaintop in Patagonia. On the way up, I thought about the cold, my next meal, my aching joints. But then the summit greeted me with a stunning 360 degree view — mountains and glaciers and rivers, all painted in shimmering silver by a setting sun. I stopped in my tracks. I could think of nothing else. I sat breathless, silent, and still.
So often rest is hard to find. Whether I’m working, talking, chatting with AI, or scrolling social media, I am always in motion. Always tired. But most of my moments are spent on things that are insignificant against the backdrop of an eternal universe — a job, a news headline, a project, a problem. Like Jacob, I strive for solutions. My mind grips the steering wheel tightly and tries to navigate an uncertain world.
But there are moments when I suddenly find myself in the presence of something infinitely greater. In those moments, I am like a child in the back seat, gripping a toy steering wheel, realizing Someone greater is in control. And like Jacob, sheltered in the shadow of the infinite, I can find true rest.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.[7]” Culture offers outrage, work offers distraction, technology offers information, but God offers rest.
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[1] “But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the Lord about it. “Why is this happening to me?” she asked. And the Lord told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.” And when the time came to give birth, Rebekah discovered that she did indeed have twins! The first one was very red at birth and covered with thick hair like a fur coat. So they named him Esau. Then the other twin was born with his hand grasping Esau’s heel. So they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.”
Genesis 25:22-26 NLT
[2] “From that time on, Esau hated Jacob because their father had given Jacob the blessing. And Esau began to scheme: “I will soon be mourning my father’s death. Then I will kill my brother, Jacob.”” Genesis 27:41 NLT
[3] Genesis 28:11-15 NLT
[4] Genesis 28:16-17 NLT
[5] Genesis 28:18 NLT
[6] Newberg, Andrew, and Eugene d’Aquili. Why God Won’t Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief. New York: Ballantine Books, 2001.
[7] Matthew 11:28 NLT
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