seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Genesis 28:10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 11 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. 12 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. 13 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. 14 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. 15 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.”
16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 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.”
18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”
Ok... once again, here's the link to the commentary on these verses.Then he dreamed: In this desolate wilderness, Jacob had a significant dream as he used a stone for a pillow. One can only imagine the strange flood of feelings in Jacob at this moment: the fear, the loneliness, the isolation, the excitement, and the anticipation. This was an important time in Jacob’s life.
A ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it: In Jacob’s dream, there was now access to heaven. Jacob now knew God was closer than he ever thought before and there was real access and interaction between heaven and earth.
How awesome is this place: From his unspiritual and perhaps superstitious perspective, Jacob put too much emphasis on a particular place. He didn’t realize that if the presence of the LORD was not with him in every place, then God could never fulfill His promise to him.
He called the name of that place Bethel: The city of Bethel would play an important (though not glorious) role in Israel’s history. Among the cities of Israel, it is second only to Jerusalem in the number of times mentioned in the Old Testament.
If God will be with me: This can also be translated “since God will be with me”; but knowing Jacob, he undoubtedly meant it in the sense of “if God will be with me.” God gave him a promise, yet he still tried to bargain with God, even promising God money if He fulfilled His promise.
Keep me in the way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on: Here, Jacob spoke as if he could set the terms of his covenant with God. In his thinking, he made the deal for God instead of humbly receiving what God said would be the arrangement.
Jacob wasn’t very submitted to God. In the next phase of his life, God taught him submission in adversity, through his Uncle Laban.
Jacob made a vow: Unfortunately, there was a great contrast between God’s promise and Jacob’s vow. One was totally God-centered; the other was terribly man-centered.
Oh Jacob... You set a fine example. Jacob reminds me of the guy who pays his tithe in order to sit in a visible spot for the sermons.... and shows up with a bib at every pot luck. He doesn't know Christ and definitely doesn't understand Salvation. A measly tithe [say 10%] gets him in front of the church where everyone can see him. If he is always there, he can claim to be a good man of the church, trustworthy, so they will do business with him. It's an investment opportunity.
Actually, Jacob is running for his life. His brother, Esau, found out that Jacob stole his blessing and his birthright. Esau vowed to kill him. Jacob was on the run... and look, he doesn't even have a backpack. He has to lay on the ground with a stone for a pillow. Pour deceitful man. It doesn't say he built a fire. I wonder if he even knew how to build a fire. He didn't even make his dinner and before crawling in his knapsack. He had no dinner or knapsack. He was cold, hungry, and probably very afraid that a wild animal, or worse yet, Esau, would come out of the dark and murder him.
So, Jacob had a dream about a ladder. A stairway to Heaven. He met God and God told him he would be ok.
Jacob [apparently ready to be an ambitious ladder climber] decided to strike a deal with God. If God will feed him, keep him safe, and even give him land... he would gladly pay God 10% of his [Isaac's] income.... and he probably said "net income" to save a few more shillings for himself.
Check out verse 20. Look... The first word out of Jacob's mouth is "IF". If you do your part God... I'll pay you 10%.
When Jacob offered God a tithe.... Was he really trying to "buy" Salvation?
I know these verses are supposed to be all about Jacob's Ladder. There's even a song about it. Every rung goes higher, higher. If you love Him why not serve him. Jacob doesn't love him.... Jacob only loves Jacob... and his self-centered way of life. Jacob is not a "soldier of the cross". "If you love Him, why not serve Him" is not an invitation.... It's an admonishment.
To be fair... Jacob has to climb the ladder... and he hasn't even stepped on the first rung yet. So maybe I am being too hard on the deceitful ambitious self-centered Jacob who has been offered the ladder. He hasn't seen the view from the second or third rung yet. Maybe he'll make a good job of it, leave himself behind and become more God-centered.
Did Jacob try to barter over the ladder?
If you do your part God... I'll pay you 10%.
