Let us open our Bible and read once again the last part of the story of Jacob, found in Genesis 28:18–22: “And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillow, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed 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 raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: And this stone which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee.”
Every day, we wake up early in the morning and start a fresh new day with God. The last few days I have, for one reason or another, gotten up early in the morning—earlier than I usually do. I open my laptop, taking time for my devotional reading for the day before calling my family for morning worship and having a devotional Bible study, which prepares us for the day ahead. I believe there is joy in heaven when God’s children are gathering together, asking Jesus to lead us throughout that day, giving us power and strength to do His will. I remember when I first started walking with Jesus—what a precious time that was, my friend, studying the Bible and praying without getting tired. I felt so thirsty for God then and how I wish I could do the same today. Has it happened to you in your prayer life that when you prayed and meditated at the end of the day, thanking God for His protection and blessings that He bestowed upon you, that you realized that you had some time during the day when Jesus was missing from your life?
Like Jacob, my brethren, we come early in the morning to consecrate ourselves before God. Jacob took the stone that he had used for a pillow, put it up on a pillar of stones and poured oil in it. This pouring of oil on the pillow stone was an act of consecration. Clearly, Jacob had a holy fear of God. He realized that God had spoken to him and he had to respond, so he did not just leave and go on his way, but his actions showed that he did believe God.
Jacob is very different from Abraham and Isaac, the first and second patriarch of Israel. It seems clear that Jacob wanted what Isaac had, namely, his father’s blessing; he wanted the stature, respect and influence that he knew came with fulfillment of the promises to Abraham. Jacob certainly did not undervalue the “gift from God”. Rather, he could not believe that God would give all these great things to him for nothing. So, when we look at the life of Jacob we see an example of a man who spent his life trying to earn, by his own effort, what God was giving him as a gift. The clear revelation of God’s gracious dealings with man can transform a worldly individual into a worshiper. It is a drama that has been repeated again and again throughout the history of the faith. Perhaps no story in Scripture illustrates this so vividly as Jacob’s dream at Bethel, recorded in Genesis 28:10–22.
The Spirit of Prophecy has something important to say about Jacob and his experience in the context of that particular dream. “Jacob was afflicted because he had made a mistake in his life. He was cast down to the very depths. Alone, weary, dispirited, tortured by the recollections of his past errors, and overwhelmed with apprehensions for the future, he laid him down to rest, his head pillowed upon a stone. Had Jacob’s conscience been clear, his heart would have been strong in God. But he knew his present perplexities, his fears and trials, were in consequence of his sins. This reflection is what embittered his life. Jacob was repentant, yet he did not feel easy under the wrong he had done. Through tribulation and through physical and mental suffering he could only have hope to find his way again to the favor of God.
“He lay down in sadness, with a heavy heart, repenting and yet fearing. He expected that new trials would meet him on the morrow as he pursued his weary way.
“There was no friend nigh to speak a comforting word to Jacob, no one to tell him he had in his sincere repentance done what he could. But God’s eye was upon His servant. He sent His angels to reveal to him a ladder of brightness reaching from the earth to the highest heavens, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon this glorious ladder, which showed Jacob the connection and intercourse constantly going on between the two worlds. When Jacob awoke his difficulties had not vanished entirely, but he had such confidence in God that he was comforted. In humble gratitude of heart he adores his Saviour and especially honors even his stony pillow.
“Oh, the wonderful condescension of God! He is ever ready to meet us, even in our infirmities, and to encourage us by His presence, when we have done all on our part to make an entire surrender to Him. Heaven is open to man. God will be entreated to do these things for us. The future may seem dark before you, but God lives.” –This Day with God, p. 323. What promises are set before us—can we say “Amen”?
Break down every barrier and let the Saviour into your heart. Let self die. Surrender your will and die to self now, just now, and leave God to make your way for you. God’s personal encounter with Jacob wrought immediate fruit—the fruit of awe, fear, wonder, worship, action, and commitment. This is the first time that I can find in the Bible a mention of the anointing. Jacob anointed the stone with oil after he received a vision from the Lord. He set up the stone he had slept on as a stone of remembrance, renaming the place “Bethel”—which means the house of God. For many hundreds of years, Bethel was a centre of worship. While Jacob thought of Bethel as the gate of heaven, the fact is that God is omnipresent, He is not a local deity. He is all powerful, all present, the Creator and sustainer of all and He reveals Himself where He wants and to whom He wants.
Jacob’s call came at a moment of crisis in his life. His life was in danger. Such was self-inflicted danger. Up to this point in his life, pretty much everything he did was for himself—and it always came back to get him. We all come to God as sinners and wretches, who do not merit God’s forgiveness and salvation—and yet in Christ, He forgives and reconciles to Himself each one who calls in faith and repentance upon the name of Christ.
Ephesians 2:8–9 tells us exactly what we need to know about the salvation of any person, saying; “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” God’s amazing promises to Jacob such as protection, presence, provision, promises for the future, as we find in the Scriptures, are still valid for us today, my friend. The Christian experience is similar. The effectual revelation of God’s protective presence and promised blessings for Christians will inspire devout and faithful worship. Those who fully realize God’s gracious provision, those whom the Word of God has powerfully impressed, will respond with consecration and commitment. Where there is no reverential fear, no commitment or devotion, there is probably very little apprehension of what the spiritual life is all about.
Like the revelation to Jacob, the written revelation of God makes the believer aware of the Lord’s presence and prompts him to a higher level of living. Finally, just note that when we enter into a relationship with God, it does not guarantee only good times. There can be trials—sometimes severe trials—in our lives, my brethren. But do not be afraid, there is good news—Jesus is going to give us enough power and strength to overcome in this life. The important thing is that we are in a relationship with God. This assures us that our sins are forgiven and that we will experience eternal life. God will be present with us at every point in our everyday life, but wait—is there anything from my part to be done, according to the vow that Jacob made in Genesis 28:20–22? Let us see what the Spirit of Prophecy says. “The Lord designed to bring man into close relationship with Himself and into sympathy and love with his fellow men by placing upon him responsibilities in deeds that would counteract selfishness and strengthen his love for God and man. The plan of system in benevolence God designed for the good of man, who is inclined to be selfish and to close his heart to generous deeds. The Lord requires gifts to be made at stated times, being so arranged that giving will become habit and benevolence be felt to be a Christian duty. The heart, opened by one gift, is not to have time to become selfishly cold and to close before the next is bestowed.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, p. 393
“In the Hebrew economy, one tenth of the income of the people was set apart to support the public worship of God. Thus, Moses declared to Israel: ‘All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S: it is holy unto the LORD.” “And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, . . the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.” Leviticus 27:30, 32.
“But the tithing system did not originate with the Hebrews. From the earliest times the Lord claimed a tithe as His, and this claim was recognized and honored. Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, the priest of the most high God. Genesis 14:20. Jacob, when at Bethel, an exile and a wanderer, promised the Lord, ‘Of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee.’ Genesis 28:22. As the Israelites were about to be established as a nation, the law of tithing was reaffirmed as one of the divinely ordained statutes upon obedience to which their prosperity depended.
“The system of tithes and offerings was intended to impress the minds of men with a great truth—that God is the source of every blessing to His creatures, and that to Him man’s gratitude is due for the good gifts of His providence.” –Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 525
Bethel, my brethren, is mentioned several times in Genesis. The first time in Genesis chapter 12, and then in Genesis chapter 28, where our current lessons are. I was in Bethel Missionary Institute 15 years ago where I completed my studies to be a Gospel Worker in God’s vineyard. I also made a vow to my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ that I will serve Him for the rest of my life. I have chosen to serve Jesus from my youth and today I am very happy for this choice—I can say it is the best choice I have ever made in my life because this changed my life. I completely consecrate myself daily and submit myself to the One who died for me. He gave me the possibility and the honour to be His ambassador in a new field, a new continent, with new people, brothers and sisters in the Lord searching together as a family for the lost ones that God still has in the world. Today, Jesus is making a new appeal to you to let Him be revealed to the world. Will you and I give Him the opportunity to use us and prepare us for eternity? May it be our wish until the end of our lives because He is coming, my friend—more quickly than we think. He is at the door, even at the door and is it my wish and prayer to make Jesus known to the world and to be prepared together as one for His second coming. Amen!
In Christ,
Nicholas Anca