Genesis 28:20-22 "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."
I hear and feel in my heart a great power when I read the first phrase of our scriptures today. Jacob vowed a vow. It was a solemn promise which he made to God and not men. This promise was made in response to God’s promise to Jacob. Jacob’s vow was made because of God’s promise, not in order to receive God’s promise.
As we read about Jacob, we should realize that God had already made choice of Jacob and his seed. God’s promise was already in place to make of Jacob a great nation before he was ever born (Genesis 25:23). Jacob had secured the birthright (Genesis 25:31-34) and had received the blessing from his father (Genesis 27:28-29). The LORD was Jacob’s God by the LORD’s choice, not Jacob’s.
Understanding this, we should realize that the language that Jacob used here was not intended to make a condition on whether or not the LORD would be his God. The word “if” as used here can mean the same as the world “lo” (as Jesus said “Lo, I am with you always).” Jacob’s vow was that as surely as God had promised him that He would be with him, care for him, and bring him back to his father’s house in peace (Genesis 28:15), he would surely serve the LORD. Jacob was anchoring his vow in the sure promise of God.
Too often today, vows have little meaning. We have forgotten that it is better not to make a vow before the LORD than to make it and not keep it (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5). When we pledge ourselves to God’s service, it is not something that should be done lightly. We receive blessings from His hand, and He is worthy of our pledge to Him.
Often, we will find that the very place where our pillow was a stone caused us to understand more about the house of God. Even though we may have difficult times, those times often show us the power and grace of God in ways we could not imagine. Our pillow of unrest becomes a pillar in us who are built up the spiritual house of God (1 Peter 2:5). God proves to us daily that His promises are sure. Let our vow to Him be yea and amen through Jesus, our Lord (2 Corinthians 1:18-20)!