Word of Encouragement (03/23/2022)

Then Jacob made 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 clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.” (Gen. 28:20-22)

Let us consider what Jacob promised to do. The first is, “...then the LORD shall be my God....” Of course, this doesn’t mean that Jacob was recognizing the LORD as God for the first time or that he finally realized that the LORD existed. He grew up in Isaac’s covenant family, listening to the accounts of the LORD’s calling of Abraham and His promises to him and his descendants. And why would he covet Esau’s birthright, which was to inherit the Abrahamic Covenant, (to the point of deceiving his father, by the way) if he did not believe in the LORD?

Notice how he said, “...the LORD shall be my God....” Again, this doesn’t mean that the LORD was not his God until that moment. Jacob most likely received circumcision, which was God’s covenant sign for Abraham and his descendants. Both Isaac and Rebekah did not allow any pagan worship in their household. One of the reasons that they sent Jacob away to get a wife from their relatives was so that he would not marry a Canaanite woman. This is not to say that Jacob was not exposed to the pagan religions, which their neighbors practiced all around them. Nor does it mean that Jacob did not entertain the possibility of following other religions or holding on to both—his father’s religion and his neighbors’ religions. That is very unlikely, but we don’t know for sure because the Bible doesn’t tell us.

What is certain is what Jacob was promising to do in this vow—to make the LORD his God. To have the LORD as his God meant, at the most basic level, that the LORD alone would be his God. He would not even consider the possibility of worshipping and serving any other gods. He would not allow even the temptation of serving pagan idols to set foot in his mind. This was important because he was leaving his covenant family for the first time. Though he was going to his relatives, they probably did not worship the LORD as his parents did. And sure enough, we later hear about Rachel taking “the household gods” from her father’s house (Gen. 31:34). Here, he is making clear his resolve to worship and serve the LORD alone.

This is somewhat like getting married, isn’t it? Before we get married, every eligible bachelorette or bachelor is a possible mate. This may seem exciting—oh, all the possibilities! But this can be overwhelming as well—who among all these possibilities is my spouse and how do I find my only and only? But life becomes much simpler once we get married. No more wondering and seeking. All our romantic longing and energy should be directed to our spouse. All our efforts should be spent on improving our marriage, to make it the best marriage possible!

So it is with our relationship with God. Not only should we know God as God, but we should also know Him as our God. We should resolve in our hearts to worship and serve Him alone. All our efforts should be directed to growing our knowledge of Him and deepening our communion with Him. This is all the more so because God has made Himself available to us for this intimate relationship! He has made us His people, His special possession. He has pledged His loyalty and love to us as our God. To this end, He gave us His Son, who willingly laid down His life for us so that we can be restored to God our Maker, our Sustainer, our Lord and Redeemer, the Fountain of life and every blessing! Let us renew our commitment to the LORD as our God with thanksgiving and praise!

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