JACOB PROMISES TITHE TO GOD
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,
so that I come again to my father’s house in peaceH7965, then the Lord shall be my God,
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.”
Genesis 28:20-22 (ESV)
The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible explains the procedure concerning vows in Old Testament times:
28:20 made a vow. Vows in the ancient world generally involved a request made of deity with a promise of a gift in return when the request is fulfilled. The request often concerned protection or provision, and the gift was typically a sacrifice or a donation to the sanctuary of the deity. The details in this chapter conform to that pattern. God has promised protection, provision and return to the land, so Jacob made those the condition of his proffered gift — a tithe (“a tenth,” v. 22) of all that he acquires during his absence. (6)
In Genesis 28:10-15 Jacob stopped for the night on his journey to find a wife among his mother Rebekkah’s people in Paddan Aram. In a dream, God reaffirmed that His covenant with Abraham and Isaac now passed on to Jacob. God promised Jacob descendants like the dust of the earth through whom all peoples would be blessed. God affirmed that He would watch over Jacob and bring him back to his land. God promised His presence. Jacob believed God spoke to him, but his vow sounds a bit like he was not completely convinced that the Lord would see him through. His vow begins with IF God does all these things, THEN I will worship him by giving a tithe. “Peace” in this context means safety in coming and going, that he would return “in one piece” as The Message Bible puts it—unmolested and not missing anything.
From our perspective of having the entire Bible, we KNOW we can have this kind of peace.
Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God
We can have peace for a literal journey or just as important, peace for each day as we ride planet earth. The key is to keep our thoughts on Jesus and trust in Him. How do we do this? We spend time daily in God’s word and in prayer—keep the lines of communication with God open!
Father, we can come and go in peace knowing that You are with us every step of the way. No harm can come to us that is not filtered through Your love. Thank You for giving us peace even in the middle of trying circumstances because You are our Prince of Peace!