28:15-17
“Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go ...” This is an amazing promise to Jacob, and one that is not based on his character! It is based on the goodness of God, and it is based on God’s commitment to His promises. He also promises that Jacob will come back to the land. As an aside, it would seem to imply that God’s promises to Israel persist beyond the New Testament! Jacob then awoke from his dream and declared “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it”. The kindness of God extends far beyond anything we imagine. He was also afraid, declaring this is the place of God and the gate of heaven. In truth, the whole earth is the Lord’s, and anywhere we humble ourselves before Him is a stairway to heaven.
28:18-22
Abraham often set up an altar at places where he encountered the Lord, and Jacob does much the same. He used the stone pillow (still don’t think stone pillows are a winner) and called the place Bethel, which means “house of God”. 28:20 is taken by some in a negative way, as if Jacob is bargaining with God, or is having a purely transactional relationship. Given what we know of Jacob’s character this could well be true, but it is possible to take a more charitable view and see Jacob as declaring that he believes God’s promises, as the Lord will be his God. As with Abraham and Melchizedek, we have the giving of a tenth. Tithing has a history that began long before the Law.
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