And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.¹⁴ Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. ¹⁵ Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” Genesis 28:12-15 (NKJV)

This is undoubtably the first time that the God of Abraham and Isaac spoke directly to Jacob, the father of the future nation of Israel. He had heard stories from Grandfather Abraham of how God had met with him and he had repeatedly heard from Isaac of the LORD’s promises and protection over him. Now the LORD was speaking to him, reiterating the very promises He had made to both Isaac and Abraham.

He awoke in astonishment and in awe. The first words out of his mouth were:

“Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the Gate of Heaven!” Genesis 28:16-17 (NKJV)

Jacob listened intently as God spoke these promises over him, declaring the protections that He would provide over his life. But what he did next marked him with God for the rest of his life. He arose early the next morning and took the stone that had been under his head and set it upright on the land. It was the memorial pillar to commemorate the place where he first met and spoke with God. He then poured oil on top of it which ran down the sides of that pillar and seeped into the ground of that most holy place. He determined within himself: “I will call this place: Bethel, for it is God’s House, the very Gateway to Heaven!” 

Then he vowed a vow to God, saying,

 “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothes to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will surely give a tenth to you.” Genesis 28: 20-22 (NKJV)

 This is his moment of what we would today refer to as the “moment of his salvation.” It is where he spoke out his reply to God. He accepted God’s offer to be his exclusive God. He gladly received God’s promise of a lifetime provision of food and clothing and of protection from the potential harms that life would bring his way. He declared that if God would do all that for him, then God would be his One and only God. He then made two more statements: This stone would become the House of the LORD upon this earth, where he would be able to come to meet with Him and speak intimately with Him. He also made a vow that he would carve off ten percent of everything God would give him and give it back as an offering to God.

This is the very thing we must do with God. God has made his offer to us: He has promised to be a God to us, to provide for us and to care for us. Therefore, we are compelled to make a decision: Will we receive His offer and allow Him to be our one exclusive God for the rest of our life? It is our choice of what we will answer…