Ultimatums

"Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, '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.' So Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its top. He called the name of that place Bethel; however, previously the name of the city had been Luz. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, 'If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the Lord will be my God. This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.'" -Genesis 28.16-22

In my Bible next to this section I have a note written in the margin, "He has conditions for God to meet before he will fully trust Him." Jacob has set out on this journey, and God has appeared to him making him the same promises of the covenant that He made to Abraham and Isaac, and yet for some reason Jacob does not fully trust. Why?

We read and see that the accounts we have of his early life are vastly different from his father Isaac's. We don't see Isaac really living the life that Abraham lived either. There is faith and trust, but the stories just don't compare. And so when the time comes for Jacob to make his decision, he has conditions for God to meet before he will fully trust him. Maybe it's because Jacob is a trickster, and he expects everyone to be tricky with him.

Men, how do you approach God? Is it with the unquestioned faith and obedience of Abraham? God said go where I will show you and he went. Or is it more like Jacob? God said I will bless you and be with you, and his response was, "If God will... then I will trust Him."

Jacob endures a long journey, more than a decade, and in this time God does provide for him and bring him back safely, He promised to after all. But he dealt with a lot because of his conditions. When God makes you a promise do you come back at Him with terms and conditions? How does that affect your relationship with God and with all He might be wanting to do?

I don't want to give God a list of ultimatums that He has to meat before giving him my full trust. I want to simply hear the voice of God and follow Him wherever He leads.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor