Genesis 28:22

This stone. Jacob declared his intention to erect upon this spot an altar for the celebration of divine worship. This resolution he carried out several years after returning safely to the land of his birth (see ch. 35:1, 15).

The tenth. Abraham and Jacob both understood and practiced the payment of tithe (see ch. 14:20). Jacob’s words imply that this had not been his habit in the past. Perhaps he had little to call his own. Perhaps his grasping spirit had led him to be careless in tithing what was his. However that may be, he vowed henceforth faithfully to pay a tenth, not to earn the favor of Heaven, but in humble and grateful recognition of the pardon and favor of God. He made his promise emphatic, saying, “I will surely give,” literally, “giving I will give.” In other words, he would keep on giving it. Judging by his future life of faithfulness and devotion to God, there is no reason to doubt that his vow was faithfully kept. That God blessed Jacob so abundantly in later years is evidence of faithfulness in this respect (see Mal. 3:8-11). He who for 77 years seems not to have been a faithful tithepayer left Canaan a poor fugitive, with nothing but a staff in his hand, but returned 20 years later with much cattle, flocks, servants, and a great family.

Every Christian may learn from Jacob’s experience a vital lesson. In time of crisis and calamity he should consider whether heavenly blessings have perhaps been withheld because of unfaithfulness in tithe paying (see Haggai 1:6-11). Jacob’s experience testifies that it is never too late to make a new start in this direction, not, to be sure, as a means of earning God’s favor, but as a token of love and devotion to Him. The blessings of Heaven may then descend upon the sincere believer as they did in Jacob’s case. The grand objective of all God’s dealings with man is the development of a character that will reflect that of his Creator.