Genesis 28:10 - Jacob's Vow Questions

Jacob’s Vow

(Questions with Proposed Answers)

Background and Printed Text: Genesis 28:10-22

II. The Dream (verses 12-15)

Jacob dreamed. He saw a ladder set up toward the land. Its head touches the heavens. This ladder was extremely tall. Messengers, which are angels in this case, are ascending (going upward) and descending (going downward) via the ladder. Jacob saw Yehovah positioned on the ladder. He began to speak to Jacob.

Yehovah first identified Himself: “I am Yehovah Gods of Avraham thy father, and the Gods of Isaac.” He then gave the same promise to Jacob that He had given to Avraham and to Isaac—that the land will be his and his seed’s property.

Jacob’s seed will be as the dust of the land. They will spread out to live in all four directions. (The Mediterranean sea, ‘seaward,’ was to Jacob’s west.)

All families of the soil will be blessed by means of Jacob and Jacob’s seed.

Yehovah next assured Jacob, who was running from his murder-planning brother, that He (Yehovah) is with Jacob. He will guard Jacob in all things that he will walk. Yehovah will return Jacob back to this very soil. He will not forsake or abandon Jacob even unto the point that He has done what He promised.

Questions

1. Why didn’t Jacob awake and figure that he had just had a bad dream? There is a great difference between a dream that one can dream on any night, and a dream that Yehovah gives. When Yehovah gives a dream, the one dreaming it knows that it is very important, and that it is Truth. The person might not remember it—that happened to a king once who needed for someone to tell him both the dream and its interpretation—but the person will know that it is from Yehovah. Yehovah makes sure that the person knows.

2. Why did Jacob conclude that Yehovah was in that place? Yehovah spoke to him! He must have come to that place in order to speak!

3. Isn’t Yehovah everywhere? Yes, He is everywhere. Yet, being everywhere, He doesn’t make His home everywhere; He doesn’t claim all properties as His own. He is everywhere; yet He chooses certain places to abide and claim as His own property. Those places are very few in this world.

4. Why didn’t Jacob know that Yehovah was in this place before he dreamed? Yehovah hadn’t given an indicator that He lived in that place. He had appeared elsewhere in the land that later would be Israel, but He hadn’t appeared there. Jacob is also prophesying—saying the very things that his offspring, the Israelis, will learn far into the future from our time!

5. Why did Jacob fear? It was as if Jacob had wandered right into Yehovah’s own House! The land around him looked normal, with plants here and there. Yet, Jacob knew that this was no ordinary piece of land. It was a gate to the heavens and the House of Elohim! That would be frightening to a person who feared God! (All Saints fear God.)

6. Why would the place be fearsome? It belongs to Yehovah!

7. What is a House of Gods? It is a location where Yehovah lives! It is His own residence!

8. What is a gate of the heavens? It is an entranceway where the messengers can go straight from the earth into the heavens where Yehovah is temporarily living. A gate is used to keep those out who do not belong.

IV. The Vow (verses 18-22)

Jacob did not sleep long after this. He rose early in the morning. The stone that he had put for his head now had a very important meaning. He stood the stone up on one end forming a pillar. He then took oil (likely olive oil), and he poured oil on the top part of the stone as if it were a person. This is called anointing something.

Jacob named the Place House-Of-Mighty-[One] the name is used to this day. The place originally (at her head) was called Perversion, but now it would be named something good.

Jacob vowed to Yehovah. He started out with the word if. He said that if God would do certain things, he would do certain things. Jacob’s vow included the following: if

(a) Elohim (God) will be with him

(b) Elohim (God) will guard him in this way that he is walking

(d) Elohim will give him a garment to put on

(e) Jacob will return in peace unto his father’s house

(f) Yehovah will be Jacob’s Gods

(g) The pillow stone will be House of Gods

(h) Jacob will take a tenth of all that Yehovah will give to him, and Jacob will give it back to Yehovah.

Will Yehovah do as Jacob said in his vow? Lessons later on will let us know.

Questions

1. Why did Jacob rise early in the morning? It wasn’t because he was cold; that part of the world can be very warm. It wasn’t because he was excited about his journey; he was going to a place that was strange to him. The dream had surprised him in the middle of the night, and he had already awakened knowing that Yehovah is in this place. Unless it was cloudy (it probably wasn’t), he already had awakened to the beautiful sight of the stars even has he realized that this was the House of Gods and the gate of the heavens.

I suspect that he rose early in the morning to do what he did next: anoint the stone he had used as his headings (a place to put his head). He also determined to vow a vow to Yehovah.

2. What does “he put her a pillar” mean? Jacob put the stone that was his pillow in an upright position, making it into a pillar.

3. Why did he set the stone up as a pillar? The Stone of Israel is the Messiah:

Genesis 49:24 His bow abode in strength. And the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty-[One] of Jacob. From thence is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel.

A pillar used in this text is the same Hebrew word used for an image, an idol. Jacob didn’t worship this stone pillar, however. He anointed it and left it. I suspect that this stone pillar was an early type, a picture of Messiah Who later showed Himself as the Rock that provided water for the Israelis in the desert.

5.Why did Jacob pour oil on the stone? He anointed the stone with oil. Anyone who is anointed in the Bible has been given an assignment. The assignment might be to do something very good, but it also might be to become a leader, and that leader may do terrible things. Being anointed doesn’t show that the one anointed is good. In this case with the stone, however, the stone is a picture of One Who is very good! Jacob was anointing the Messiah of Israel in a picture (since Messiah wasn’t that rock as far as I can tell).

6. How can the stone be a picture of a person if it is feminine in gender (“upon her head”)? God is not feminine or masculine! He created Adam both masculine and feminine, then took Eve out of Adam! Thus, feminine-gendered items or persons can also represent Messiah!

7. Why did he call the name of that place ‘House of Mighty One’? Jacob realized that he was in a house, even if the house was not visible when he was awake. He also didn’t see a house when he was asleep, but he knew that he was in a place where Yehovah and the good messengers (angels) went to and from the earth and heavens. He therefore understood that the House of the Mighty One, the One with great power, would be located in that place. That will be where He will live.

This isn’t Jerusalem. The Bible explains where the House of Yehovah will be located in the future: in Jerusalem. Therefore, this House that Jacob identified will be in this location before it finally is permanently placed in Jerusalem.

8. What is a house in the Bible? When we think of a house, we think of a place with bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room and a kitchen (along with closets and other rooms). A house in the Bible can also be a group of folks who are related and are from a common ancestor. For example, the Bible mentions the house of David. That refers to David’s offspring. Those offspring can be his sons and daughters and his wife or wives, but it can also be his granddaughters and grandsons, his great granddaughters and great grandsons, his great great granddaughters and great great grandsons, and all the relatives who go back to David even if 30 or 40 generations have passed! They are still part of the house of David.

Since the Mighty One will later be identified as Messiah Yeshua, and He will be called the Mighty One of Israel, the House of Messiah Yeshua are all those who are born from Him. (He never had a child of His own as we have children, but anyone who has been saved from sin and sinning, who believes in Him as God has become a son or daughter of Him. That person is therefore of His house!) This will include all the Israelis toward the end of the Tribulation, a terrible event many centuries from now that will result in all the people of Israel coming to faith in Israel’s Messiah Yeshua.

Thus, when you read house in the Bible, think of both of these things: a building in which folks live and spend their nights, and a group of folks related by a common ancestor.

9. What does “Perversion is the name of the city to her head” mean? This means that the city’s name was originally Perversion. The expression, to her head, means at her beginning. The head of anything is its top or its beginning; the foot is the bottom or its ending.

10. What is a vow? It is a promise that a person makes with a god/God as a witness.

A person who promises something should keep that promise unless that promise is very wrong. Parents can undo a promise of a child under their care. Adults who promise and who don’t keep their promises are liars. A promise, however, is when a person ‘gives his/her word’ to do or not do something. A vow is like a promise, but a god or God is brought into the picture to witness the promise. A person who breaks a vow is challenging that god or God.

11. Why did Jacob vow? Did he feel like he had to vow? The Bible rarely tells why persons vowed. Anyone can vow to Yehovah, but a person must be very careful. One man in the Bible vowed, and he lost what was most valuable to him in order to keep his vow. He was a hero in Israel, but he lost his daughter. Only vow if you are willing to do what you say, once you are an adult. Children shouldn’t vow without guidance from a wise and Godly adult. (Parents can overthrow vows of their young children.)

12. If Elohim is with anyone, what does this mean? That means that He will prosper that person even if he or she has much difficulty in life. It doesn’t mean that the person will avoid hardships. That person will usually have great hardships, but Elohim will give that person success.

13. If Elohim guards anyone in the way in which he is walking, what does this mean? This means that Elohim will make sure that the person isn’t killed before reaching the person’s goal. It also means that Elohim will keep attacks of enemies from succeeding.

The walk includes all events to which the person comes as he or she lives; it isn’t just putting one foot in front of another to go somewhere.

14. Why would Jacob need to mention bread and a garment? There were no grocery stores as we know it. Food was often difficult to find. Bread includes all forms of food in the Bible.

Garments were extremely valuable and difficult to produce. Since they didn’t last more than some years, a person would need to obtain another garment. Jacob included this in his request.

15. Why was returning in peace unto his father’s house important? He wanted to see his brother again without his brother desiring to kill him. He wanted to see his parents again, if possible. His father was old, so he might not see him. Others were part of his father’s house. He wanted to see them.

16. Jacob said, “Yehovah shall be to me for Gods.” Was Jacob a Believer and born of God at this time? Jacob had been a Believer in Yehovah and born of God for a long time. He also said things that were prophetic, things that others will say far into the future. He was prophesying what will happen to Israel (the people) during the Tribulation. Jacob already had Yehovah for his Gods.

17. How can a stone be (or become) the House of Gods (House of Elohim)? If a house is either a building in which folks live or a group from a common ancestor, consider both together. Suppose that a building that is made of stones represents a group of persons who will all be born of God. Suppose that each stone represents one person. Look at this text:

1 Peter 2:5 Ye as living stones are also built up a spiritual house.

Now, suppose that the stone that Jacob set up is a very important stone in an arch:

Psalm 118:22 The stone the builders refused is become the head of the corner.

That is the keystone in an arch. It is the center top stone of the opening, and is shaped like a wedge. (It is in blue, if you have color.)

Keystone

A stone that isn’t shaped like other stones, but is wedged, can be the keystone—the stone in the middle-top part of an arch that holds the entire arch together, and also gives support to the entire wall! It is that important. It is as if Jacob found that keystone, but the keystone pictured Messiah Yeshua who is key to the whole House of Elohim. That is the Temple of Yehovah.

18. Jacob vowed to give a tenth. That is the same as tithing—giving a tithe. Why did he vow to do that? The text doesn’t say why he vowed. It also doesn’t show that he ever tithed directly to Elohim. Yet, later in the Teaching that Yehovah will give to Moshe, a tenth of the Israelis will become Yehovah’s priests. Israel will tithe part of the Israelis to be priests to Yehovah. A tenth of all that Elohim gives to Israel will become Elohim’s possession again!

19. Where would he give Elohim one tenth of all his things (that Elohim will give to him)? He did not attend church. How would he get these things to God? If Jacob’s offspring give a tenth of the people of Jacob to God by their being priests that continually serve Him, a tenth of all that Israel obtains will be given to Elohim.

20. Though this is not part of the Genesis 28 text, please answer it: What form was the tithe that Yehovah later commanded to Israel? The tithe was a party of food and drink! This is the only tithe that the Bible commands! Only food and drink are allowed to be part of the tithe, and the services that provide the food and drink. Money is not permitted.

Background and Printed Text: Genesis 28:10-22

Genesis 1:1–31 with Questions and Proposed Answers