Jacob’s Flight and Exile
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Jacob awoke from his sleep in the deep stillness of night. The
shining forms of his vision had disappeared. Only the dim outline of
the lonely hills, and above them the heavens bright with stars, now
met his gaze. But he had a solemn sense that God was with him. An
unseen presence filled the solitude. “Surely the Lord is in this place,”
he said, “and I knew it not.... This is none other but the house of God,
and this is the gate of heaven.”
“And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he
had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the
top of it.” In accordance with the custom of commemorating important
events, Jacob set up a memorial of God’s mercy, that whenever he
should pass that way he might tarry at this sacred spot to worship the
Lord. And he called the place Bethel, or the “house of God.” With
deep gratitude he repeated the promise that God’s presence would be
with him; and then he made the solemn vow, “If God will be with me,
and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat,
and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father’s house in
peace; then shall the Lord be my God: and this stone, which I have set
for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that Thou shalt give me I
will surely give the tenth unto Thee.”
Jacob was not here seeking to make terms with God. The Lord had
already promised him prosperity, and this vow was the outflow of a
heart filled with gratitude for the assurance of God’s love and mercy.
Jacob felt that God had claims upon him which he must acknowledge,
and that the special tokens of divine favor granted him demanded a
return. So does every blessing bestowed upon us call for a response to
the Author of all our mercies. The Christian should often review his
past life and recall with gratitude the precious deliverances that God
has wrought for him, supporting him in trial, opening ways before him
when all seemed dark and forbidding, refreshing him when ready to
faint. He should recognize all of them as evidences of the watchcare
of heavenly angels. In view of these innumerable blessings he should
often ask, with subdued and grateful heart, “What shall I render unto
the Lord for all His benefits toward me?”
Psalm 116:12
.
Our time, our talents, our property, should be sacredly devoted to
Him who has given us these blessings in trust. Whenever a special
deliverance is wrought in our behalf, or new and unexpected favors
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are granted us, we should acknowledge God’s goodness, not only