Jacob was sent away by his father Isaac to his uncle Laban to look for a wife. On his journey he stopped at a place to get some sleep and used stones for a pillow. In a dream Jacob saw a ladder connecting from the earth to heaven, and God stood above this ladder Genesis 28: 12-13). God promises to give him and his “seed” the land on which he lay; and to make Jacob’s seed “as the dust of the earth” spread across west, east, north, and south. He also promised that “all the families of the earth” would be blessed in Jacob’s lineage. God shall not leave Jacob until he accomplishes his purpose spoken to him (Genesis 28:14-15). How did Jacob express his faith to God promise?
When he awoke, he believed that God was in that “place; [that] it was “the house of God, and …the gate of heaven”. He set the stone he had used for his pillow as a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it and called the name of that place Bethel (Genesis 28:16-19). Jacob then vowed a vow: that if the Lord will be with him and keep him, feed, clothe him and restore him to his father’s house in peace, he would make ‘Bethel’ God’s house and give God “the tenth” of all that God shall give him; and will make God his God (Genesis 28:20-22). God did according to his promise unto Jacob (genesis 31:13& 17-18).
Jacob’s faith could manifest in situations where one embarks on a journey or a venture but is uncertain about the future and seeks assurance by negotiating the terms of the intervention you desire from God, and binding oneself by a vow to reward God.
2. HANNAH VOWS HER SON FOR GOD
