Genesis 28:16 - Meaning and Application

God showed himself and his favor to Jacob while Jacob was asleep and doing nothing. The Spirit, like the wind, blows when and where he wills, and God’s grace, like the dew, does not wait on human effort (Micah 5:7). Yet Jacob made good use of the visit God had given him when he woke up, and we may well think he woke refreshed, as the prophet says, “My sleep was sweet to me” (Jeremiah 31:26).

Jacob first showed deep surprise at the signs of God’s special presence in that place: “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it” (Genesis 28:16). God’s ways of making himself known carry their own proof. He can give clear evidence of his presence that fully satisfies the hearts of believers, though that proof may not be shared with others. We also often meet God where we did not expect him. He is found where we were not looking for him, and no place shuts out his visits, as Hagar found by experience (Genesis 16:13). Wherever we are, in the city or the desert, in the house or the field, in the shop or the street, we can still have fellowship with heaven if the fault is not ours.

This also filled Jacob with reverent fear (Genesis 28:17). He was afraid, so far from becoming proud or lifted up by the visions he had received (2 Corinthians 12:7). The more we see of God, the more reason we see for holy trembling and humility before him. Those whom God chooses to show himself to are brought low in their own eyes, and they learn to fear even the Lord and his goodness (Hosea 3:5). When Jacob said, “How dreadful is this place,” he meant that the sight of God there must always be remembered with reverence. He did not mean the ground itself was more holy than any other place. Rather, that spot had become, for him at that time, like the house of God and the gate of heaven, the meeting place of heaven and earth. God is in a special way present where his grace is revealed and where his covenant promises are made known and sealed, once by angels and now by the ordinances he has appointed (Matthew 28:20). Where God meets us in special mercy, we should meet him with deep humility, remembering his holiness and our own smallness and sin.

Jacob also took care to keep the memory of this event in two ways. First, he set up the stone as a pillar (Genesis 28:18). He did not think the stone had caused the dream, but he wanted to mark the place for future remembrance and build a lasting memorial of God’s favor. He also poured oil on it, likely using the common act of dedicating holy things, as a promise that he would later build an altar when he had the chance, as he did afterward in gratitude to God for this vision (Genesis 35:7). Gifts of mercy call for grateful duty, and times of close fellowship with God should never be forgotten.

Second, he gave the place a new name, Beth-el, meaning “house of God” (Genesis 28:19). It had been called Luz, which means an almond tree, but Jacob wanted God’s appearance there to be remembered more than the trees that grew there. Long afterward this was the Beth-el where God found Jacob again, and where he spoke with us through what he said to him (Hosea 12:4). Later, though, Beth-el became Beth-aven, meaning “house of vanity” or “house of wickedness,” when Jeroboam set up one of his calves there.

Jacob then made a solemn vow on this occasion (Genesis 28:20-22). Religious vows give glory to God, show that we depend on him, and bind our own hearts more strongly to obey him. Jacob was in fear and distress, and it is fitting to make vows in times of trouble or when we are seeking a special mercy (Jonah 1:16; Psalm 66:13-14; 1 Samuel 1:11; Numbers 21:1-3). He had just received a gracious visit from heaven. Since God had renewed his covenant with Jacob, Jacob now answers by renewing his promises to God.

Jacob’s faith appears first. God had said, “I am with you, and will keep you” (Genesis 28:15). Jacob takes hold of that promise and reasons from it. Since God would be with him, keep him, provide for him, and bring him back to the land of his father’s house, he trusted God to do as he had said. Jacob hoped to find his father alive and return in peace, unlike Esau, who seemed eager for his father’s death. God’s promises should guide both our desires and our expectations.

Jacob also shows modesty and great restraint in what he asks. He is content with bread to eat and clothes to wear. Though God’s promise had made him heir to great wealth, he does not ask for soft clothes or rich food. His desire is like Agur’s prayer, “Feed me with the food that is needful for me,” and it agrees with the teaching of 1 Timothy 6:8. Nature is content with little, and grace can be content with even less. Those who have much, in practice, have only food and clothing for their own use. Anything beyond that is either for keeping or for giving away, not for personal enjoyment. If God gives us more, we should thank him and use it for him. If he gives us only this much, we should be content and enjoy him in it.

Jacob’s piety and regard for God also appear clearly. He desires that God would be with him and keep him. We need no more to make us safe and happy, wherever we go, than God’s presence and protection. It is a comfort on a journey to have a guide in a strange way, a guard in a dangerous way, good provision, and good company. Those who have God with them have all of that in the best possible way. He also resolves, in general, to cling to the Lord as his covenant God: “Then the Lord will be my God.”

He was not saying that God would disown him and cast him off if he needed food and clothing. No, even if God should slay us, we must still cling to him. But Jacob means, “Then I will rejoice in him as my God. Then I will bind myself even more firmly to remain with him.”

Take note, every mercy we receive from God should become a new reason to walk closely with him as our God. The more God gives, the more we should feel bound to love and serve him.

In a more specific way, Jacob also promised some special acts of worship as a sign of thanks. First, “This pillar will stand here until I come back in peace, and then it will be God’s house.” That means an altar would be built there in honor of God. Second, “God’s house will not be left without gifts, and his altar will not be left without a sacrifice. Of all that you give me, I will surely give you a tenth.”

That tenth would be used either for God’s altar or for God’s poor, since both belong to him in the world. It is likely that Abraham and Jacob had some general instruction from heaven about giving a tenth of their gains to God. Note these lessons. God must be honored with our money and possessions, and he must receive his due from them. When we receive special mercy from God, we should look for clear ways to show our gratitude.

The tenth is a very fitting part to set apart for God and use for his work, though it may be more or less depending on our situation, as God prospers us (1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:7).