Your ShelfYour Projects

Significance of Jacob's Tithing Vow

6%

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 11, 1913

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 90, No. 37.

Read the full edition

Significance of Jacob's Tithing Vow

By William Covert

WILLIAM COVERT
Jacob, son of Isaac and brother of Esau, was fleeing from his father's home because of his brother's anger, when the Lord gave him a very impressive dream. Weary from walking, sad because of an offended brother and home troubles, he lay down to sleep upon the ground, with a stone for a pillow, the evening star for a lamp, and the blue sky for a covering.
He was probably too discouraged to pray with strong faith, and too anxious of soul to find any consolation from environments or future outlook. With weeping he probably tried to confess his sins, yet his late course of action toward his brother seemed so wicked that he feared God would not hear him.
But finally sleep came to his aching nerves; and during his slumbers he was given a dream which reassured his troubled soul. In the dream he saw a ladder so high that it reached from the earth right where his stone pillow lay all the way up to the gate of heaven. And the ladder served as a stairway for the ministering angels to descend from heaven with blessings for men and return again to the throne of God to get further orders and come to earth again with fresh blessings, while at the top of the ladder where it touched the threshold of heaven, he saw the Lord standing to communicate with the inhabitants of our world. Then Jacob in the dream got a warm message from glory relating to the future of himself and his people.
“And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.” And rising up early, “Jacob vowed a vow, saying, 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.” Gen. 28:16, 20-22.
Jacob had been promised the inheritance of his father's property, and because of the promise which his father had made to him Esau was greatly offended and was threatening to slay Jacob. These threatening conditions made Jacob sad, and the prospect of getting back to his father's house in peace looked to him a doubtful problem. But this was the chief desire of Jacob's heart then. Would he ever again be permitted to reach his father's house in peace? and yet if God should bring it all about, Jacob would surely be a faithful man. He had in prospect a large inheritance, and he would pay a tithe of it all to the Lord. Not this alone, but he would also faithfully pay a tithe of all that he would acquire on his own account. Not a penny's worth of property would be held in his possession that was untithed.
Jacob's vow was a very strong one in regard to tithing, and it shows that he regarded it incumbent as an heir to tithe all that might be inherited from an estate, even though that property might have been tithed while it was in the hands of the former owner.
What a financial uplift it would be to the cause of God now if the vow that Jacob made should be adopted and carried out by all our people! And why should it not? It is right, having in it the true principle of tithing according to the intent of the plan.

The Lord's Charge to Delinquents

The Lord through Malachi declares that his people as a whole have robbed him in tithes and offerings, and that the curse of God is resting on them because this is so. He also promises that a most wonderful blessing will come to them when they make a clean breast of it and bring all the back tithes and offerings into the Lord's storehouse. He says, “Even from the days of your fathers ye have gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord.” But the question is asked, “Wherein shall we return?” What can we do to get back? Then the Lord tells them what they must do. He says, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house.”
What tithes is he talking about?—The entire tithe; all the tithes that have been held back. He means that we should tithe the property that we have not tithed which we hold in our hands from the days of our fathers. That tithe is the Lord's, and we should pay it just as truly as if we had acquired it by our own thrift or labor. Mal. 3:7-10. The extent of this withholding is of vast magnitude. In many cases it extends back into past generations. And the recording angels have kept a faithful record of the whole vast account. We cannot deny it, for God's books show it in heaven. There are volumes of accounts there that must be balanced. And God tells us that the way to settle these accounts is to bring in all the delinquent funds, and then keep paid up to date as business is done. When we have done these things, then comes the promise to rebuke the devourer. Mal. 3:11.
Even now awful calamities are falling upon men and properties, and these things will increase until they have devoured the whole earth. Will our people not take heed to this serious situation? But the heartrending things that are taking place among men and women in many places seem too terrible to record, yet they will not abate while wickedness holds high carnival.
But our brethren and sisters should see that their record is straightened up. The words and the lives of the great ungodly multitudes will not improve, but we can get right with God. Our profession is eloquent, and our theology faultless. We believe Jesus will soon come. Our work is to give God's blessed truth to our fellow men in all the world, so all our misdeeds must be corrected if we escape the plagues that are falling all around. God has promised that these things will not curse us if we make a full confession and fix up the gaps which now show in the moral hedge that God wants to build around us. There are many thousands of dollars in tithes standing against our people on God's books which must be brought into the storehouse.
No one can be a permanent loser by doing what God tells him to do. God wants these matters made right for the sake of the blessed cause.
The question of offerings is included in the accounts which are pending, and this subject should be studied so that we may know the truth and do our whole financial duty, for our cases are receiving attention in the court of heaven. Will we be faithful?