Jacob Honors God
“And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”
After the dream and partially committing to follow God, Jacob set up the stone he had laid his head on as a pillar (verse 18). The pillar was a memorial to commemorate what God did at that location.
Interestingly, many years later Jacob returned to this same place (renamed Bethel) and communicated with God again. This is the place where Jacob wrestled with God and had his name changed to Israel (Genesis 35:1-15).
Jacob committed to giving a tenth—or a tithe—of his future earnings to God. Tithing is a law and a means of showing honor to God for the blessings He gives (Proverbs 3:9-10). Tithing was also practiced by Abraham. You can learn more about tithing in our post “A Tithe of All.”
Tithing is a way of giving back a small portion to God from what He already owns (Isaiah 66:1-2). The Bible teaches that failure to tithe on our income is stealing from God (Malachi 3:8-10).
To read more about tithing and the blessing it brings, read our article “Tithing: What Is It?”
