Vows to God

I. Introduction: Adapted from ” THE FORGOTTEN VOW OF JACOB” by Mark Copeland

[!NOTE] Primary Scripture Reading: Genesis 35:1-7

II. Jacob traveled to Bethel to build an altar to God

A. God commanded Jacob to build the altar because nearly thirty years earlier, Jacob vowed to build the altar

B. He seemed to have forgotten about it, and God called him to fulfill it

III. Background: Jacob’s vow thirty years before

A. Jacob fled from Esau after tricking him out of his birthright

B. Esau wanted to kill Jacob Jacob left Beersheba and fled to Haran

C. God appeared to Jacob in Bethel

D. Gen 28:10-15

E. Dream: Jacob’s Ladder

F. Angels ascended and descended from heaven God promised to be with him and safely return him to his home

G. The dream prompted Jacob to make his vow - Gen 28:16-22

H. To make the LORD his God if God carries out His promise To sanctify the “pillow” stone as a memorial pillar Give God a tithe of all his blessings

IV. Jacob’s life after his vow

A. Jacob lived in Haran for twenty years

B. God kept His promises to Jacob

C. Jacob prospered both in family, and in gaining wealth – Genesis 29-30

D. God protected Jacob

E. From Laban, who was pursuing him - Gen 31 From Esau, who was coming to meet him - Gen 32-33

F. God proved Himself trustworthy

G. Ten years later Jacob was living in Canaan

H. He had settled near the city of Shechem (consult map) - Gen 33:18 But he had not returned to Bethel, where the Lord had appeared to him and where he had made his vow

I. It appeared that Jacob had forgotten his vow, and for this reason God commanded him to return to Bethel - Gen 35:1

V. Lesson should teach a serious attitude toward vows made to God

A. God expects us to keep our vows

B. He does not take vows lightly, and neither should we - cf. Ecc 5:2-5

C. Examples of vows made to God

D. The ” vow” we made when we became Christians to turn from sin, and to follow Christ with all our heart Are we faithfully keeping this ” vow”? Vow to be faithful to our spouse and to raise faithful children.

E. We sometimes forget our vows when God fulfills His part

F. God fulfilled His part of the vow with Jacob but Jacob had not

G. This ” forgetfulness” seems to occur most often when vows are made in times of trouble

H. Vows made in terrible storms or natural disasters Vows made in troubled aircraft9/11 vows Vows made in the midst of personal problems or tragedies (marital problems, health problems) But such vows are just as binding as those made upon careful reflection

I. We sometimes forget our vows when things are going well

J. In the story of Jacob, he had a good family, had become extremely wealthy, and settled down in his home country Many Christians obey the gospel at times in their lives when they are troubled but when things get better—especially if they enjoy financial security, they forget their commitment to God and Christ. But consider God’s warning to Israel against forgetfulness after they entered the ” Promised Land” - Deu 8:11-2

K. We sometimes forget our vows when we have been influenced by the world

L. Jacob’s family had accepted the foreign gods of the people around them - cf. Gen 35:2 In similar fashion, many people do not live up to the vow they made when they became Christians - cf. 2 Ti 4:10 (Demas) Some Christians are zealous at first but may be influenced by friends, entertainment choices, and skeptics and lose interest in spiritual things

VI. If we forget our vows we need to remember when we made them

A. Jacob was told to go back to Bethel where God appeared to him

B. Example of the church in Ephesus, Revelation 2:4-5

C. They had left their ” first love” They were told to ” remember…from where you have fallen” And to ” repent and do the first works”

D. For Christians who have left their ” first love”, they too need to ” do the first works” (the fundamentals, such as Bible study, prayer, etc.)

VII. Fulfilled vows bring renewed blessings

A. When Jacob fulfilled his vow, God appeared to him and renewed the promises that had been made to Abraham and Isaac - Gen 35:9-15

B. With Christians today

C. It may be that we have forgotten the original commitment we made when we first obeyed the gospel of Christ But if we will just return to Christ in full repentance and prayer and fulfill our vow of service and devotion to Him all the spiritual blessings that He has to offer can be ours again! - cf. 1 Jn 1:9

VIII. Conclusion: Are you a Christian who is not living the dedicated and committed life that God expects? Then, like Jacob, you have forgotten your vow and you need to come back to the Lord in full repentance the blessings of heaven await you if you do! If you are not yet a Christian, these same blessings can be yours if you will only accept the gospel of Jesus Christ - cf. Mark 16:15-16

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