QT 10/27/2025 Gen 28:10-22, The deceit of trying to make bargains with God

Genesis 28:10–22 (ESV) —

10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob made 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 clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”

 

NOTE: My problem with this passage is Jacob's response. He makes a conditional vow to God. He doesn’t commit himself to God as God commits himself unconditionally to Jacob. He makes demands of God before he is willing to call God his Lord. This is quite a contrast from what he will say 20 years later as he flees the land (Gen 32:9-12,24-30). Then, there will be no bargaining just repentance and a plea to God to be his Lord. But for now, he is bargaining with God.

 

Most people do this, we bargain with God. The weird thing about bargaining with God, is that when life is good, we forget God or at least we only just go through the motions. But when life is hard, we come running to God, pleading for his rescue. That is why the atheist argument, "how can God exist will all the disasters and pain," is incorrect. If God made life wonderful (which he did, but we rebelled in the garden), no one would serve God, we would be too absorbed with ourselves.

 

When are we going to stop bargaining with God and just submit to his Lordship over every aspect of our life? When will we actually get serious about our relationship with God -- that it demands our all.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I bargain with God?
2. Have I really given all things up for his sake?

 

PRAYER: Father, protect us from our own foolishness. We are so dull and slow-witted, thinking that we can outwit you or trap you with your words. We need repentance and open eyes to see your majesty, awesomeness, holiness, mercy and grace.