When God makes a promise, there is no need for us to make a vow. If I had been Jacob, I would simply have said, "Lord, thank You." But instead of thanking the Lord and praising Him, Jacob vowed that he would take God as his God, make the pillar-stone the house of God, and give God a tenth of all that He would give him on the condition that God would be with him, keep him, give him bread and raiment, and bring him back to his father's house in peace (vv. 20-22). Jacob's vow was conditional. Our being in the church life is also conditional. Although we all are happy in the church life, deep within we have a condition and say, "I will remain in the church life and be a part of the church life as long as God gives me bread." Although we may not say this in words, it is nonetheless deep within us. Suppose you lose your job and are unemployed for many months. Besides this, you become quite ill. Will you still sing about the glorious church life? Not only will there be no church life, but probably there will not even be a pillar. Your love for the Lord and for the church is conditional. When Jacob promised to give the tenth to God, it meant that if God did not give anything to him, then he would not give anything to God. Jacob seemed to be saying, "Let's make a deal. If You want something from me, then You must first give me something. If You don't give anything to me, what can I give to You?"
Did Jacob believe in God? Yes. If he did not believe in Him, he would not have spoken about God's being with him. But since he believed in God, why did he still have such a condition in his vow? Because he was human, just like we are today. On the one hand, we believe in God; on the other hand, we have a term. Hardly anyone loves the Lord unconditionally. I have heard many brothers and sisters say that they consecrate themselves absolutely to the Lord. Whenever I hear such testimonies, I ask, "Are you really absolute with the Lord?" If the Holy Spirit were to write an account of your experience, it would probably be exactly the same as Jacob's. My record, for certain, is just the same as his. But there is no need to worry about our living. God will give us the land, the seed, and the blessing, and, in addition to all this, He will take care of our living, providing food, clothing, and everything we need. If we seek first the kingdom of God, the Father will give us whatever we need for our living. This is the dream of Jacob.