The First Vow

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The vow is a tremendous principle revealed by God, that brings us into a greater union with Him through faith and works.

The first recorded vow is that of Jacob:

20Jacob 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 clothing to put on, 21so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, and Yahweh will be my God, 22then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, will be God’s house. Of all that you will give me I will surely give a tenth to you.” Genesis 28:20-22

The first vow involved recognizing Yahweh as God through the setting up of a stone as His house, and giving Him ten percent of all that He gave Jacob. For Jacob to do that, he asked God to be with Him, to guard his way as he went, to give him food to eat and clothing to wear, that he might return to his father Isaac's house.

This capsulizes the concept of the vow, that of looking to God for everything, and in return of honoring Him with a house and portion of all that you are increased. In that sense, this first vow was the institution of the tithe, and to this very day, the tithe remains a vow between Yahweh and His people of blessing in return for honoring Him as God.

8Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings. 9You are cursed with the curse; for you rob me, even this whole nation. 10Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this,” says Yahweh of Armies, “if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there will not be room enough for. 11I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before its time in the field,” says Yahweh of Armies. 12“All nations shall call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says Yahweh of Armies. Malachi 3:8-12

By looking at this event, we can begin to see the common thread of the vow throughout the rest of the scriptures.

It always begins with a request of God by His children, primarily for an affirmation that He is with them and keeping them safe from harm. We, as God's people in Christ, recognize that without Him we are nothing and can do nothing. We see the tactics of the Enemy—Satan—and all those who follow him and his ways: they are fundamentally opposed to how we desire to live, for Yahweh. The ground is under a curse from Adam wandering from the Life of God and believing the lie of the Serpent. Now it is with difficulty that we feed and clothe ourselves. We understand we must trust in the Lord for our sustenance, as He guides us.

Our first promise in return is to honor Him rightly with a personal place to dwell. In the days of old, it was with earthen altars, stones, and physical structures (the Tabernacle and the Temple). In these days of the New Covenant, God's House is His people in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:22). The new temple is the body of every person who has believed in His Son, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We promise to give Him this house as His dwelling just as He has promised (Revelation 21:3).

Our second promise is to honor Him rightly by giving back a portion of everything that we receive from Him. This again recognizes that He is the source of all that we have, including our very own life. The least we can do out of thankfulness is to reflect this truth by offering back to Him what He has already given.

As mentioned above, this was permanently instituted in the tithe. However, above and beyond that tithe, the vow continues on in other ways as we shall see.

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The Good Message

As you read this site, you will hopefully come to know Yahweh more fully.

But all of this continuing knowledge is useless unless and until you come into union with Him. I use the word union because it is truly a marriage. It is that deep connection we all seek, for which we most often look in other people. However, the truth is that our hearts will only be fulfilled when we enter that union in fullness with the One Who made us.

This is the grace of God, that He has not stayed distant for us only to worship as Creator. But He has come unto us, even become one of us—in His Son, Christ Jesus—in order to share an intimate union with us. He desires such closeness that it truly will envelope our entire life, transforming us into something new and wonderful.

You may have already entered this union with Him and only seek to know Him better through reading here. But if you have not, as you do read, let this Gospel sink into your heart as you read it now.

God loves you, and has cast your sins into the sea. He has sent His only Son as the Savior of the world—that includes you.

That Son, Jesus Christ, was born as a man through a virgin who had given her life to Yahweh; He lived without sin, reflected the glory of His Father, God, in all His words and deeds, and was persecuted even unto death because of it.

His death upon a cross was the powerful explosion that separated you from your life of death. It remains for you, now, to enter into that death with Him. As you die to the one you are now, a person separated from God from your many sins, you will be born anew, with a nature predisposed to live rightly. This gift is free to you, with nothing you can do to earn it. It is the mercy of God to offer it to you, as He loves you so much! All you must do is receive it by trusting Him to have delivered you. Simply place your life in His hands and embrace the freedom that came through that death on the cross.

The Gospel is that Jesus did not remain dead, but rose again on the third day after His crucifixion! Death could not hold Him, as He was without sin. And so death will not be able to hold you, as you identify with Him fully through your trust in Him. Let go of yourself and confess Him as Lord of your life. The power of His death and resurrection will work in you all that your Creator has destined for you. You will truly enter a new life and experience that intimate union you have been seeking all of your life.

So ponder these words as you read here of this great God—Yahweh—and all that He has revealed to His creation. Let His Spirit testify to your heart that these words are true, that God is Love, and that He sent His Son so that you might receive the life that is unbound by time and space. As you feel that witness in your heart, simply believe and receive what He is offering to you, even now, and begin your new life as a child of God.

Please write to me and let me know when you take this step, as I will be your brother in Christ—we will be one in Him!