Greetings;
Genesis 28:18 Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously.
Jacob woke up from his dream and poured oil on the rock. What was previously isolated and separated, became a place of corporate intimacy and habitation. It was a revelation that was yet to be made real in demonstration. He recognized that he was to be part of the gate of heaven in the earth. That gate was to be a place of connection with God and man as the house of God in the earth.
Genesis 28: 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, 21 so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. 22 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.”
Jacob made a covenant with God. He made a confession before God with a promise of an action from his heart in the perpetual days of his life. Both his confession and his promised action were in recognition of the place that he was in the earth. It was not just a recognition of who God was, but of the place that he was to be a part of upon the earth. He was standing in and as the place of God’s heavenly gate for the influence of heaven in the earth.
If God will be with me and keep me in the way that I am going. If He gives me bread to eat, an internal change, and clothing to wear, an outward testimony, so I come back to my Father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar shall be God’s house. This stone, this standing rock, this is the gate of heaven in the earth. This is the place of God’s house. All you give me God, I will surely give a tenth to you.
This is the second time that tithe or tenth is mentioned in the Scripture. What is the significance of the tithe or a tenth? It is a symbolism that involves action, but is a level of relationship that can only be expressed in a place of corporate connection. It can only be expressed in the place of God’s house upon the earth. It must be expressed to the place of God’s standing pillar upon the earth, because it is a response to the calling, the inheritance, and the power of God in the earth. It has nothing to do with law. No law was written at this point in history. No Torah was written yet. No ten commandments were etched in stone. These things had not been expressed in written form upon the earth. This tithe response had nothing to do with any commandment. It had nothing to do with any sacrifice. It has nothing to do with any offering. Jacob’s action was fully and completely based upon a revelation of the place. It was a confirmation that the place that Jacob found himself in was the gate of heaven. It was in this place that the influence of heaven was given access to the earth. Jacob’s action presented a testimony of revelation from His heart.
This is the place! This is my confession! God is here! God is with me! God is keeping me in the way. God is causing me to become like Him. He’s keeping me in His character. His presence is here! He’s empowering me to be a covenant keeper. He is keeping me in the path of becoming who I am to be in Him. He is empowering me to be faithful; to be a covenant keeper. He is empowering me to be a giver and not a taker; to live for others and not for myself. If God keeps me in His way, I will respond to this place. I will give a tenth to this place.
Ten is a symbol of something. Tithe is ten percent and it is a symbol of something. The symbol is more powerful than the amount, but a different amount doesn’t demonstrate the prophetic symbol. It is a tenth. In prophetic language, ten is a symbol of a judgment of love. This why the written in stone commandments contained ten commandments, but in truth there are thousands or even millions of expressions in those ten honor values. If we simplify those commandments they can be expressed in two commandments. They can be expressed in loving God with all your heart, soul, and being. They can be expressed in loving your neighbor as you love yourself. In symbolism, it was ten commandments that said this. It was never about ten commandments. It is about a judgment of love; a judgment of love towards God and a judgment of love towards one another.
I make a judgment about you God. Here is my judgment. I love You with all my heart, all my soul, and all my strength. I love You with all my spirit, with my source of being. I love You all my soul; with every thought, every strategy, every emotion, every imagination, and every desire. I love You with all my life; all my things, all my works, and all that I will every do. I love you God with all my gifting, all my abilities, all my spirit, soul and body. I make a judgment. All that I am is yours and then I make a judgment about others as I make a judgment about you. I make this judgment in the place that I stand in covenant with others for your glory. I love You and I love those in this house, as I love myself.
Food For Thought,
Ted J. Hanson
