A FORGOTTEN VOW
by Alexander Maclaren
'Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there: and
make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest
from the face of Esau thy brother,' - GENESIS XXXV. 1.
Thirty years at least had passed since Jacob's vow;
ten or twenty
since his return. He is in no haste to fulfil it,
but has settled
down at Shechem and bought land there, and seems to
have forgotten
all about Bethel.
1. _The lesson of possible negligence_.
(_a_) We are apt to forget vows when God has
fulfilled His side
of them. Resolutions made in time of trouble are
soon forgotten. We
pray and think about God more then than when things
go well with us.
Religion is in many men's judgment for stormy
weather only.
(_b_) We are often more resolved to make sacrifices
in the
beginning of our Christian course than afterwards.
Many a brilliant morning is followed by cloudy day.
Youth is often full of enthusiasms which after-days
forget.
2._ The reasons for the negligence_.
Jacob felt a gradual fading away of impressions of
need. He was
comfortably settled at Shechem. He was surrounded by
a wild, godless
household who cherished their idols, and he knew
that if he went to
Bethel idolatry must be given up.
3. _The essentials to communion and service_.
Surrender. Purity. Must bury idols under oak.
4._The reward of sacrifice and of duty discharged_.
The renewed appearance of God. The confirmation of
name Israel.
Enlarged promises. So the old man's vision may be
better than the
youth's, if he lives up to his youthful vows.
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