“Forgetting to give thanks”
And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel. —Genesis 35:15
Read Genesis 35:1-15
Perhaps you asked the Lord to help you in writing a difficult exam. A week later you received good results but forgot to thank the Lord! Or, maybe your mother became sick and you were worried. The result of tests performed on your mother revealed that her sickness could be cured with appropriate care and medicine. Again, you forgot to give thanks to the Lord.
To our shame we could all list many more examples. Even Jacob forgot to give thanks. Jacob had fled from Esau and had promised the Lord that if He would protect him, Jacob would give a thank offering and a tenth of all his possessions at his return (Gen.28:20-22). His name had also been changed to Israel, meaning “prince of God.” But Jacob, too, forgot to give thanks. After seven years, the Lord Himself had to remind him. This must have alarmed Jacob, for he immediately built the altar that the Lord called him to make (v.1).
The strange gods also had to be removed from his household (v.2), since the keeping of idols and the giving of sacrifices do not belong together. Jacob and his family had to be cleansed before bringing personal sacrifices to a holy God. Let Jacob’s example remind you that the Lord requires reverence and thankfulness in prayer.
Why was Jacob so slow in reacting to God’s mercies?