Giving With Grace Glorifying God

Gen 28:16  And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
Gen 28:17  And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
Gen 28:18  And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
Gen 28:19  And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
Gen 28:20  And Jacob 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 raiment to put on,
Gen 28:21  So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:
Gen 28:22  And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

Luk 19:1  And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
Luk 19:2  And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
Luk 19:3  And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
Luk 19:4  And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
Luk 19:5  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
Luk 19:6  And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
Luk 19:7  And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
Luk 19:8  And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
Luk 19:9  And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
Luk 19:10  For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Transforming Power Statements:

1) The patriarch Jacob learned many wonderful things about the God of his fathers while on the run in the midst of trouble within his family, when he was getting out of town to elude his brother Esau, whom he had defrauded of his birthright and was camped out on stone pillows and God entered into his dreams and reiterated His covenant promises to him as he slept.

2) Jacob’s Vow to God was perhaps a bit arrogant, but it was by his own freewill rather than being based on any Law, or custom; but it was by his own freewill that he made this vow to God in response to divine grace which God had shown him in his dreams.

3) Zacchaeus was a NT example of the principal of freewill giving in that when he had heard and understood the Gospel from Jesus, he responded from his own heart with a promise to give half of his goods (50%) to the poor, and to return anything he had taken by false accusation from anyone unjustly FOURFOLD (400%) which is far above any of the requirements of the Law.