ISRAEL-A PRINCE WITH GOD.
-GEN.
32:1-32.-SEPT. 15.-
Golden Text:-“Men ought always to pray and not to faint.”-Luke 18:1.
FLEEING from his
father’s home, Jacob traveled a distance of nearly five hundred miles to
Chaldea, the original home of his grandfather Abraham, where his uncle Laban
still lived. His esteem for the promise of God had made him a pilgrim and a
stranger, a wanderer from home, just as Abraham’s faithfulness to the call had
taken him from home in the opposite direction. While the blessings God had
promised to Jacob were earthly and temporal, and in these respects differed
from the promises which are made to spiritual Israelites, nevertheless, in
order to prove Jacob’s worthiness of the blessings-in order to test his faith
in God’s promises, he was permitted to pass through various trying experiences
and disappointments. One of these was a love-affair with Rachel, his cousin,
for whom he served his uncle in all fourteen years, seven before he got her as
a wife, and seven years afterward; his uncle taking a dishonest advantage of
him in the arrangement. Nevertheless, we see Jacob’s patience and persistency,
and note with pleasure that he never for a moment seems to have doubted the
promises of God that he should be blessed as the inheritor of the Abrahamic
promise.
“Not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord,” would
seem to apply well to Jacob’s career. So energetic was he in Laban’s service,
so successful in all that he undertook, so persevering, that his uncle soon
considered his service indispensable, and was glad to make favorable terms with
him to have him remain and take chief charge of his property. Shrewdly Jacob
bargained for an interest in the increase of the flocks and herds, etc., as his
salary, and practically became a partner. There was nothing dishonest in his
making a bargain with Laban that all the brown sheep and streaked and speckled
goats should be his; nor was there anything wrong in his scientifically
increasing the proportionate numbers of these colored and speckled animals.
Laban became aware, before long, that he had a very capable and shrewd
son-in-law, and, moreover, that the Lord’s blessing was with him. He fain
would have had him remain permanently in Chaldea, but Jacob’s mind was full of
the Abrahamic promise and of the reiteration of that promise to himself in the
vision at Bethel, and he desired to return to the land of promise. He
surmised, however, not without good cause, that his uncle would use force to
restrain him from leaving, or to take from him some of the cattle, etc., which
were properly his under the contract, and hence he chose an opportunity for
leaving when Laban was absent.
Laban was evidently a powerful sheik, having many servants, and indeed
Jacob had become so by this time, as the narrative shows that he was able,
shortly after, to give away as a present to his brother Esau, 220 goats, 220
sheep, 30 camels, 50 head of cattle and 20 asses. But when Laban pursued, with
the full intention of bringing back Jacob, his family and servants and flocks
and herds, God interfered, warning Laban in a dream, saying, “Take heed that
thou speak not to Jacob from good to bad”-margin. In consequence of this
dream, and Jacob’s subsequent fair statement of his side of the case, showing
clearly that he had not wronged Laban, but that Laban had repeatedly dealt
hardly with him, he was let go on his way in peace.
If we draw a lesson from these incidents respecting ourselves, as heirs of
the promises of God, spiritual Israelites, it would be that while our hearts
are full of rejoicing in God’s promises we should not expect these to come to
us wholly without our effort to secure them. If God has promised us spiritual
blessings, we should put forth the effort to attain these, just as Jacob had
put forth his efforts to attain the temporal blessings promised him. If
adversity seems to go with us, and we meet with disappointments and more or
less fraudulent conspiracy to take away from us our spiritual blessings, as
Jacob met with disappointment which seemed for the time to interfere with his
temporal blessings, we, like him, should patiently wait for the Lord, and trust
and hope and labor on, knowing that the Lord will bring out the promised
results in the end; knowing that he is on our part, and greater than all they
that be against us.
We noticed in previous lessons the peaceable disposition of Abraham, and
also of Isaac, and now we note that Jacob not only left home and abandoned his
share in the father’s house, and family property belonging to the birthright he
had purchased, rather than quarrel with his brother, but that similarly in
dealing with his uncle he refused to quarrel; he submitted himself; he trusted
to the Lord to bring out the results rather than to his own strength for a
conflict, either mental or physical. The Lord apparently would have the
spiritual Israelites learn this lesson: “Seek peace and pursue it;” “Patiently
wait for the Lord, and he will bring it to pass.” It is not of God’s
arrangement that the spiritual Israelites should contend with carnal weapons;
but rather that they should submit themselves to the powers that be, learning
the lessons which accompany such submission; and have developed in them the faith,
the trust, the hope in God, necessary to a maintenance of their relationship to
him, and growth in his grace.
As Jacob and his caravan approached Palestine his confidence in God, and
his reliance upon the Lord’s promise to bless him, did not hinder him from
taking a wise, generous, reasonable course for the conciliation of his
brother. He did not stand upon his rights, and say: I purchased the
inheritance, and was obliged to flee from it, and now I am differently
situated, and will seek my first opportunity to take from Esau the cattle and
substance which he received of my father’s estate which are rightfully mine,
and should there be any quarrel in the matter, let him look to his own side,
for right is on my side and I may exert as much force as is necessary to obtain
it. Quite to the contrary of this, Jacob said to himself: I care nothing for
the earthly inheritance, I abandoned that all when I left home, and I do not
intend to lay any claim to it, now or ever. I merely got what Esau did not appreciate,
and now, if he can come to realize that I am not after the property, it will
assuage his wrath, his malice, his envy. On the contrary, I will be generous
to him; I will send him a valuable present, thus showing him that so far from
wishing to take from him earthly goods I am disposed to give him more.
Moreover, I will send such a message by my servants as will show him that I
treat him as my superior-my lord, and that I rank myself as his inferior. He
shall see that I am neither wishing to take the honors of his birthright nor
its earthly emoluments, though all of these were purchased-I resign freely all
of these temporal good things and honors, that I may have the Lord’s favor, as
represented in the original covenant with grandfather Abraham. He carried out
his program successfully, and Esau became his friend. The lesson for spiritual
Israelites along this line is,-We should not be sticklers for full justice and
the last penny in earthly matters. Rather we may use the earthly mammon
generously to make and keep the peace, and to forward our spiritual interests.
Our readiness to do this will measure or gauge our appreciation of the
spiritual interests, in comparison to which earthly blessings, “Mammon” should
be esteemed as loss and dross.
A MODEL PRAYER.
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Jacob’s prayer at the time he was anticipating a meeting with Esau is
recorded in this lesson, and may be considered one of the best examples of
prayer to be found in God’s Word. It is so full of confidence and trust in
God. It recounts the original promise to Abraham, its renewal to Isaac, and
its second repetition to Jacob at Bethel, and the Lord’s promise there given
him, that he would bring him again to his home country. It shows the humility
of Jacob’s mind, which cried out, “I am not worthy of the least of all the
mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shown unto thy servant; for with
my staff [only] I passed over this Jordan [when fleeing from home], and now I
am become two bands [great companies].” He tells the Lord of his fear of Esau,
yet shows that his fear is offset by his confidence in the Almighty. It was at
this time, and doubtless in answer to this prayer, that the angel of the Lord
appeared to Jacob, and so full of faith in the power of God, and in the promise
of God was Jacob that he laid physical hold upon the angel, declaring that he
would never let go until he got a blessing.
Here, the lesson proper, relating to Jacob’s struggle with the angel,
comes in. The angel appeared as a man, as was frequently the case in olden
times; Jacob had recognized him, nevertheless, and laying hold of him urged
that he as God’s representative, sent to meet him, should give him a blessing.
We cannot suppose for a moment that the angel was not powerful enough to
release himself from the grasp of Jacob, and hence that the wrestling and
struggle between them kept up until the morning light, the angel vainly
pleading, “Let me go,” and Jacob as persistently holding on and declaring, “I
will not let thee go unless thou bless me.” We must suppose, on the contrary,
that the Lord was well pleased to bless Jacob, and had sent the angel for this
very purpose; and that the circumstances were intended as an opportunity to
draw out Jacob’s longing desires in this respect; to demonstrate to himself how
much he really desired the Lord’s favor, the Lord’s blessing. And when the
desired result had been obtained-when Jacob had evidenced the intensity of his
desire for harmony with God and such blessing as God alone could give-then the
blessing came-Jacob’s victory. Not that Jacob prevailed to get from God,
through his angel, something the Lord was not pleased to grant; but that he
prevailed to obtain the coveted blessing by manifesting the zeal, the energy,
the patience, and the faith which God was pleased to see and reward.
The lesson of the spiritual Israelite in this circumstance is in harmony
with our Lord’s words, “Men ought continuously to pray and not to faint.” God
wishes us to be persistent, and our persistence measures and indicates the
depth of our desires. If the blessing in answer to our prayer does not come in
the moment of asking we are to continue “instant in prayer,”-patiently waiting
for the Lord’s due time, faithfully trusting him that he is willing to give the
blessing which he promised, even though he may for a time withhold it with a
view to our becoming the more earnest in seeking it.
Although Jacob was a natural man, not a “new creature in Christ Jesus,”
nevertheless his prayer is a model one, in that he did not specify even the
earthly things which had been promised him. All he asked was a blessing, in
whatever manner the Lord might be pleased to give it. Alas, how many spiritual
Israelites seem to have a much less keen appreciation of proprieties in such
matters than had Jacob! Many ask and receive not because they ask amiss, for
things to be consumed upon their earthly desires-wealth or fame or temporal
good things. (Jas. 4:3.) How many forget that the Lord has already promised to
take care of the temporal necessities of his spirit-begotten children, and to
do for them better than they would know how to ask or to think. How few seem
to remember that as new creatures our conditions and desires should be
specially for the things that pertain to the new creature, and that it is this
class of blessing the Lord invites us to ask for and to wrestle to obtain,
assuring us that as earthly parents are pleased to give good gifts to their
children, so our Heavenly Father is pleased to give the holy spirit to
those who ask him. (Luke 11:13.) If the Lord’s
consecrated people could all be brought to the point where the chief aim in
life, the burden of all their prayers, would be that they might have a larger
measure of the spirit of the Lord, the spirit of holiness, the spirit of the
truth, the spirit of Christ, the spirit of a sound mind, what a blessing it
would mean! If, then, they should wrestle with the Lord until the breaking of
the day their hold upon him would be sure to bring the desired blessing. The
Lord has revealed himself to his people for the very purpose of giving them this
blessing; nevertheless, he withholds it until they learn to appreciate and
earnestly desire it.
Jacob got the blessing and with it a change of name. He was
thenceforth called Israel, which signifies “Mighty with God.” This new name
would thenceforth be continually a source of encouragement to him, an incentive
to fresh zeal and trust in the one whose blessing he had secured. All of
Jacob’s posterity adopted this name. They were all known as children of
Israel, or Israelites; for God acknowledged the name as applicable to all of
the nation. Similarly, in antitype, we have Christ Jesus our Lord, the true,
the antitypical Israel, the one who, through faith and obedience to the Father,
has prevailed, has overcome the world and the flesh and the Adversary, and has
received the divine blessing as the result of his struggle. He has been highly
exalted and is declared now to be prince or ruler of the kings of the earth.
He has sat down with the Father in his throne.-Rev. 1:5.
Nor does the analogy end here; for, as Jacob had twelve sons, so our Lord
Jesus had twelve apostles; and these, and all who come into Christ through
their ministry of the gospel, are accepted as the true, the spiritual, Israel.
The same name belongs to all of these that belongs to the Head. As with
fleshly Israel there were some who were “Israelites indeed,” and others who
were not, but of the synagogue of Satan, in the spiritual Israel there are
nominal and real Israelites; and only the latter will ultimately obtain the
blessing and be joint-heirs with Jesus Christ their Lord. And the name,
“Victor,” or “Mighty with God,” will be a name which will apply to everyone of
the Lord’s faithful ones in the same manner that it applied to Jesus himself.
Each one will be required to manifest his loyalty to the Lord, his faith, his
trust, and only those who love the Lord and the promise he has made that they
will hold on to his promise, and will not let him go without a blessing-only
such will receive the great blessing, only such will be able to overcome the
world, the flesh and the Adversary. “This is the victory that overcometh the
world, even your faith”-in God and in his promises.
ACKNOWLEDGING DIVINE FAVORS.
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Jacob had a method of marking the special manifestations of divine
providence,-as when he called the place in which he wrestled with the angel
Peniel; as a reminder that there he had been privileged to see,
representatively, the Lord’s face, to receive the Lord’s blessing, the light of
his countenance. Similarly, it is profitable to the spiritual Israelites that
we should make note in some special manner of all the Lord’s mercies and
providences toward us. Many feel poor as respects the Lord’s favor and blessing,
simply because they have failed to let them make a proper impression upon their
hearts at the time they were received. Divine favors are soon lost from our
leaky earthen vessels unless special notation is made at the time, either upon
the tablets of memory, or in some other manner to refresh memory. Doubtless we
would all have more Bethels and more Peniels did we but follow the course of
setting up some kind of monuments, and there entering into some special
covenant or vow with the Lord in return for his mercies. Quite in line with
this thought, that Christians generally have multitudinous blessings, and
favors more than they fully recognize, the Allegheny Church has for some years
held “Cottage Meetings” in various quarters every Wednesday evening, for
prayer, praise and testimony. And the testimonies called for are not the
“years ago” sort, however good, but the fresh living experience of the week.
And as each seeks for fresh evidences of divine love and watchcare
daily, each finds that he has far more cause for rejoicing and thanksgiving and
encouragement than he would have been aware of without such watchfulness and
notation. Let us daily and weekly as well as yearly rear to God our Ebenezers,
if we would increase our faith and joy and love.
As Saul of Tarsus, in receiving his blessing of the Lord, received also a
thorn in the flesh, which buffeted him continually through the remainder of his
experiences, but which he learned ultimately to appreciate as a channel of
divine blessing, as a reminder of divine favor, so it was with Jacob. At the
very time that he was wrestling with the angel and getting the blessing, he
received a wound, a troublesome reminder of the blessing, which continued with
him probably through the remainder of his days, causing him to limp. The
record is that the angel touched him in the hollow of his thigh, probably
touched the sciatic nerve, causing the sinew to shrink and a slight dislocation
of the joint. The lesson not only was one for Jacob himself to the remainder
of his days, leading him to remember his dependence upon the Lord, and that he
owed everything he possessed to the divine blessing, but it served afterward
with his posterity as a continual reminder of the same thing; for the record is
that thenceforth the Israelites would not eat of this sinew from any animal.
Jacob’s “thorn in the flesh,” no doubt, served to keep him humble, even as
Paul’s served to remind him that he was what he was by the grace of God, and
not in any wise of himself. Similarly, the Lord permits certain weaknesses of
the flesh to affect his spiritual children in the present time favorably.
Undoubtedly some of our difficulties and trials, physical as well as others,
are amongst our greatest blessings, working out for us a better portion in the
future, by working in us faith, patience, true reliance upon the Lord.