THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE SS
265
July, 1942
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9 11 ladder and said, “ I am the Lord God Of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac.” He promised that He would give to Jacob the land upon which he was lying; that He would multiply his seed—his children and grandchildren and so on—as the dust iof the earth, and that He w€uld go with Jacob wherever he went. What a dream that was! And what a promise! When Jacob awoke, do you know what he said? He said, “Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.-1’ Then he made an altar to God and promised to serve Him. He called the place Bethel. Bethel means “House* of God.” Most often we think of the church as the “house of God,” but any place where God meets us and talks with us may become a “house of God.” If you listen to God’s voice, as you grow older, you will pass through many experiences that'will cause you to know what Jacob meant when he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.” OBJECTS: A pair of scissors and 4 pieces of paper 6x10 inches (not too stiff), colored black, red, white and yellow. (Paste these sheets together lengthwise in the order, mentioned. Beginning with the loose end of the yellow, make 5 or 6 very small rolls. Press this roll flat so that it will not unwind. Begin with this flat roll, and make a larger round roll, about the’, size of the middle finger, using thé remainder of the yellow and the other colors.) ■ LESSON: What is the longest lad der you have ever seen? “The firemen’s ladder.” ' The ladder about which I want to •talk to you this morning is longer than the firemen’s ladder—it reaches from earth to heaven. This round roll Object Lesson A L ong L adder Genesis 32:2 And when Jacob saw them, he said* This is God’s host: and he Called the name of that place Mahanaim. 3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother, unto the land of Selr, the country of Edom, 4 And he commanded them* saying* Thus shall ye speak unto my Lord Esau: Thy servant Jacob salth thus* I have so journed with Laban* and stayed there until now: 5 And I have oxen* and asses* flocks* and menservants* and womenservants: and I have sent to tell iny lord* that ,f may find grace in thy sight. 6 And the messengers returned to Jacob* saying* We came to thy brother Esau* and also he cometh to meet thee* and four hundred men with4him. 7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him* and the flocks*, and herds* and the camels* into two bands: 8 And said, If Esau come/ to the one company* and smite It* then the other company which is left shall escape. 3 And .Jacob said* O God of my father Abraham, and God d t my father Isaac* 11 Deliver me* I pray thee* from the hand of my ^brother,. from the hand of Esau: for I fear him* lest he Will come and smite me, -and the mother with the children. 12 And thou saidst* I will surely do thee good* and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude. 27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said* Jacob. •28 And he said. Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a 'prince hast thou power with God and with men*.and hast prevailed. 20 And Jacob asked, him*, and said* Tell me» I pray' thee* thy ñame. And he said* Wherefore is it that thou dost -ask after, my name? And he blessed him there. LESSON TEXT: Gen. 32:2-12* 27-29. GOLDEN TEXT : “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psa. 46:1). DEVOTIONAL READING: Psa. 34:1-8. Outline and Exposition I. P rovision fo r J acob (2 ) M EETING God’s host and recog own with that of Gop. But God’s host alone was his sufficient provision. II. P lanning by J acob (3-8) In,spite of the presence of God’s host, Jacob was not ready to trust Him, but began to1scheme as was his natural bent. Dreading Esau’s wrath, he became servile. This is seen in his message to Esau (vs. 3;5). The message from Jacob’s returning emissaries added to his fear (vs. 6, 7). The messengers did not say that, Esau’s four hundred men were bent on evil, but the memory of what he had done troubled Jacob and con jured up a picture of Esau as coming to take vengeance upon him. : •- His fear gave, birth to another scheme by which he hoped to appease Esau’s wrath and turn him from the thought ,of revenge (vs. 7, 8). This merely- revealed -his fdlly when he might- have had the bravery of one who knows he has the protection of almighty God. in. P rayer by J acob (9-12) His approach to Go of black paper does not look like a ladder—much less like One which reaches from earth to heaven. [Ar range the round roll so that the flat roll will be at the bottom. Cut down from the top of the round roll, to, but not through the. flat roll. This should be done twice, two inches from each end, leaving a space of two inèhes ih the middle. Bend the two outside sec tions at right angles to the middle sec tion. Cut across the middle section about a quarter of an inch from the flat roll on both sides of the flat roll. Hold the two outside sections at right angles to the middle section, and pull up on the flat yellow roll. This will make the ladder.] Here is the ladder. Jt reminds me of the ladder Jacob saw in his dréam —it reached from earth to hgaven. The first color is black, reminding us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). The second color is red, speaking of the blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin (1 John 1:7). The next color is white, telling of the purity which is given to those who have received Christ as Saviour (Psa. 51:7). Following this we see yellow, representing, the golden streets of the heavenly city. If we accept Christ as Saviour, we will some day walk on the golden streets. Now you can see why I call this thé world’s longest ladder, because it reaches from the sins of earth to heaven. nizing it for what it was, Jaeob called the place Ma hanaim, or “two hosts," including his AUGUST 30, 1942 JACOB SEEKS GOD’S HELP G enesis 31 to 33 the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country* and to thy kindred* and I will deal well with thee: 10 I anl not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. BLACKBOARD LESSON
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