THE K I N G ’ S B US I NE S S
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man, for I began the strife and you began the peace.” Jacob Felt the Need of Restitution. It has been well said that “ a personal consecration” should be spelled ” a purse and all consecration.” And when a United States official recently received a sum of restitution money from a man who said he had been converted, the official said, “ I believe it more by this restitution of a hundred dollars than though he had given a thousand dollars to charity.” Gen. 33:1. He divided the children. Haying pleaded God’s promise in prayer (32:9-12), he again takes to scheming. — Torrey. How slow is the human heart to trust God! COMMENT Had he really been FROM MANY leaning upon God, he SOURCES never could have anti cipated destruction for himself and his family.— McIntosh. His fear as well as his prudence appears in his dividing his train into two bands. The main thing, however, was this. He is ill at ease in his conscience with regard to his offense against Esau.— Gosman. Fear is the tax that con science pays to guilt.-—Sewell. Fear makes men believe the worst.— Rufus. It is only the fear of God that can deliver us from the fear of man.— Witherspoon. Only as we realize the presence of the Lord does fear give place to faith.— Smiley. What can that man fear who takes care to please him who is able to crush all of his adver saries ?— Addison. v. 2. Put the handmaids foremost. There is nothing so ingenious as fear. —St. John. v. 3. He passed over before them. It is much safer to reconcile an enemy than to conquer him. Victory may deprive him of his poison but recon ciliation of his will.—-Feltham. Bowed himself. Man cannot be degraded by humiliation.—-Burke. Humbleness is
always grace, always dignity.— Lowell. Many preserve themselves by humbling themselves. The bullet flies over him who stoops.— Henry. Jacob’s humilia tion before Esau implies his humilia tion before God, a satisfaction to Esau and his reconciliation with God.— Schaff. In' this manner we Christians are in the eyes of the world the most miserable, subject' to every one, but in truth we are and remain the heirs of heaven and earth.— Starke. Came near to his brother. Christians must be open to reconciliation with their ene mies. (Rom. 12:18).—Starke. v. 4. Esau ran to meet him. God saved his promise in saving. Jacob.— Taube. We find traces of the divine image in every one and it is too fre quently true that the world teaches the believer.— Schroder. How many a knot of mystery and misunderstanding would be untied by one word spoken in simple and confiding truth of heart.— Dewey. As the nighit before he had power with God, to-day he has power with man (Psa. 34:4). A heart even of an Esau is in the control of God (Prov. 21:1).— Torrey. It is not the result of Jacob’s plan so much as God’s grace whether Jacob realized it or not.— Gray. Fell on his neck. Thus He ever delights to rebuke our poor cowardly unbelieving hearts and put to flight all our fears. Why is it that notwith standing all the sweet evidence of His faithfulness to those who put their trust in Him, we are so réady on every fresh occasion to doubt and hesitate? We are not sufficiently acquainted with God (Job 22:21).— C. H. M. Kissed! him. How beautfiul when contending parties come together; but then pre vious difficulties must not be called up (Rom. 12:10).—Sei. Jacob wept for joy to be thus kindly received by his brother whom he had feared, and Esau perhaps wept for grief and shame to think of the bad design he had con ceived against his brother, which he had found himself strangely and unac-
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