THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S
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together about as happily as we could expect two jealous, treacherous and crafty men to live. Ten times Laban changes Jacob’s wages, (31 :7 ), until finally they reach an agreement that all the cattle marked with certain colors shall belong to Jacob, and all of a solid color to Laban. Jacob worsts his father-in-law in this agreement because he better understands the laws of breeding. Finally he takes his wives and his children and all his cattle and starts back for his father’s country. Laban learns of his flight, overtakes him, and finally sees the uselessness of asking him to return and they agree to separate. Laban goes back home and Jacob continues on towards the land of his father, 31:52. Jacob realizes that he has a wronged brother to meet and appease'and thinks to make an impression upon him by show of his worldly possessions, not knowing how insignificant they will appear in Esau’s sight because of his greater possessions. It is when Jacob learns that he is soon to meet this brother that he seems to have' realized a sense of his utter helplessness and calls upon God for help. (32:9-12) These verses form the first personal prayer in the Bible and are uttered only when the supplicant comes to the. hour of his greatest need. That is when we are usually driven to prayer. Let us profit by Jacob’s example in prayer: He merely pleaded the promises, “ Thou saidst.” (32:9-12). Would that we might learn to pray standing on God’s promises. Following the prayer and the division and dispatch of his servants and cattle to meet Esau, Jacob remains on the other side of the ford Jabok. This is another period of 'his times alone with God, such as we saw in last lesson. This night is often spoken of as Jacob’s wrestle with God. The Bible says nothing about that. Rather God wrestled with him. (32:24) This experience was very much of the Twenty Century variety. God strives with us
countably prevented from executing.— Henry. v. 10. As though I had seen the face of God. Jacob saw God’s favor to him in Esau’s face. It was a token for good to him that God had accepted his prayers.— Henry. They are blessed who see the face of God in faith, for thus their souls are healed.— -Bible Tub. Receive my present. An atoning present is indeed a blessing (1 Sam. 25:27).— Gerlach. v. 11. I have enough. A goodly man, though he has but little in the world, yet may truly say, “ I have all” (1 Gor. 3:22).—Henry. How provoking it is to save the numbers of a magazine in order to read a serial story when finished and find that you have lost one or two num bers. That is almost the way M Y one feels in reading to-day’s GIRIiS lesson. One wonders who Leah, Rachel and Joseph are and how they got into the story. They are Jacob’s two wives and his favorite son, but we cannot understand how they' got into thé story without going back to the “ lost chapters.” After Jacob’s vision of God’s ladder (not Jacob’s as it is commonly called) from earth to heaven, he continued his flight to Padan-aram, the country of his mother’s family. (Use map or black board to locate.) He entered the employ of Laban, his uncle, (cf. 24:29; 29:5), who afterward became his father-in-law. (29:16-30). We some times wonder at the intermarriage of families and plurality of wives of these patriarchs. We must remember that these were early days of the human race and God evidently permitted them. They are recorded for our profit. Can you find an instance in the Bible of a happy family with more than one wife in it? 30:1, Envious wife; 30:2, Angry husband; 30:3, 9-10, illegitimate chil dren. Jacob and his father-in-law lived
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