666
November 1928
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
Listen—Young Man! What Makes a Real Man? B y R ev . C harles H. L eggett Genesis 25 to 33 f VER a gate in China travelers have seen this Chinese proverb: “If you are planting for ten j years, plant trees; if you are planting for one ' hundred years, plant men.” The planting of men is the greatest husbandry on earth. The raising of a real man, as God counts men, is the greatest achievement on earth. No man is a real man who is not a man of God. Elisha the prophet is often referred to as “the man o f God,” a designation properly applied to any servant of the Most High. The story of how Jacob, the trickster, became a real man, in fact a prince among men, is an absorbing one. at the best; and it is far harder when the boy leaves under a cloud. Moreover there is much danger that early evil tendencies should develop into a chronic condition of heart and conduct. Oh, that young persons indulging a habit, might realize the gravity of the probability that it will become a fixed part of the character. Jacob went from his mother’s side, a crafty, selfish trickster; and that, char acteristic dominated his life for the next twenty years. Bright and early Jacob started out that morning, with his mother’s kiss upon his brow, to make his fortune, no doubt with high hopes of success, albeit he was a fugitive. He was -sturdy, strong, young and persevering. Forty- eight miles were covered the first day, and toward night he stopped to rest near Luz. With nothing for his jour ney but his staff, weary, hungry, sad, and lonely, he placed some stones for his pillows and fell asleep. There are many rocky places in this world awaiting the untried youth who ventures forth. But there is a God in heaven; and He came to Jacob that night. The pilgrim dreamed and lo ! a ladder reaching to heaven and angels ascending and descending upon it, and the Lord, Himself, standing by it. Jesus refers to that ladder as a symbol of Himself, as recorded in John 1 :51.
About 1,800 years before Christ, a pair of twin boys were born in Canaan, in answer to prayer. The first born was red-haired and was forthwith named Esau, or Edom, which means “red.” The second-born reached forth his tiny hand and grasped the heel of his brother, and was named Jacob, which means “heel-catcher,” then, trick ster, or supplanter. The boys grew up, one a hunter and man of the out-of-doors; the other a home boy and a thrifty manager. The former was his father’s favorite, the latter his mother’s—a bad state of affairs in any home. One day Esau came in, weary and ravenously hungry, from the chase. Jacob was preparing some appetizing food which looked exceedingly enticing to the eyes of the hungry Esau. The crafty heel-catcher saw his chance to drive a sharp bargain. His offer to exchange a satisfying portion of the red lentiles for Esau’s birthright was ac-g cepted; and thus this reckless trader “sold his birthright for one morsel of meat.” The years rolled on and Isaac, the father, thought he was nearing the end of his pilgrimage. He called his first born and favorite son to his side and requested that he procure some fresh venison, and prepare savory meat, the father’s preferred dish, that he might bless his elder son before he died. While Esau was gone to secure the game, Rebekah, the mother, and Jacob hatched a plot to circumvent Isaac’s plan and steal the patriarchal blessing which conferred special honors, privileges and possessions upon the recipient. Elaborately conceived and ,carried out, the ruse worked, and Jacob carried off his father’s irrevocable blessing. The tricky second-born is now in possession of both birthright and blessing and is put in the line of the ancestry of Jesus Christ. Does God thus sanc tion or even condone deceitful intrigue? By no means; but grace accomplishes its ends, in spite of reprehensible human actions. W h e n A B oy L eaves H ome Esau is filled with venomous hatred of his brother, and dire revenge is planned. The father’s demise seems near at hand and then the supplanter’s life will be taken. However, word reaches Rebekah of the expected ven geance, and hastily, under pretext, she sends her dearly loved son to Padan-Aram, to her relatives, until the storm should blow over. But she is now to reap the fruit of her own wretched deceit and wickedness, for, in all probabil ity, the mother never saw her son again. When a boy leaves home, the ordeal is hard enough,
Jehovah, the God of his fathers, assured Jacob of his presence and blessing, and renewed the covenant which He had made with Abraham and Isaac, concerning the land and universal blessing. These far-reaching promises were totally undeserved by Jacob, and were all a manifes tation of grace on God’s part, based on the shed blood of the sacrifices offered up by Jacob’s godly father and grandfather, and on the covenant relationship between these men and Jehovah. This marvelous grace won Jacob to a complete, although tardy, recognition of God; and a new relationship was established between them. No doubt Jacob was born again at this time. Much of his old craft iness remained, however; and we find him bargaining with God. “If the Lord will do so and so . . . then He shall prove to be my God and I will give Him a tenth, etc,” Of the stony pillows of the night before, he builds a pillar of witness between him and Jehovah; which pil lar is said to remain to this day. With great awe, he said, ' “This is none other but the house of God and this is the gate o f' heaven”; and so the place was called “Bethel.” Everyone must, sooner or later, make the choice that Jacob made that day, if he would dwell with God eternally. “Choose you this day whom ye will Serve.” T h e H omeless L ad Patiently trudging on, the homeless lad completed the four hundred miles’ journey, and in due time arrived in the vicinity of his Uncle Laban’s-home. He meets Laban’s daughter, Rachel, at the well, and is soon introduced into the home where he is to spend many years. Now his native genius shines out, and, as manager of Laban’s ex tensive live stock interests, Jacob makes a conspicuous success. Flocks and herds multiply under his magic care. Laban is a man of the same type as Jacob; and it becomes a battle of wits, to see who is going to come out on top, in a financial way. The owner changes his man ager’s wages ten times; he also practices fraud on him, in
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