T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
April 1932
188
him. Send him to his uncle’s to find a wife.” Isaac thought this plan was good, so he called Jacob to him, blessed him, and sent him forth to Padan-aran. Jacob was just a young man, and he had never been away from home before. Traveling was not easy in those days. The roads were rough, and there were many robbers and wild beasts. As Jacob walked along, he began to feel afraid. Everything was so strange, and he remembered how he had cheated his brother out o f his birth right. He knew that Esau was angry and wanted to kill him. He wondered if God was remembering him at all. When night came, he slept in the open fields with a stone for his pillow. He felt very much alone. But God was remember ing him, and during the night, He sent Jacob a dream. He saw a ladder stretched to heaven and protecting angels ascending and descending upon on it. At the top stood God Himself, and God said, “ I am the Lord God o f Abraham, thy father,” and God blessed Jacob; and Jacob knew that, although he had been wicked, God was with him and would forgive him. He awoke and said, “ Surely the Lord is in this place: and I knew it not.” the fairly smooth dirt road toward Ker- ak, we saw hardly a soul. Here and there a straggling band o f sheep could be seen, but no person was in sight. Somewhere in that wild region, one o f our cars had a puncture. Hardly had we stopped, be fore men began to pop up, seemingly out o f the very ground. They were alert, ac tive, and with that wild, far-away look o f the desert in their eyes. Although they were perfectly friendly, each car ried a gun slung over his shoulder, and we knew that they were men who were not to be trifled with. W e fixed the puncture as soon as pos sible, and moved on, glad to get away from these men. While they were peace ful, their mysterious appearance and their wild looks made us feel uncomfort able. No doubt Jacob felt much the same when he, traveling across this same re gion several thousand years ago, met Esau and his band o f roving desert men. Jacob, while returning from his so journ with Laban, heard that Esau was coming to meet him, accompanied by 400 men. T o Jacob, this could mean only that Esau’s wrath still raged, and that now he meant to have revenge against the one who had dealt so hardly with him. Filled with dread, Jacob began to scheme to outwit his brother and to avert the threatened catastrophe. A fter d o i n g what he could, he had the experience at Peniel (32:24-32) in which his name was changed to Israel, meaning “the prince with God.” But in the first verse o f our lesson we read, " Jacob lifted up his eyes.” Why not Israel? Alas! while the name had been changed, the character o f Jacob still clung to him. To the very end, the old nature was strong in Jacob, Outline and Exposition I. T he M eeting (1-4).
and because o f this fact, he stan4s out as one o f the most striking illustrations o f the operation of the sovereign grace o f God in a man’s life. There was seeming danger in the pres ence o f Esau and his men, but Jacob had God’s promise o f protection, given on that memorable night at Bethel (Gen. 28:15). God does not always remove the danger, but He always gives deliverance, if we will accept it. God had already given victory, changing Jacob’s name to Israel, “ for as a prince thou hast power with God and with men” (Gen. 32:28). But Jacob, the schemer, persisted in liv ing and showing himself. The flesh is forgetful o f God and is ever ready to show itself in distrust o f God. Jacob had already sent forward sev eral droves o f cattle as a present to his brother (32:13-23). He now continued to plan cunningly, for he thought that, in spite o f the promise o f God, possibly the wrath o f Esau would yet fall upon him. He manifested the common sin o f all men: distrust o f the promises o f God. Is it not this that characterizes so many who go from year to year without any assurance o f their salvation, even after they have accepted Christ as their Sav iour, and have been assured by God that they shall never perish? Jacob approached Esau, bowing and humbling himself in a most servile man ner, as though Esau, and not he himself, were the**possessor of the birthright. As the owner o f the birthright, Jacob was the one who had precedence. But Jacob could not forget how he had come into possession o f it He showed little re liance on the power o f God to change the mind of Esau. Wonder o f wonders, Esau ran to his brother and, as though there had never been anything amiss between- them, he greeted him as his long lost and well beloved' brother 1 Esau was controlled by the Lord, and Jacob’s fears were ground less. A fter meeting God, as Jacob met Him at Bethel, whatever peril may threaten, we need not resort to the world’s trickery, but can be straight forward and fearless. Well had it been for Jacob had he learned this lesson! Dr. Griffith Thomas says, “A fter Pe niel, this does not read well. In the face o f that guarantee o f power and grace, we are disappointed to read o f further p r e c a u t i o n s , manifest fear, obvious fawning, and continued planning. Jacob still needs the lesson o f absolute trust in God.” II. T he I ntroductions (5-7). Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the w o men and children and enquired to whom they belonged. The reply w as: “The chil dren which God hath graciously given thy servant.” In this answer there was per haps a hidden threat to Esau. I f God had been so gracious to Jacob, if He was such a friend o f his, it would be unwise for any one to injure him, since he was so evi dently a favorite with God. Being himself so full o f the old nature, Jacob would nat urally suppose that Esau had some hidden reason for greeting him to kindly. Jacob remembered the sudden rage o f Esau, but he did not remember, what his mother knew, that Esau’s rage cooled as suddenly as it flared up. The persons closest to Jacob’s heart were the last to appear before Esau. The hand maidens and their children came first, then
It ought to be enough for every Chris tian just to know he is in God’s keeping. —Sunday School Times.
Finding God in a Strange Place Genesis 28:10-16
Memory Verse: “ I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest” (Gen. 28:15). Approach: You remember that, in our story last week, Esau had promised his birthright to Jacob. When the time came fo " the old, blind father, Isaac, to die, he
called Esau to him to bless him. He sent Esau out first to get some venison for him to eat. While Esau was g o n e , J a c o b dressed himself as Esau and went in and got the blessing. O f course Esau was an- gry. Isaac was angry, too. So it seemed best for Jacob to go away.
His mother thought o f a plan. Lesson Story: Rebekah said to Isaac, “ It is time Jacob should marry, but the daughters o f this land are not suitable for
M AY 22, 1932 JACOB A N D ESAU RECONCILED G enesis 32 and 33
Lesson Text: Genesis 33:1-11. Golden Text: “Be ye kind one to an other, tenderhearted, forgiving one an other, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32). The Land of Esau rom what we know o f the charac ter o f Esau, the “ land over Jordan” was most admirably suited for his habitation. His was a wild, roving spirit He could not settle down in one spot to lead a commonplace life. He must have
action and wide, open spaces to give vent to his active spirit The country to which he later moved offered e v e r y opportunity which he desired. His view was not cut off by abruptly r i s i n g hills upon every side. The high table-land
o f Trans-Jordania rolls away in gentle swells until it is lost in the limitless ex panse o f the desert o f the east. One can stand upon an eminence upon the east of Jordan, and view the country for almost a hundred miles. The air is clean and pure, and the skies are almost always cloudless. Cattle and wild animals roam the plains and afford excellent prey for the hunter. Here and there the undula tions are cut by the bed o f a dry water course. Here the hunter, as well as the animals, can conceal himself, while he waits for his prey. The people who roam the plains of Trans-Jordania today possess the same characteristics as those o f Esau. They are a wild, liberty-loving people, who cannot be confined to any definite local ity, but constantly roam as restless spirits over their highland plain. While we were upon our way to the region o f the Cities o f the Plain, we passed through the Plains of Moab. As we buzzed along
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