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• The Golden Age for May Bth, 1913
DIVINE GYMNASTICS
Wednesday Night Bible Lecture by Rev. Len G. Broughton, D.D., of Christ Church, London
REPORTED FOR THE GOLDEN AGE BY M. I. H.—Copyright Applied For.
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CHRIST CHURCH, LONDON.
Scripture section Gen. XXIX, XXXIII.
Special text, GEN XXII :24-29.
f **r<l WENT Y years ago Jacob took leave of
a | his father and mother in Beersheba, and
3 started out for the home of his uncle
Laban in Haran. His depature was a
rather hurried one; no special preparation had
been made for it. It was a hurried flight
from the presence of his brother Esau whom
he had wronged out of his birthright and
blessing. There was no fSime for Jacob to
make special preparation, for he was fearful
lest he should be overtaken by Esau.
During Jacob’s twenty years’ absence, many
things have transpired in his life, which are
thrilling with interest. The first thing that oc
curred was the experience which he had at
Bethel. There he had that remarkable vision
in which he saw a ladder, with angels ascend
ing and descending upon it; and the Lord top
ping them all.
After Jacob had this experience at Bethel,
and received afresh the promise of God, he
struck out for Haran; and on the way just a
bit outside of Haran he stopped at tho well,
and at this well he got the first sight of Rachel,
his cousin, who afterwards became his wife.
And Rachel, after greeting her cousin from
far away Bethel, returned with her flock to
tell her father Laban about the meeting and
the interview with him.; ) Laban was much
pleased with the report and went out and met
him at the well, gave him his greetings, im
planted kisses upon his cheeks, and took him
home.
Then we have the account of his reception
by his uncle, and following this, a record of
his domestic experiences which began at this
time. There are six things recorded that I
think are worth mentioning. First, his love
and seven years’ service for Rachel. I put it
that way because I think it deserves it! His
love, tested and tried by seven years of ser
vice. Second, his deception by his uncle Laban
in giving him Leah to wife instead of Rachel
for whom he had served, faithfully, seven years.
Third, his faithfulness for Rachel in serving
yet seven years longer after he had obtained
her. Fourth, the birth of his children. Fifth
his controversy and separation from his uncle.
Sixth, the reconciliation with his uncle, “Miz-
pah,” which means, “The Lord watch between
me and thee when we are hidden one from
another.”
The thing that I am more interested in than
anything else with you is the journey from
his uncle’s home in Haran back over the same
road to his father’s land. It is a significant
fact that just after he left his father’s house on
the way out to Haran twenty years ago, he had
a vision of a ladder and of angels ascending
and descending upon it. So, here, just after he
leaves the home of his uncle to journey home
over the same road, he again is met with an
gels, this time not a vision, but an actual visi
tation of angels. The place of the first meet
ing of angels, he called Bethel. The place of
this second meeting he calls Hahaniam.
It is also significant that Jacob has the same
enemy to fear now as he retraces his steps, that
he had when he left home, and that enemy is
Esau who has not yet satisfied himself for the
way in which Jacob wronged him of his birth
right and his father’s blessing. And now as he
retraces his steps back to his father’s house
after all these years of experience he has to
face the same issue. It would seem therefore
that the presence of the angels ill the dream as
he leaves his uncle’s house was to encourage
him on his journey and prepare him for this
final issue with his brother.
Let us now observe the steps that he takes
in this matter.
First, he recognizes the necessity of meet
ing Esau and finally settling with him one way
or the other the issue of the wronged birth
right and stolen blessing. Since this is so, he
sends messengers of peace to have an interview
with Esau beforehand. They return and re
port that Esau is coming with four hundred
armed men to meet him! This frightens Jacob,
and he prepares for the conflict. And now .we
have the final act of preparation which is his
prayer, and this is worth all the preparation
he ever made. It is found in Genesis 32:9-12:
“And Jacob said 0 God of my father Abraham,
and God of my father Isaac.” Here we have
Jacob’s remembrance of what God had done
for his ancestors. It is the first element of his
prayer. The second element in the prayer is
the pleading of God’s promises, showing that
Jacob had often thought of them since they
were made, “0 Jehovah who saidest unto me
Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred,
and I will do thee good.” The third element
in the prayer is his sincere humility, “I am
not worthy of the least of all thy loving kind
ness, and of all the truth which thou hast
shewed unto thy servant. ’ ’ The fourth element
is his gratitude for God’s goodness in bring
ing about his prosperity. “For with my staff
I passed over Jordan, and now I am become
two companies.” The fifth element in his
prayer is his petition for his home and fam
ily. “Deliver me from the hand of my broth
er, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him lest
he should come and smite me, the mother with
the children.” The last and sixth element in
his prayer is his pleading of God’s promises,
“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.”
Now I want if possible that we shall keep in
mind the elements that make up this prayer
of Jacob’s, for it is a prayer that we can well
afford to model our praying by.
This brings us to the Jabbok experience
which is the first part of the answer to his
prayer. It is impossible to understan d and ex
pound that Jabbok experience of Jacob’s with
out keeping in mind this prayer that has just
preceded it, for the Jabbok experience is the
first step in the direction of the answer that
God gives. Os course, it is an answer in a
way that Jacob never dreamed of, but most
answers come in ways we never dreamed of.
Let me call attention to the steps in this Jab
bok experience. First, he was left alone.
Second, while left alone, there wrestled!
with him a man until the breaking of the day.
Third, failing to prevail against him, he made
him lame by touching the hollow of his thigh.
Fourth, at this point, the experience changes
and the man no longer wrestles with Jacob,
but Jacob wrestles with the man. Fifth, the
man then said, “Let me go for the day break
eth.” Sixth, but Jacob said, “I will not let
thee go except thou bless me.” Seventh, the
man then said, “Thy name shall be no more
Jacob (supplanter), but Israel (he who striv
eth and prevaileth with men and God). Eighth,
observe that here the wrestler is called “a
man.” We have often heard men speak about
“the angel that wrestled with Jacob.” Os
course, no man has ever had a right to refer
to this wrestler as an angel, only upon the
basis of the teaching of Hosea (12:4). But
whether he was a man or an angel or this or
that or the other, Jacob recognized him as God
Now immediately following this experience
with Jacob at Jabbok he meets Esau. And
they meet without reference to the past, there
is no discussion whatever concerning it.
Now that Jacob has passed through this Jab
bok experience of wrestling, and has been
brought into proper relationship with God, hav
ing wholly handed himself over to the Lord
as clay in the hands of the potter to be fash
ioned and moulded by the wrestler’s hand ac
cording to His own plan, he goes out and meets
Esau; and the surprise of surprises from a hu
man standpoint is that no reference is made
to the past. Esau does not come, as Jacob
had expected him to come, with his malice to
pour out upon him, a sword to take his life,
or to charge him because of his injustice, or
accuse him of anything at all. How does he
come? He comes under the direction of the
God that has taken charge of Jacob there at
Jabbok to fall upon Jacob’s neck as a loving
brother, to give him his kisses and his love,
and to let byegones he byegones, and to live
forever as an affectionate brother should live.
There are no terms of peace submitted, and
no penance whatever required. Esau refuses
Jacob’s gift, and as far as possible Jacob tries
to bestow the blessing and the birthright back
upon his brother Esau. I firmly believe had it
been possible Jacob would have handed the
whole back to Esau and taken his place at
Esau’s feet; but since he cannot, he bestows
upon his brother the very best he can as the
holder of the first place in the family of the
(Continued on Page 14.)