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2 • 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. w. , W a * 7®" * sw*' .* i t* eh ~ a A : J ->ll H Jra*h - I. 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.)