Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1894-03-29
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON !, SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, APRIL I.

NJ W.
0. And Jacob said, o God of my father
Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the
Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto
thy country, and to thy kindred and will
deal well with thee" Jacob is now 20 years
older than when God appeared to him in
the vision at Bethel XXI, Az, and having
been instructed to return to his own home
(XNxi, 3, 13), he is now on his way thither.
The angels of God have met him, and he
has sent messengers to Esau to seek his ia
vor. The messengers have returned, saying
that Esau is coming with 400 men. Jacob
is afraid, divides the people and focks and
herds into two bands and then gives him
self to prayer
10. 81 am not worthy of the least of all
the merCies and of all the truth which Thou
hast showed unto Thy servant, for with my
staff | passed over this Jordan, and now
am become two bands" He calls upon
God as the God of his fathers, thinking
doubtless Of His covenant with them. Then
he pleads Gods command to return and
His promise of protection, and now he
takes the place of utter unworthiness and
thinks of the contrast between now and 20
years before and of Gods marvellous kind
fulness
II. Deliver me, | pray thee, from the
hand of my brother, from the hand of
Esau, for fear him lest he will come and
smite me and the mother with the chill
dren" Sin is not easily forgotten, and
Jacob would think Of his wrong done to
Esau so long ago. A guilty conscience is
always afraid, whether it be in Adam or
Abraham Gen. ill., 10; Xxx, ~ or any other
saint or sinner The perfect love of God to
us casts ont all fear Il John iv, 49,, and if
we will only walk in the light with Him
we may sing Behold, God is my saliva
ton cor deivererj | will trust and not
be afraid" sure that He will deliver us
from every evil work and preserve Us unto
His heavenly kingdom (Isa xii, .; III Tim.
iv, 49,
IL And Thou sadst, | will surely do
thee good and make thy seed as the sand OF
the sea, which cannot be numbered for
multitude" This is always safe pleading
"and thou saidst, for by the spirit through
BALKAN we hear these words, Hath He
said and shall He not do it, or hath He
spoken and shall He not make it goodl"
(Num. xiii, 49, In lisa. Xii, d, I, the peo
pie of God are called His remembrances.
See margin and K. V. and note carefully
what we are to plead for. If we would but
stand upon His promises and plead them
for His glory, what would He not do2
"a And Jacob was left alone; and there
wrestled a man with him until the break
ing of the day" BY comparing verse 80
and Hos xii 4, B, we learn that it was the
Lord himself who wrestled with Jacob,
even the same who appeared or spoke to
Hagar and A braham Gen. xvi, Is; xviii ii;
| not the Father, but the Son (John i, 1S),
who afterward became man for us. The
breaking of the day is in the MARGIN the
/ ascending of the morning." elsewhere it is
| the spring OF the day or the day spring
q Sam tx, 70; Oh XXXviil, I'D, and ID suggest
! i've Of the morning when God shall hum BILE
and then help Israel (I's XVI, 3, margin).
%. And when He saw that He prevailed
not against mnl, He touched the hollow of
! his thigh, and the hollow of Jacobs thigh
was out of Joint as He wrestled with him. "
! God can do little or nothing for us or with
us till We are thoroughly humbled and
| broken down. Our wisdom and strength
are always hindrances. He giveth power
to the faint, and to them that have nc
! might He increaseth strength lisa. XII, 29).
! When we are at our wits end (all our wis
dom being swallowed up, then Hedelivers
and shows His strength on our behalf Ops
| evil, q margin). The difficulty is to break
! US down.
26 And lie said, Let me go, for the day
breaketh. Aud ne SAID, | Will not let Thee
20, except Thou bless me" Jacob could now
resist no longer, but he could cling in his
weakness, and cling he did. 1t is now help
lessness clinging TO almightiness, and The
| blessing will surely come. Consider lsrae
in Egyptian bondage, at the Red sea, al
the Jordan, at the walls Of jericho, and il
all their history see how in all their help
lessness, relying upon God, He wrought fol
them. Consider the miracles OF the New
| Testament aud see how in every case it wa,
the power OF God on behalf of impotence
u. And He said unto him, What il
thy name: aud he said, jacob Jacob sig
miles supplantcr, and his brother Esal
thought that he was well named for h,
said, He hath supplanted me these TIVE
times, he took away my brthright and, be
hold, now he hath taken away my bless
ing" Gen. xvii 3G). Jacob virtual,
confesses himself sinful crooked man
and, as in verse 10, unworthy u any mer
cies. There is hope for the sinner when h
sees and confesses ms sins prov. xviii, Is
%. And He SAID, Thy name shall b.
called no more Jacob, bat Israel, for as
prince mast lhOu power Win uuu ana VIII
man. and hast prevailed" The name Is
rael' is found about 300 times in the Ri
bic, but this is the first time. 1t inVariabl,
means either the man so called or his de
scendants the twelve or the ten tribes au'
is misapplied when applied to the church
In the margin it is said to mean "A prime
Of God, but in this verse how suggestiv
are the words, Power with God and wit
man" And is not the secret of this poWe
made plain by the incident Of the lesson
the confession of character and helples
holding on to God?
%. And Jacob asked him and said Tel
me, pray the, Thy name, and He saic
Wherefore is it that thou dOst ask afte
My name? And lie blessed him there
When Manoah asked Him His name, II
said it was secret or wonderful (Judg Vii
Is, margiuJ, reminding us of His name i
lsa. IN, &. The blessing of the Lord upo
the land of Israel made it bring forth in on
year fruit for three years CLeV. XXv, 81
The blessing of the Lord maketh rich, an
toll addeth nothing thereto prov. Y, ~
Consider the name of the Lord in E>