The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1907-04-04
Jacobs Vision and
Gods Promise
Sunday School Lesson for April 7, 1907
Specially prepared for this paper.
Specially prepared for this paper.

LESSON TEXT.-Genesis 2S-1-5; 10-22;
memory verses. 13, IA.
GOLDEN TEXT.-"Behold, I am with
thee, and will keep thee in ell places
whittier thou goest."-Gen. 2S-15.
T1ME.-Not definitely known, but prob
ably about 1850 b. c. Isaac was III
years old and Esau and Jacob about 81.
PLACES-Beersheba, on the southern
edge OF Palestine, and Bethel, about II
miles north of Jerusalem. There Is
little village and a we'll at Bethel, which
Is on a hill. and the ruins of a Crusaders
church stand there. On hill a quarter
Of a mile away are the ruins of So
called castle of Abraham. which some
consider the site of the old Bethel
Charles q. Trumbull
SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES.-Bibie
dreams: Abimelech's. Gen. 20:3; Jacobs
other dreams, Gen. 31.11-13; 1924 Lab
ans. Gen 3l:2; Joseph's, Gen. T:5-10;
Pharaoh's. and his officers. Gen. 40. Al;
the Midianite's. Judg. 1913; Solomon's.
Kings 3:5-15: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Dan. 24:
Joseph's, Matt. 1:20-23; 2:13, 10, 20; Pilates
wife's. Matt. 27:19; Paul's. Acts I6:9; 23:11.
etc.
Compare Gods covenants with Abra-
ham and Isaac and Isaac's blessing. Gen.
l2:l-3; 15:1-21: 7:l-21: 22:i5-ls: 26:1-5; T:N-
20.
New Testament light on this event:
John 1851; Heb. 1:14; John 146; Tim.
2:5.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
1. "And Isaac" Now an old man OF
III. Called Jacob" About 81 years
old. young man for those times Of
long life. And blessed him." There
is no attempt to substitute Esau for
Jacob. Thou shalt not
a. ,,f. % IA ~
Canaan" This was Rebekah's con-
trivance (Gen. 27:46), in order to get
Jacob safely away; and yet 1t was
not wholly a pretext, for wife must
be provided for the now recognized
first-born, and no alliance with heath
enism was At for the one In whose
line the great Abrahamic covenant
would descend. II would be we'll for
Christians II they also took heed
to "be not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers" g Cor. 6:14).
A Fathers Blessing The best start
in life" a young man can have is the
benediction of a godly father or moth
er.
Jacob Comforted by a Heavenly
Vision and a Renewed Covenant
Our exile was mothers boy" He
had been long enough from Beersheba
to grow homesick. His heart was
softened also by the lonely place and
his solitary condition, by the night and
the stars.
Light from Jacobs Ladder.-What
the lonely traveller learned from this
lovely vision we also may learn. These
ladder lessons are:
|. The nearness Of heaven. Angels
are all around us to help us, as the
mountain was. full of celestial defend.
ers round about Elisha.
2. These angels are magnificent
creatures. God "maketh his angels
winds, and his ministers fame Of
fire" And yet they are ready to COM
fort a guilty fugitive like Jacob.
3. The way to heaven is a stairway,
easy of ascent, with angels to help us.
The Mohammedans, on the contrary,
picture the entrance to heaven as a
bridge, "as narrow as the thread Of
famished spider" ..r-s rr'''g
4. And Jesus Christ is the Way!
Our Lord himself John led applied
the description of Jacobs stairway to
his own great work as a medium of
communication between God and man.
mo man cometh unto the Father, but
by me-"
5. Cleans of heaven may be expect
ed through the darkest sky of misfor-
tune and sorrow.
6. THE angels ascended: there Is
the ascent Of our prayers. The angels
descended: there is the descent of
Gods answers. We are reminded Of
the afferent and efferent nerves of
the body-up which fash the sharp
stlngs OF pain from the eXtremities to
the head; down which come the direc.
tions how to act."-F. b. Meyer.
Jacobs Covenant a Response to
Gods Covenant.--In no way do men
show their characters more clearly
than by the response they make to
the goodness of God. 1t Is like the
reaction In the chemists test-tube,
when a certain substance is added,
WHICH, dt OuCc ulStlOStb lH6 NATURE OI
the compound under examination.
Jacobs responses to Gods gracious
promises were three: Veneration,
commemoration and conservation.
Second Response, Commemora-
tion.-Jacob established two memo
rials of the great event, stone monu-
ment, and still more lasting name.
Third Response. Conservation
v. 20. "And Jacob vowed a VOW"
When man understands Gods COW
enant Of blessing, the natural and
honorable impulse is to make one In
return. Love begets love, and bene-
fits inspire a wish to do something
for the benefactor
". 20. "And Of all that thou shalt
give me will surely give the tenth
unto thee" This giving Of tithes was
a very ancient custom. followed by
Abraham In the case of Melchizedek