The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-04-13
The International
Sunday-School Lesson
Second Quarter. Lesson II. Genesis
Xxxii, O-12 .!-3O. April ID, 1907.

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second Quarter: Lesson II. Genesis
xxxii, O-12, ..-30. April ID, 1907.
GOD GIVES JACOB a NEW NAME.
There was u clash OF feeling In the,
heart of Jacob as he approached Canaan
after his exile III Padan- aram. There
with milk and honey. And he was
making his entrance in good form. He
returned not al he ,vent out, with
as a mighty sheik. who could look
complacently Mt his vast tlocks and
herds, and the caravan Of his follow
crs, with all the impcdmcnta of q
wholly upon temperatures. He had
learned many religious lessons In his
banishment. He came with the In
tention OF dscharging well the, priest.
the nation. He had Soma coneep ton
however Incomplete. of one who was
to be born OF his line. Prince and
q Savior He had the Messlanic hope.
But all the brightness OF ia.
cob's JOY was darkened by one cloud
OF angry portent. lie must needs meet
the consequences OF the sins OK forty
years ago--his unbrotherly action; his
ambition. greed and fraud; MS over
haste and use OF foul means to accom-
plish what he had reason to believe
was the Lords will-all these assumed
spectral form to haunt mn; his
wronSed brother was Approaching ~
hostile mien and force; Esau was : ac-
oiistomed to nothing else but striking
the blow of death.
10 Jacob 1t seemed as II all was lost.
What did it amount to-the sight OF INC
Promised Land-if he must needs STAN
the Messlanic hopes and promises would
perish in him. There Is q touch OF the
domestic and nffectionate spirit Of the
patriarch in his prayer &c fairy
pending slaughter of the innocents. He
can not brook the thought of another
tragedy Of n Niobe and her children;
In the extremity Of his peril, tue ruling
serted itself. But. the, advance In char
acter is manifest in that 1t took no ig-
noble form. There was nothing unworthy
in the division Of his caravan into two
II one was taken, the other. might b"
left. And the presents sent in 4 series
would be cumulative In their effect to
soften the anger OF his injured brother,
suggest, Jacob had recourse to prayer.
Some one once asked q minister wheth-
er he believed In healing by faith or
medicine: His very apt reYy was: II
eSsSe jacob Ia hsa sed ~ ' a sd
could think of to placate his brother and
save himself and his family just as
Il everything depended upon himself.
Then he went to prayer just as II every
thing depended upon God.
The prayer Of Jacob Is the first record
ca PRAYER, asit is one OF tho nobldst
q al the Bible: 20 God Of my father
Here is. an appeal to the God of the
covenant. The entrance of a pathetic
claim to the mercies of the covenant.
Which saidest unto me. Return The
present extreme peril is not incurred by
an presumption or rashness on Jacobs
part: but by his very obedience to the
explicit command of God. II am not
We, !. ~; This Is depreciation Deliver
sIa So will surely do thee good This
IS an appeal to. and a pressing OF, the
prom ises Of God. i 4
= Nature At, e, seems &c at that particular spot
scene that TRANSFERRED thefey! r KIT brd 5he
AZ l;s,S ifsRaaziaS
yond So the fndomitable spri Ro 81 t nec
Of there hed stormed the Kingdom
vas vas in an agony. Death was Impending.
his hopes ruined his fortune scattered'
tre s iintmilyG slda,gghtsred he WIS Il
arm must bring deliverance!p >'oe' ?
~ Ths !, !, Is nothing inexpllca in the
70 be 50 ssenf eommeny hongh5
concession when tho Lord took UPON
Himself human form, and allowed
ansGe tg y thn his sSgsasiye
The corporea struggle was nm accom-
pFganiment to prayer. The prophet
h9ssn aay 10 Ja tSe mePt ana made
wrestling, and In and through it, there
vas W. !. an Intelligent mind, "a fcryent
$780, ana spir Many
persons placed in despeiate Situations,
S S,ld !, I, accompany their prayers with
or bench or other article OF furniture
Yet Jacob was to be taught that the
wealSness-that It is not ~ (human'9'
might nor power, but by Gods Spirit:
SO the very seat and citadel of his
ehha ana ads hs S eat n Ike
broken straw But even thenhe threw
his arms about the angels neck and
Jacob what Ills former character had
been as to ask his name; for name
was Jacob the supplanter. the trickster.
the heel-holder, and trlpper gaining
his ends BY f9 Tns means + fair would
question held up the mirror before
Jacob SO that lie saw plainly tho ugly
traits of his character. He despised
ready to cry, Who, shall deliver me
The angels answer to Jacobs de-
mand was equivalent to- saying
You know MY name already why
do you ask for it?" Jacob, showed that
he knew the name when he called the
place Pencil Face of God"
ANALYSIS AND KEY.
1 Jacobs mixed feelings on return to
CONTRAST of exit and entrance.
.. The gain OF the exile Indicated in
jacobs conduct
Approach Of Icsnu, the nvenger.
Jacobs strategem, not ignobte as
842U before.
a. Recourse to prayer.
First recorded prayer OF, the Bible.
Ono Of the noblest--analysts OF 1t,
5. Tho "Wrestling," mericitul con-
descensiOn.
G. Significance OF old namo and new.
THE TIIACIIcR'S LANTERN.
The lessonsof this thrilling scene Ia tho
same that Jesus sought TO Impress by
tho parallels of the ''widoWand the unjust
!,