Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1907-04-10
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON u, SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, APRIL ~.

events Of last lesson when jacob lert
his home In search Of wife. -Four.
teen years he served Laban for MS
two daughters, and six years he served
for the cattle he now possessed. BY
day and by night In drought and In
frost, he served (xxxi, 3S-42). God
watched over him, as He had said he
would, and increased him exceedingly
and suffered not Laban to hurt him or
to speak evil to him Xxx, 43; XXI, T.
"a. '2e) The story of his finding Rachel
by q we'll and his welcome to Laban's
home, bringing tidings of his mother
who left that home forty years before,
is most fascinating. We are reminded
of Ellezer finding Rebekah at wen,
and also of the we'll stories In connec'
ton with Hagar, and the wells OF the
oath. and of him that llveth and seetn
me. by which Abraham and Isaac
dwelt fGen. xvi, IA; xxi, IL, III; XIV,
11-67; XIV, IL. We cannot but think
also. of the well by which Moses found
zipporah (Ex. ii, 15-21), and then of our
Lord Jesus at Jacobs well John w,
and the well Of which He spake which
would be In the believer, carrying US
back again to lisa. xii and Jer. IL, IL.
So the unity OF Scripture grows upon
US. and everywhere we see God.
AZ the finAl parting Of Laban and
Jacob we have the heap Of witness,
most familiarly known as Mizpah, BY
| which each called God to witness that
neither would ever pass that heap OF
| stones to do the other harm (chapter
| xxi, 1855, which Is not quite the
thought now associated with the word
| "Mizpah."
| How near heaven seems to be as we
read the 9Dgel stories Of the Bible.
| And this story Of the angels OF Goo
meeting Jacob and the two hosts, the
heavenly and the earthly, makes me
believe that l never speak to a con
gregatlon upon whose faces l look but
that there Is also present company
Of intensely interested angels whom
| cannot see Il Pet. LIP; Eph. I'LL, 1O.
The weakness Of Jacob notwith
standing all Gods care OF him Is seer
in his fear and distress when he heard
that Esau was coming to meet hin
(verse y, but in him do we not SCI
ourselves and our own unbelieff
His prayer In verses 9-12 sounds oil
right. He takes the place OF humilit!
and unworthlness, acknowledges Cod
faithfulness and pleads His promises
Having committed the whole matter u
God. he then did what seemed Wis
to him In the matter Of proving III
faith by his works, somewhat IKE Ne
hemiah, who said, 1--WE made on
prayer unto our God and set a wafcl
| against them day and night" (Neh. ~
l@. Ezra wonld. not accept yisiDi
escort when he went up to Jerusalem
but Nehemiah did. yet both relied ur
On the Lord. We must each give &C
| count of himself to God and be care
| full not to Judge others unless 1t
clearly a case Of wrongdoing, as whel
Rebekah by deceit and lying sougn
to accomplish what God had said tina
He would do. do not say that ther
was not q large piece Of Jacob In q
this plan to appease his brother, and
do believe that we must come 10 u
end Of ourselves II we would see 60
working as He desires to. All our VIII
dom must be swallowed up Cps. CYL
q. margin, and the rest Of our lesso
makes that plain. 1t might be Ell
tItled Gods way Of blessing" or GO
breaking Jacob down" or 'helplessnes
clinging to all power"
Jacob, having made all arrangement
az seemed best to him, was left alo1
(yerse 24. This Is essential-to
alone with God, to see no one say
l Jesus only. Then we read that a ma
wrestled with him till the breaking
? the day, or, as in the margin, the a
cending of the morning" 1t Is evidel
that Jacob resisted the man, or Il
angel. for he prevailed not over JacC
' Till he touched Jacobs thigh and p'
7. II out Of joint (25); then Jacob In CO
! scious weakness chung to the nigh
y one till the blessing was obtaine
y Not by, striving agonzmg, wrestiin
). but by clinging in our helplessness
! Him who giveth power to the fai
and to them who have no might us
$ II. 29). this is the way Of victory.
- In Jacob resisting till the mornii
" there Is possibly suggestion that mi
D.. will never be thoroughly broken doV
mi the morning of our LORDS retur
II will certainly he true Of Israel as
= nation. for It Is written, God shall ne
hey when the morning appeareth" u
= XVII. 3. margin. In giving his mar
- as Jacob. or supplanter (xxvii, 36),
have another suggestion as to the w
y Of mower. We must acknowledge IN
we are sinners and nothing but 8
, ners. having nothing to plead but o
-. guilt and our need. Then, receivi
!. Christ we at once get new name
saint or saved sinner or child OF Goo
with the assurance that our names
written in heaven John 1, IL; Luke
- ZU). we tnlik VI hDi" '
= Abraham, and SimoR's new nan
Peter, and the new name Of Rev. II,
= Jacob seeing God face TO face and !
result OF it reminds us Of Job XIII, o,
lisa. vi, 3: Dan. x. 7, 8. All these W.
revelations Of God through His )
Sc for only in Christ can we see the
=. Their (Aiatt. xi, 81; John !, Is; xiv,
~ Now, the secret Is so continually TO
en- God and be dead to self that HIS
by vaillng power shall be manifest in
Sc, through us. Power with God 9
art with men"--what a word that Is.
Ky pure in heart see God.
have seen the face Of Jesus.
Tell me naught OF aught beside.
az have heard the voice OF Jesus
l. lSA AA