Evening star., 1926-06-05

SentlnS LIl6 luIludlne1llal pFiIlclpleS Ol
peace in a more striking way than we
| find them recorded in the lesson. The
| 20 years that interviewed between last
| Sundays study Of Jacob at Bethel
and the incidents in today's lesson,
were spent by Jacob with his uncle
IIaban and his cousins. During that
| period he reaped what he sowed. The
deceiver learned that he could not es-
cape from his past. In continuous
| life of trickery, persecution, scheming
and selfish policy he finally outwitted
Laban, and under the command of
God, started the second migration
from Mesopotamia. He had entered
the land with only a staff in his hand,
but he had grown through the years
to be a wealthy cattle owner and had
obtained one more wife than he de-
sired.
When he reached the country of
his brother. whom he had wronged,
Jacob faced the possible punishment
for his sins. He had not thought
much about them during his sojourn
with Laban, but now they filled him
with fear. Whenever ne had thought
of his trickery and deception, he had
| pushed it to one side, but now he
| could not do it. The hot pursuit of
| Laban and the peace made through
with concern. He was not a coward
but he realized that night that every
thing he held dear to him-his fam
| ilys safety. his dependents security,
the fruits of his 20 years toll, We're i'm
| periled. He was alone when in the
| solitude of the night, he was brought,
through wrestling with God, to recog-
niZe his unworthineSS and selfish
ness. It was when he entered the
| valley of the shadow, recognizing how
the destiny Of the tribes depended
| upon him and his duty to them, that
he came into his privileged birthright
as the high priest. Clinging to the
unknown wrestler, who had given him
the blessing, Jacob was given a new
name because he was a new man. He
had met God face to face and hence
forth would be known as Israel, for
as a prince he had Won out in a con-
test with Jehovah. That wrestling
prepared him for fraternal reconcilia-
! tion with Esau, whom he had
wronged.
Fraternal Reconciliation.
The limping Jacob had been pre-
pared by that nights contest with God
| to attempt a reconciliation with his
brother. Esau was approaching with
his army of 400 ready to get even
| with the one who had wronged him.
He did not know of the change in his
brother, who approached him In a
| spirit of confidence in Gods power to
protect him and all who were dear
to him. The persevering, penitent.
| praying Jacob had marshaled his
forces in a truely Oriental manner
He assembled in the reverse order of
his affection for them with view of
| saving the dearest among them from
any ayenging spirit of ESau. He
found 1t easier to go over ahead of
them and bow down before his brother
because he had tried to get right with
| God. The one who seeks to secure a.
fraternal reconciliation will do well
to first get right with God. The will
to have peace is Europe,s greatest
need at this moment.
Esau was impressed by the evident
| changed attitude of Jacob. He OBJ
served the kindly spirit in his reply
| to his question, "Who are these?",
when he pointed to the long family
| line. The reply of Jacob that they
| were "The children which God hath
| graciously given to thy servant" and
the assurance that the great and val
| liable presents. which he had sent
| ahead. were for Esau, helped to melt
his heart. The honor given him by
family served to remove his animosity
| that had developed during his absence
| until he could not continue to hold
any revenge in his heart for the one
who had tremblingly bowed down be-
fore him and acknowled Esau to be
his lord. He ran "to meet him, en-
braced him and fell upon his neck and
| kissed him.
The reconciliation was complete.
Esau proved that he was generous
by refusing the gifts, just as Roose-
velt demonstrated to China by declin-
ing the indemnity due us on account
Of the Boxer trouble that we were
friendly to China. The Chinese stu
dents, who have been educated every
year in America by the Chinese gov
ernment's using Of the interest Of that
fund, have shown that the will to be
friendly will find a response in the
heart of a nation as we'll as in that
of a man. Although Esau desired to
refuse taking any gifts, the diplomatic
inslstance OF Jacob succeeded in pre-
vailing upon him to accept the same.
by so> doing the fraternal reconcilia-
ton developed into family recogni-
ton.
Family Recognition.
The moment that Jacob recognized
tnat ne mad succeeded in overcoming
his brothers anger, his joy appeared
to know no limit. He fiattered Esau
by saying that II have seen thy face
as one seeth the face of God, and
thou vast pleased with me-" Looking
back upon the experience of the pre.
ceding night, Jacob. who had not vet
attained the title of Israel, saw in
the gracious acceptance of his gifts
by ESau, the evidence of Gods bless
ing resting upon him. He had been
selfish and he sought now to rise above
the spirit of selfishness by a generous
consideration of Esau. whom he had
wronged. He had learned that he
could not live with God and be indif.
ferent to his brethren. One must
prove their profession of religion by
life that recognizes ones duty to
others.
In the joy Of the family recogni.
ton and fraternal reconciliation, Esau
proposed that they should journey on
together. Jacob with true oriental
diplomacy declined because. it would