The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1951-10-11

IS; Dut ne has to
lay these on the
arp Of humanity,
vanging strings
a i | y broken,
ever o n g we'll
med VI
One such doubt
Il t T n G was
Dung Jacob. He D.
approved immense n, ro,on,n
r, later in life; but '''''O"
the time of the incident de-
ribbed in Genesis % he was a very
ough diamond indeed. His own
ome was too hot for him. His faith
had been bitterly disappointed
him; his twin and only brother
sau had sworn to kill him at the
rst chance. He was a swindling
ar, leaving home on the run.
If ne had treated his neigh
bOrS with the same lack of con-
science he had shown toward
Isaac and Esau, there must
have been "many dry eye"
when the news went around
that Jacob had left town. As
matter Of fact, he kept on, for
some years after this, being the
same sort of sharp trader he
had always been.
His dream at Bethel did not con-
ert him, as is sometimes thought:
it did, his conversion waited 20
ears to "take." If the reader will
famine Jacobs vow in Gen. 1920
!, he can see that it does not ex-
'ess very lofty view of religion
| Jacobs part. Jacob makes his
'omise to the Lord with a large IF
tached; IF the Lord will prosper
m, keep him safe, bring him back
Id so forth, THEN he will give
e Lord ten per cent. Who would
Vt pay a ten per cent commission
guaranteed protection and pros
rity? No, we cannot say that
tcob at this time was sanity.
DDS Purpose
ND yet God spoke to him, made
great promises 10 him. Was this
ly a conceited dream of Jacobs?
was dream, of course, as the
tier frankly says (verse 12); but
IS the dream only the kind of
ng that psychologists call "wish-
filment, with no meaning except
show what Jacob had been think
! about? Or did the dream stand
something real?
The general belief of the
,hurch is that God really did
lave concern for this man and
lid speak to him through his
lream, even though it was the
lind of dream which perhaps
My a Jacob could have had.
But how could the perfect God
lake a covenant" or come to any
ms with such a man as Jacob
n was? The answer is probably
the story itself and in what fol-
5ed it. God had a purpose far
5ond Jacob the man. He had
n for him too; but it fitted into
ar greater plan for mankind. "In
shall all the families of the
TIL De blessed refers, Christians
ieve, to Jesus Christ and what he
meant and will mean to the
orld. Without Jacob, and the race
lich would call him their ances-
+, Jesus would not have been.
DDS Harp Has Many Strings
NNE of the most remarkable titles
= for God in the Bible is "the
cd Of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob"
Exodus 3:6). We might expect the
cst name; we are astonished to
EAR the other two.
Abraham, of course, was a great
,iritual pioneer. He was great in
her ways too; a man who would
outstanding in any age, in any
ace,-one of the great religious
eniuses of all time Of course God
the God of such men, we expect
But what about Isaac and
Jacob? Isaac was a nOnentity, a
weak character, far from
bright. Even his sins were Sec
Ond-hand. AS for Jacob, even
after he became changed
man, as in time he did, his old
crooked record remind a fact.
The Bible does not try to con-
ceal it.
Then can God be the God of the
eak and the God of the sinner?
es, that is the glory of the God
no is revealed in his Word. Other
eligions know of gods who are
lends of top-level human beings,
enuises and saints; only the reli-
ion of the Bible knows of a God
no takes personal interest in the
eak and who pursues the sinner to
lange him.
Only the Bible knows of a God
no draws to himself all sorts and
onditions of men, and makes use
: them for his great and gracious
urposes.
Copyright 1851 by the Division of
hristian Education, National Council
the Churches of Christ of the United
ates of America. Released by WNU
Senator Ferguson called for full