Heroes of Israel Part 6

And he said, "Let me go, for the day breaketh."

And he said, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me."

And he said unto him, "What is thy name?"

And he said, "Jacob."

And he said, "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for thou hast striven with G.o.d and with men, and hast prevailed."

And Jacob asked him, and said, "Tell me, I pray thee, thy name."

And he said, "Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name?" And he blessed him there.

And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for, said he, "I have seen G.o.d face to face, and my life is preserved." And the sun rose upon him as he pa.s.sed over Peniel, and he halted upon his thigh.

=--16. The Meeting With Esau= (Gen. 33:1-16)

And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. And he himself pa.s.sed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, "Who are these with thee?"

And he said, "The children which G.o.d has graciously given thy servant."

Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. And Leah also and her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.

And he said, "What meanest thou by all this company which I met?"

And he said, "To find grace in the sight of my lord."

And Esau said, "I have enough; my brother, let that thou hast be thine."

And Jacob said, "Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one seeth the face of G.o.d, and thou wast pleased with me. Take, I pray thee, my gift that is brought to thee; because G.o.d hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough." And he urged him, and he took it.

And he said, "Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee."

And he said unto him, "My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds with me have young: and if they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die. Let my lord, I pray thee, pa.s.s over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according to the pace of the cattle that is before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come unto my lord unto Seir."

And Esau said, "Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me."

And he said, "What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord."

So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.

=--17. The Altar of Beth-el= (Gen. 35:1-7)

And G.o.d said unto Jacob, "Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto G.o.d, who appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother."

Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with them, "Put away the strange G.o.ds that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments: and let us arise, and go up to Beth-el; and I will make there an altar unto G.o.d, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went."

[Ill.u.s.tration]

And they gave unto Jacob all the strange G.o.ds which were in their hand, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. And they journeyed: and a great terror was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to Beth-el, he and all the people that were with him. And he built there an altar, because there G.o.d was revealed unto him when he fled from the face of his brother.

THE MEANING OF THE STORY

43 (--13). There is a long and interesting story of Jacob's marriage and of his twenty years' service with Laban. It was a hard service, for Laban was a hard master and was very jealous of the prosperity of his son-in-law. But in spite of difficulty Jacob was successful, though in the game of wits he was not always very scrupulous. At last he determined to return to his own land, but was obliged to go secretly for fear of Laban. Even so, Laban pursued him and there was a hot dispute.

But at last they made a covenant of peace, and parted. Jacob journeyed as far as the brook Jabbok, a stream which flows westward into the Jordan, about twenty-five miles north of the Dead Sea. Locate it on the map.

44 (--14A). As Jacob returned home, what might he have to fear? The old sin comes up after twenty years. Note Jacob's plan. He is very courteous to Esau and yet he wants him to know what a great man he has become.

What would the reply of the messengers indicate about Esau's life for the twenty years? How did Jacob feel when he heard of Esau, and what did he do?

45 (--14B). Jacob was very shrewd, but there is a better defense than cunning. Read the beautiful prayer. How does he think of G.o.d? How does he think of himself? What does he pray for? What promise does he plead?

46 (--14C). How many animals were there in each of the five droves? How many were there altogether? What was Jacob's plan to pacify Esau? Do you think this was a shrewd scheme?

47 (--15). In the old days the experiences and feelings of the heart were often told as if they were physical events. So we must understand the wonderful story of the wrestle. Jacob had been a clever man living by his wits. G.o.d had in many ways been seeking to bring him to obedience to his will. Now when the danger of Esau is upon him, Jacob has the fight of his life--but it is within his own heart.

48 (--15). Picture the loneliness of Jacob and describe how you think he felt that night? Did you ever have a great heart struggle about some duty, or over some temptation?

49 (--15). Jacob was defeated and yet he was victorious. When we give in to G.o.d, we are really victors. What was his new name? How are all his people called by it? The old name belongs to the clever man: the new name belongs to the G.o.dly man, who has received G.o.d's blessing.

50 (--16). This story may be pa.s.sed rapidly, though it is full of interest. Tell in your own words: (1) what happened when the brothers met; (2) how Jacob wisely separated from Esau.

51 (--17). There was one place in Canaan that was very sacred to Jacob.

What had happened at Beth-el? Why did G.o.d tell him to go there? How did he prepare his people for the visit? What thoughts do you think came to him when he returned to the spot where he had slept as a lonely young man twenty years before?

WRITTEN REVIEW

Tell your parents what you have learned about Jacob, and ask them if they ever knew a person who had done wrong and was in danger from it years afterward, and who was sorry for the wrong, and was helped by G.o.d's goodness. Write what they tell you in your notebook.

JOSEPH

VI. JOSEPH, THE SLAVE

VII. JOSEPH, THE RULER

VIII. JOSEPH, THE GENEROUS