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Jacob wrestling at Peniel, is blessed.

21 So went the present over before him and himself lodged that night in the company. 22 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok.

23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.

24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

27 And he said unto him, What

is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

29 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. 30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.

32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.

LECTURE 67.

God strives with us by his Spirit, we with Him by prayer. Jacob's present for his brother is gone forwards. He has spent the evening with his family. He has risen in the midst of night to set forth on his journey. He has sent his wives and children and all that he had over the brook. And now, when he "was left alone," "there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day." Though we oftentimes suppose ourselves alone, we never are. God is always nigh at hand to strive with us, and can manifest his presence in any way He most thinks fit. To Jacob He revealed Himself in the form of a man wrestling. To us He proves his presence, by his Spirit striving in our hearts. This is one of the obvious applications of the marvellous event here related. These are the conclusions we draw from the man wrestling with Jacob, that notwithstanding his many past faults, and failings, God was pleased still to work upon him for good; and that though He could by almighty power constrain us to obey, as easily as by a single touch He disjointed Jacob's limb, yet He prefers to move us by fear and hope and love, to wrestle with us by the revelation of affections, to which our own bear some faint resemblance, to

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deal with us as his children, who have an understanding and a heart, and who are able to serve Him by choice and with devotion.

But Jacob wrestling with the man presents a different notion, from that which has been suggested by the man wrestling with Jacob. And the prophet Hosea has taught us to apply this history to the wrestling of prayer; speaking thus of the patriarch; "by his strength he had power with God: yea he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him." Hos. 12. 4. Whilst then God strives with us by his Spirit, let us strive with Him by prayer. Let us strive with Him, not as opposing his will, but as prevailing upon Him to shew forth in us his glory. Let us earnestly intreat his blessing, with such fervour and perseverance in devotion, as though we would never cease praying, never let Him go, except He bless us.

Such holy confidence as this was not counted for presumption, in Jacob. How much less in that spiritual Israel, who are expressly invited to approach with boldness the throne of grace, to ask in faith nothing doubting, and encouraged as beloved sons to cry Abba, Father! See Rom. 8. 15. Jacob on this occasion received the name of Israel. How much more must we pray without ceasing, if we would be Israelites indeed! Jacob called the place by a name which signified the face of God. How much more reason have we urging us to make every place a Peniel; seeing that God now calls "all men every where to repent," Acts 17. 30, and that wheresoever two or three are gathered together in prayer, in the name of Christ, there is He in the midst of them! Lastly, Jacob thought it a great thing to have seen God face to face, and yet have his life preserved. How much more ought we to be thankful for our deliverance, seeing that to us, "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Cor. 4. 6. How much more eminent are our privileges, thus described by the same apostle, to the Corinthians, "We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord"! 2 Cor. 3. 18.

O Almighty God, wrestle with us, we pray Thee, by thy Spirit; subduing in us all things to Thyself. O heavenly Father, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, bless us, we beseech Thee, for his sake; yea, bless us, we beseech Thee, good Lord.

Jacob and Esau meet and part friends.

1 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.

2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. 3 And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.

5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.

6 Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.

7 And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.

8 And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord. 9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself.

10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.

11 Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.

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

13 And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die.

14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.

15 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. 16 So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.

17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle : therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

18 And Jacob came to Shalem a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-aram; and pitched his tent before the city.

19 And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for an hundred pieces of money.

20 And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-Israel.

LECTURE 68.

The blessedness of brotherly concord.

The present of Jacob, and his respectful messages, might do much to turn away the wrath of Esau. But when we see him returning to meet his brother, and embracing him, and falling on his neck, and kissing him, we cannot but believe, that God, who alone can order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men, must have kindled in his heart this brotherly affection. "And they wept." O holy tears, that flowed from aged eyes of brethren, so long estranged from each other! "They wept." And can we refrain from weeping, on being reconciled to God through Christ; so far as we have been alienated by wicked works, so near as we have been brought by grace? God who could turn the heart of Esau to his brother, can turn our hearts unto Himself. Let us bow ourselves to the ground in prayer, beseeching Him that we may love Him as we ought. And let us freely offer Him that service of ours, of which He has indeed no need; but which He is graciously pleased to accept, and which it ought to be our great joy to present to Him, through the mediation of his Son, our Lord.

In the account of this happy meeting of two brothers, nothing seems to be omitted, which might help to impress on us who read it, how good and pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. See the wives and children of Jacob, all in order presented to Esau! And compare the feelings of the husband and the father, on witnessing their gracious reception, with his apprehensions so lately expressed, "lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children." Ch. 32. 11. Observe the brothers, instead of contending for preeminence in wealth, one urging the other to receive his ample present, and the other thankfully declining it; one unwilling to hinder his brother, by his own unavoidable delay, and the other willing either to wait himself, or to leave some of his people behind. Note how Esau returned on his way to Seir, not offended by his brother's declining his company; and how Jacob prudently declined it, and also made some stay at Succoth, and at Shalem; not only as being needful to give rest to his flocks and little ones, but also as being expedient to avoid the risk of offence arising. And say, is it not most strange, that we should add to the many ills which we cannot help, the bitter fruits of strife, when, whatever other joys we miss, we might so easily secure the pleasures of peace and concord? Say, is it not most unpardonable, when God has at so great a sacrifice reconciled us to Himself, that we should ever dare to be at variance with each other?

Never may we be apt to take offence! never wanting in precaution to avoid offending! And whensoever, and howsoever, offence may have arisen, ever may we be ready to be reconciled!

Shechem and Dinah.

1 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.

2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.

3 And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.

4 And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.

5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field and Jacob held his peace until they were come.

6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.

7 And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done.

8 And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.

9 And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters

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dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.

11 And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give.

12 Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.

13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister:

14 And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us:

15 But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised;

16 Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.

17 But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.

18 And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son. 19 And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter and he was more honourable than all the house of his father.

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