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International S. S. Lessons

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Mar 19, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 20.

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International S. S. Lessons.

By Editor

"So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading."—Neh. 8:8

LESSON I.—SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 1894.

[NOTE.—The questions which follow are merely suggestive for the student on the leading points of the lesson; it is presumed that the thorough student will think of many more as he studies the subject. References, where verses alone are given, always refer to the lesson scripture printed above. All other references are given in book, chapter, and verse. The text printed is that of the Revised Version, not because it is especially preferred, but because it is not found in every family, as is the common version.]

JACOB'S PREVAILING PRAYER.

Lesson Scripture, Gen. 32: 9-12, 24-30.

  1. AND Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will do thee good:
  2. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two companies.
  3. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the mother with the children.
  4. And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
  5. And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
  6. 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 strained, as he wrestled with him.
  7. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
  8. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
  9. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
  10. 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?
  11. And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for, said he, I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
Golden Text: "And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me."—Verse 26.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

  1. State briefly the intervening events between this lesson and lesson 10. Note 1.
  2. How did Jacob address the Lord? Verse 9.
  3. How did he remind the Lord of his promise?
  4. What did he have to say of himself? Verse 10, note 2.
  5. From what did he ask the Lord to deliver him? Verse 11.
  6. How did he again plead God's promises? Verse 12.
  7. Where and when had the Lord promised this? Ans.—At Bethel, as recorded in our last lesson, twenty-one years before. See Gen. 28: 13-15.
  8. After this prayer what did Jacob then do? Note 3.
  9. As Jacob was seeking God, who came to him? Verse 24.
  10. How long did this man wrestle with him?
  11. When he saw that he did not prevail with Jacob, what did he do? Verse 25. Note 4.
  12. What did the angel say to Jacob? Verse 26.
  13. Did Jacob's pain cause him to let go of the heavenly visitant?
  14. On what condition only did he say he would cease his struggles? Same verse. Note 5.
  15. What question did the angel ask? and what was the reply? Verse 27. Note 6.
  16. What did he say Jacob's name should be? and why? Verse 28.
  17. What did he then ask him? and what was the reply?
  18. How did he reveal to Jacob who he was in truth? Verse 29, last part.
  19. What shows that Jacob knew that he was in the presence of God? Verse 30. Note 7.

NOTES.

1. LESSON 10 closes with chapter 28, with Jacob at Bethel, the morning after his dream. Chapter 29 tells us how he journeyed on till he came to the land of the children of the East; how he there met Laban, and served Laban fourteen years for his two daughters. This chapter and chapter 30 also tell us of the sons that were born unto Jacob; how God prospered Jacob in his flocks and herds, despite the efforts of Laban to deprive him of his right. Thedeception which Laban practiced upon him in the matter of his daughters was but a just retribution to Jacob because of the deception which he had practiced upon Esau; nevertheless, Jacob's sin did not justify Laban's. Chapter 31 gives an account of Jacob's departure from the land of Haran, of Laban's pursuit, and of the covenant which they made with each other. Chapter 32 finds Jacob again in the land of Canaan, guarded by the angels of God. Remembering his sin against Esau, he sends messengers to placate the wrath of his brother, but it seems these messengers only stirred up Esau's wrath, who summons 400 of his retainers and starts out with the evident purpose of destroying his brother and capturing the spoil. Jacob therefore divides his caravan into two parts, in order that one company might escape if Esau smote the other, and after having done what he could, he seeks the Lord in prayer. Here our lesson opens.
2. I am not worthy.—Jacob has learned something of his own sin and folly. He has no self-sufficiency to plead before God; he declares, "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant." That is all that anyone has a right to plead. We may ask the Lord for blessings, but they never come because of our worth. It is always according to his kindness and the fullness of his mercies.
3. AFTER pleading with the Lord, Jacob lodges there that night and the next day takes from his flock a present for Esau, his brother, consisting of 60 camels, 40 head of cattle, 30 asses, 240 goats, and 240 sheep. These he divides into different droves and sends them on to Esau. That night he rose up with his wives and children and came to the ford of Jabbok. He sent them over the stream and he himself remained alone to seek God.
4. "With earnest cries and tears he made his prayer before God. Suddenly a strong hand was laid upon him. He thought that an enemy was seeking his life, and he endeavored to wrest himself from the grasp of his assailant. In the darkness the two struggled for the mastery. Not a word was spoken, but Jacob put forth all his strength, and did not relax his efforts for a moment. While he was thus battling for his life, the sense of his guilt pressed upon his soul; his sins rose up before him, to shut him out from God. But in the terrible extremity he remembered God's promises, and his whole heart went out in entreaty for his mercy. The struggle continued until near the break of day, when the stranger placed his finger upon Jacob's thigh, and he was crippled instantly. The patriarch now discerned the character of his antagonist. He knew that he had been in conflict with a heavenly messenger, and this was why his almost superhuman effort had not gained the victory. It was Christ, 'the Angel of the covenant,' who had revealed himself to Jacob."—Patriarchs and Prophets.
5. Except thou bless me.—We here have an example of prevailing prayer. It is always God's will to bless; and Jacob was pleading God's will. God had before revealed to Jacob that he would bless him, and Jacob was by faith pleading God's word. It would have been presumption for Jacob to have plead in this way for temporal blessings which God had not promised. Faith rests on God's word and is in harmony with God's will. Presumption rests upon men's unsanctified desires. Jacob was pleading his sore need out of the very depths of his necessity. All physical pain, all weakness, all worldly goods, everything was nothing as compared with God's blessing. The assurance of God's pardon and his abiding presence he must have. And as the prophet declares, "He had power over the angel, and prevailed." Hos. 12:4. He prevailed by persevering faith.
6. What is thy name?—Of course the angel knew his name. He did not ask for information; he asked it to reveal to Jacob once more his character. "Jacob" means "supplanter," but no more was he to be Jacob the supplanter, endeavoring by human means and power to obtain that which was in the possession of others. He was to be Israel, the prevailer with God, and therefore the father, typical father, of all who should likewise prevail by faith.
8. Jacob called the name of the place Peniel.—"Peniel" means "the face of God." The one with whom Jacob wrestled was Christ, the revealer of the Godhead to men. He did not give Jacob his name, but he gave him that which showed him more than words who he was; he blessed him there, and that blessing rolled away all the sin of Jacob's past life, and left him a free man in God, ready to meet Esau, his brother. He could now realize what the blessing of God meant, and how much better it was to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. Had Jacob cherished sin in his heart, his wrestling with the angel would have been death, but there was thorough repentance of his sin, and the all-absorbing wish that it might be removed by the Lord; therefore the sin was taken away, and Jacob's life was preserved. The lesson is one which is worthy of all study.