Sabbath Afternoon - May 28
Memory Text:
“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.” KJV — Genesis 32:28
We shall now devote a few moments to the study of Jacob, the type, in relation to the church in the antitype. When Jacob left his home in Palestine, while he was on his way to Padanaram, God met him and gave him his promises that He would be with him, and God fulfilled His promises. Likewise, when the church left the vineyard, God's Promise was with her that He would not forsake her in the Gentile world. While Jacob was in Padanaram away from home, he became very rich and his household increased greatly. Then he was commanded to return home. So it will be today in the antitype. The time will come when the church is to be multiplied and then return home. But when Jacob left his father-in-law's house, and was on the way back to Palestine, you remember that he had his great time of trouble. It happened before he reached Palestine, his homeland. He wrestled in anguish all night with God, and it was then that his name was changed from Jacob to Israel.
We are not now living in the antitypical time of the changed name, Israel, but we are living in the antitypical "Jacob" time. You might say that Jacob is the fleshly name, a name that does not spell either prince or saint. Why are we still in the time portrayed by Jacob's sin-denoting name? -- Because we have not yet started for home. When we start for home as did Jacob, we, too, shall meet with our time of trouble, even Jacob's time of trouble. And at that time we shall become thoroughly converted to God forever, and our name will be changed as is foretold in Isaiah 61:6, and it will be a name that the Lord Himself will give us. When we demonstrate that we are truly converted, then this great promised blessing will come to us. And when our name has been changed it signifies that we are certain candidates for entrance into the Kingdom eternal.
Sunday - May 29
Wrestling With God
Genesis 32:22-31; Hosea 12:3, 4
What is the spiritual significance of this amazing story?
After twenty years of faithful service in Padan-Aram, in the sharp, overreaching employ of Laban, his uncle, Jacob at last turned his face and his steps homeward toward his father’s house in the land of promise.
But trouble overtook him. While grappling with his fears as to the outcome of his imminent meeting with Esau “there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.” Gen. 32:24
Here lay down the man Jacob and rose up the man Israel, exemplifying the agonizing experience through which his posterity must victoriously pass before they, too, receive a new name, pass from sons of Jacob to sons of God, become Israelites indeed. Having gained the victory over this test, “the time of Jacob’s trouble,” they will reach home, the land of promise – the happy end of their long and troubled journey.
On this trying and testing time the Spirit of Prophecy comments: “A decree went forth to slay the saints, which caused them to cry day and night for deliverance. This was the time of Jacob’s trouble” – Early Writings, pp. 36, 37. (See also Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 202, 203.)
Monday - May 30
The Brothers Meet
Genesis 33
What connection is there between Jacob’s experience of seeing the face of God at Peniel and Jacob’s experience of seeing the face of God? What is the implication of this connection in regard to our relationship with God and our relationship with our “brothers,” whoever they may be?
Jacob, our type, well knew that God had directed his return from Padanaram to the homeland, yet he trembled when he heard that Esau, with four hundred men were on the way to meet him. Besides, he was led to wrestle with the angel all night long. He prevailed only because he would not let the Angel go until He blest him. The final result was that on the morrow, Esau, rather than destroying the whole company, very kindly greeted Jacob with a kiss, and cordially invited him to return home! So when it all worked itself out, Jacob plainly saw that there was no need at all to have ever feared. How encouraging that “all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” 1 Cor. 10:11. That which happened to Jacob is sure to happen to us, and how comforting to know all this ahead of time. Now, if never before we should see that where there is a type there is also an antitype, and that where there is no type, there is no Truth.
Tuesday - May 31
The Violation of Dinah
Genesis 34
What happened to upset to his plans for a peaceful existence?
“The tarry of Jacob and his sons at Shechem ended in violence and bloodshed. The one daughter of the household had been brought to shame and sorrow, two brothers were involved in the guilt of murder, a whole city had been given to ruin and slaughter, in retaliation for the lawless deed of one rash youth. The beginning that led to results so terrible was the act of Jacob's daughter, who “went out to see the daughters of the land,” thus venturing into association with the ungodly. He who seeks pleasure among those that fear not God is placing himself on Satan's ground and inviting his temptations. PP 204.2
“The treacherous cruelty of Simeon and Levi was not unprovoked; yet in their course toward the Shechemites they committed a grievous sin. They had carefully concealed from Jacob their intentions, and the tidings of their revenge filled him with horror. Heartsick at the deceit and violence of his sons, he only said, “Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land: ... and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.” But the grief and abhorrence with which he regarded their bloody deed is shown by the words in which, nearly fifty years later, he referred to it, as he lay upon his deathbed in Egypt: “Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honor, be not thou united.... Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel.” Genesis 49:5-7.” PP 204.3
Wednesday - June 1
Prevailing Idolatry
Genesis 34:30-35:15
What lessons can we take about true worship from what happened here?
“Jacob felt that there was cause for deep humiliation. Cruelty and falsehood were manifest in the character of his sons. There were false gods in the camp, and idolatry had to some extent gained a foothold even in his household. Should the Lord deal with them according to their deserts, would He not leave them to the vengeance of the surrounding nations? PP 205.1
“While Jacob was thus bowed down with trouble, the Lord directed him to journey southward to Bethel. The thought of this place reminded the patriarch not only of his vision of the angels and of God's promises of mercy, but also of the vow which he had made there, that the Lord should be his God. He determined that before going to this sacred spot his household should be freed from the defilement of idolatry. He therefore gave direction to all in the encampment, “Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: and let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.” PP 205.2
“With deep emotion Jacob repeated the story of his first visit to Bethel, when he left his father's tent a lonely wanderer, fleeing for his life, and how the Lord had appeared to him in the night vision. As he reviewed the wonderful dealings of God with him, his own heart was softened, his children also were touched by a subduing power; he had taken the most effectual way to prepare them to join in the worship of God when they should arrive at Bethel. “And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.” PP 205.3
“God caused a fear to rest upon the inhabitants of the land, so that they made no attempt to avenge the slaughter at Shechem. The travelers reached Bethel unmolested. Here the Lord again appeared to Jacob and renewed to him the covenant promise. ‘And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, even a pillar of stone.’” PP 206.1
Thursday - June 2
The Death of Rachel
Genesis 35:15-29
What other woes did Jacob face with his dysfunctional family?
From Bethel it was only a two days’ journey to Hebron, but it brought to Jacob a heavy grief in the death of Rachel. Twice seven years’ service he had rendered for her sake, and his love had made the toil but light. How deep and abiding that love had been, was shown when long afterward, as Jacob in Egypt lay near his death, Joseph came to visit his father, and the aged patriarch, glancing back upon his own life, said, “As for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath.” Genesis 48:7. In the family history of his long and troubled life the loss of Rachel was alone recalled. PP 206.3
“Before her death Rachel gave birth to a second son. With her parting breath she named the child Benoni, “son of my sorrow.” But his father called him Benjamin, “son of my right hand,” or “my strength.” Rachel was buried where she died, and a pillar was raised upon the spot to perpetuate her memory.” PP 206.4
Friday - June 3
Further Study
Along the chronological path of this numerous-phased typology, we now in thought follow Jacob on to Padan-Aram. There he took unto himself four wives – Leah and Rachel, the daughters of Laban; then Zilpah and Bilhah, their respective maids. These four were the mothers of the twelve sons of Jacob, who in turn were the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel.
In this type-progression of spiritual Israel, only one of the four, Leah, was Jacob’s legal wife. Only she, therefore, can typify the true and legal church – the one which was organized in Jerusalem by the twelve-tribe kingdom, and which finally evolved into the Christian Church.
Rachel must necessarily represent a sister church – the one organized in Samaria by the ten-tribe kingdom and dispersed with it among the Gentiles.
Zilpah and Bilhah, being “strangers” and servants to Leah and Rachel, must necessarily represent subsequent churches of Gentile origin.
From these four lines descended the antitypical children of Israel. And what is true in the physical genealogy must be true also in the spiritual genealogy. Hence, while the antitypical, like the typical, twelve tribes come through both Israelite and Gentile mothers, yet they are begotten by one and the same father – an Israelite.
Dispersed by God throughout the Gentile nations, both Judah (the two-tribe kingdom) and Israel (the ten-tribe kingdom) were swallowed up by them. Then, too, the Christian Church, herself but an upshoot from the Jewish Church (Christ’s disciples and apostles, as well as the church’s early converts, were purely Jews, remember), dropped her Old Testament title “Jewish” as she took her New Testament title “Christian.” Then she gradually lost her Jewish foliage amid the foliage of the ingrafted Gentile branches.