The Life of Jacob
How very frequently God makes the life of a man to be the reflection of his character. There is an echo, in his outward experience, to the inward character of the man. Look at the life of Abraham — he trusted God in a very eminent degree, and God also eminently trusted him. Then, next, in contrast, take the case of Jacob. He begins life by cheating his brother, and as he had begun with Esau in that fashion, so he had it returned into his own bosom. When he was with Laban, he was cheated again and again. What a bargaining life it was all through — and what a life of sorrow, although he was still favoured of God. As he had done to others, so was it done to him.
I want, however, to attract your attention to the better side of Jacob's character as we have it revealed in the prayer which I have selected for our meditation. Jacob had just escaped from his trouble with Laban when he received the inexpressible honour of being met by the angels of God. But lest he should be exalted above measure, a second trouble followed closely: he was soon to meet his brother Esau. With true Oriental craft, and also with a considerable amount of common sense, he made various plans for appeasing the wrath of his brother, and then, when he had done what he thought to be wise, he betook himself to prayer.
Let us learn from Jacob's experience to expect troubles — especially if we have so acted as to bring trouble upon ourselves — but let us also learn that while planning is right enough when kept within its proper bounds, prayer is much more important. Prayer, my brethren, must be our first resource, or if it is also the last, let it be the first as well. Let us not merely go to God's door because we have tried everybody else and failed. Let us go to our God first and foremost.
I. Jacob's Model Prayer
I commend this prayer for your imitation, first, because of the plainness of its matter. Jacob does not come before God with a long roundabout story, but he distinctly mentions the perilous circumstances in which he found himself: “Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.” He was very clear as to what he asked of God.
When we pray, we sometimes use very roundabout expressions; we do not come straight to the point. I am persuaded that this notion is altogether wrong. God would much rather have us speak to Him as a child speaks to his earthly father — respectfully, reverently, yet simply and plainly. Especially must you unconverted ones imitate Jacob in this matter of plainness — come to the main point at once. Tell the Lord that you have grievously offended Him, and mention your sins to Him in private, by name. Come to the point with God, be explicit with Him.
Next, Jacob's prayer is to be commended for the humility of its spirit. Notice especially: “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shown unto thy servant.” If you even hint that there is any worthiness in yourself, the power of your prayer is at once destroyed, but if you plead your unworthiness, you will then be standing where the publican stood when he cried, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” A deep sense of sin, a full consciousness of utter undesert, will enable you, like Jacob, to wrestle with the great Angel of the covenant and to prevail over Him.
The third point in which I would have you copy Jacob's model prayer is in the arguments to be used. True prayer is just pleading with the Most High, spreading our case before Him, and then pressing our suit with all the arguments we can muster. In this short prayer, no less than four arguments are used.
The first is the argument from the covenant — “O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac.” God had entered into covenant relationship with Abraham and made solemn promises to him and his seed. Beloved friends, we can use the same plea: “O God, hast Thou not made a covenant with the Lord Jesus by which Thou hast promised to save all them that trust in Him?”
The second argument is the promise of obedience — “Thou saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee.” If you and I know that we are walking in the path of duty, if we are where the Lord has bidden us go, we can always claim the divine promise. The Lord is bound to protect His servants when they are in the path of obedience to His command.
The third argument is from past mercies — he went over the Jordan with only his staff, and now he had become two bands. “Now, Lord,” says he, “after all Thy past mercies to me, I beseech Thee, do not leave me now.”
When, Satan's blind slave, I sported with death:
And can He have taught me to trust in His name,
And thus far have brought me to put me to shame?
— John Newton
The fourth argument — perhaps the best of all — was the direct promise of God: “Thou saidst, I will surely do thee good.” If you would succeed at the mercy seat, you must bring down the hammer of the promise upon the head of the nail of prayer, and then clinch it by saying to the Lord, “Thou saidst.” Shall the God of truth ever fail to perform His promise? No, that is one of the things that God cannot do — He cannot lie, and He cannot run back from His promise.
II. His Last Plea — “Thou Saidst”
To those who are not converted I would say: study the Word of God very diligently with the view of finding a promise that may suit your special case, and when you read it, study it with the firm conviction that it is God's Word, and that in each promise, God is as truly speaking to you as though He had sent an angel to apply that promise personally to you.
There is a promise in the Bible just exactly suited to your case — like a locksmith with a great bunch of keys, try promise after promise until, at last, you get the right one, and then you can say to the Lord, as Jacob did, “Thou saidst.” God has the ability to do you good, the inclination to do you good, is under engagement to do you good, and has already begun to do you good.
III. The Answer to Jacob's Prayer
His prayer was answered, but not in the way he expected. When he had done praying, he found that all his plans had been knocked on the head — so do not be astonished if, when you have gone to God in prayer, you should seem to feel worse than you did before. God met Jacob not as his Friend, but as his wrestling Opponent. Jacob had a fierce duel which lasted all night long by Jabbok's brook. God's choicest mercies often come to us under the guise of adversities. God sends His love letters to us in black-edged envelopes, and sometimes we are afraid to open them. If we would but do so, we should soon know the lovingkindness of the Lord.
Before Jacob was fully delivered, he had to be made to limp, and all his life afterwards he went halting upon his thigh. Yet, for all that, he did get his prayer answered. His brother “Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” So, beloved, trust ye in the Lord and wait patiently for Him, and your enemies shall become your friends, your doubts shall end in joy, your tribulations shall melt away into glory.