5. Prudence and devotion should always go together. Pru dent precaution should always be added to the prayers we offer in difficulties and emergencies; to ask success without this, is mockery. We should contrive our affairs prudently; be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Learn especially in time of danger, to walk circumspectly; remember, a soft answer turneth away wrath, and a present maketh room for him that offereth it. We must be willing to purchase peace at a dear rate, and be sensible of its value, or we cannot expect God to give it. In all such cases wisdom is profitable to direct. God will help us in the way of prudence and diligence; watchfulness and prayer should always be joined together. Thus we shall find, as the next chapter plainly proves, that when a man's ways please the Lord, he can make even his enemies to be at peace with him. CHAP. XXXIII. Jacob was now returning over the brook to his family and flock, to see what God would do for him in the affair of his brother Esau ; and here we have their friendly meeting, their brotherly converse, and their amicable parting. A ND 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, reserving the dearest to the saf 3 est place. And he passed over before them, exposing himself to hazard for the safety of his family; and bowed himself to the ground seven times, in token of his subjection, until he came near to his brother, trusting in God that he should be de♣livered from him. And Esau ran to meet him, and, God having changed his heart, he embraced him, and with the most ten◄ der affection fell on his neck and kissed him: and they wept; Jacob for joy, and Esau perhaps for shame to think of his ill design, and how God had overruled it. 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.* This was a serious and pious reply; he owns God's hand in them, esteems them a favour, and 6 that it was a mercy to have so large a family. Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed 7 themselves. And Leah also with her children, came near, Xenophon represents Cyrus as saying, when he was dying. The children which the gods have given me. and bowed themselves and after came Joseph near and Ra chel, and they bowed themselves, all paid their respects to 8 Esau. And he said what [meanest] thou by all this drove which I met? the servants had told him before; but he asks the question, that he might civilly refuse the present. And he, Jacob, said, [These are] to find grace in the sight of my lord. 9 And Esau, unwilling to rob him, said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself; I neither need 10 nor desire them. And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, if thou art fully reconciled, 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; thy meeting me in this peaceable manner, is very comfortable and refreshing; and an evident token of God's 11 favour to me. Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; this gift, which, as I received it from God, so I heartily give it with my blessing, and pray that God would abun dantly bless it to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough, and to spare. And he urged 12 him, and he took [it.] And he, Esau, said, Let us take our journey, and let us go to my habitation, where I may requite 13 thy kindness, and I will go before thee. And he, Jacob, 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. It is probable he and his family went there to pay his brother a visit, though it is not mentioned afterward, 15 And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that [are] with me, to be thy guard: And he said, What needeth it? I have train enough; God's host are with me, and will protect me: let me find grace in the sight of my lord, 16 let me have thy leave to go alone. So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. 17 18 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, or tent, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth, that is, booths. And Jacob came to Shalem a city of Shechem, which [is] in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; that is, he came safe and sound; (so the Hebrews understand Shalem) his halting was cured, and he was preserved from all evil in his journey from Padanaram to Shechem, or Sychem, in the land of Canaan; and he pitched his tent before the city, for the con19 venience of his family and flocks. And because it was the land of promise, and the time of possession was not yet come, he bought a parcel of a field, a little parcel of ground, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children or subjects of 'Hamor, Shechem's father,* for an hundred pieces of money.† 20. And he erected there an altar for a thanksgiving, and called it Eleloheisrael, to God, the God of Israel, who had delivered him from Laban and Esau, and given him a new name. It was here Abraham built his first altar to God. 1. SE REFLECTIONS. OEE here an instance of the benefit of humility and submission these two brothers happily met; but if Jacob had entertained some false notion of honour, and that it was beneath him to stoop, how sad would have been the consequence ! Peace is so valuable a blessing, that a great deal should be parted with, or borne, to secure it. The meek shall inherit the earth, and delight themselves in abundance of peace. Behold how good and how pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! Had Jacob been obstinate, he and his wives and children might have been destroyed, and his cattle carried away; and the whole story would have been a melancholy tragedy. Submission was the wisest step in such a case; it recovered the lost affection of his brother, and secured his own safety and peace. This is a temper which the gospel requires, 1 Peter v. 5. yea, all of you be subject one to another; and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 2. We see that the hearts of all men are in God's hand, and he can easily turn them. His secret influences can quell the most turbulent, and soften the most obdurate hearts; can turn the bitterest enemies into kind friends. It is good to make him our trust, who ruleth the spirits of the mighty, and restrains the fury of the oppressor. 3. How happy is a good man in the divine favour! Jacob acknowledged that he had all those good things, because God had blessed him; his comforts had a peculiar relish and sweetness, as coming from the divine favour. He refuses the guard of Esau, because God was with him, and his angels encamped round him. Happy is he that maketh the Lord his trust, for he shall not be afraid in the day of evil. 4. Let ministers and parents learn prudence and tenderness from the example of Jacob before us. The weakness of reason and age is to be considered: no heavy tasks in religious services should be laid on youth; they must be led as they are able to bear it; no doubtful disputations should be taught them, but the plain things of the gospel, which are milk for babes. Ministers He only of Hamor's sons is mentioned, because he was more honourable than the rest of his brethren, (ch. xxxiv. 19) and therefore might probably transact this affair with Jacob, the rest consenting thereto. + The original is Lambs: but it seems to have been money with the figure of a lamb stamped upon it. The Athenian money was called an Ox, for the like reason. So we used to call some coins an Angel, or a Jacobus, because those figures were upon them. must look well to their flocks; consider the circumstances and capacities of their hearers, that they may lead them on with prudence and caution. A greater than Jacob hath set us a pattern, even the Lord Jesus Christ, who fed his flock like a shepherd ; carried the lambs in his arms, and gently led those that were with young; thus let us feed and treat his lambs. 5. Let us not be ashamed to own our obligations to God, and the relation in which we stand to him. When Jacob was asked, Who are these? he humbly and piously replied, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant; he was not ashamed to own this. Children are an heritage from the Lord. When we mention them, let it be to the glory of God, and as his gift. Thus let us acknowledge the loving kindness of the Lord. Jacob also ascribes his success to God: God hath dealt graciously with me, given me more than I desired; through his blessing I have gotten wealth, and have enough, and to spare and when he came to his settlement, he set up an altar to the God of Israel. Thus in all our ways let us acknowledge him; and ascribe all our comforts and success to him. Let his worship be our daily business; let us never be ashamed of the Lord as our God; but render hearty love and grateful obedience to him, who hath dealt bountifully with us. CHAP. XXXIV. In the former chapter we find Jacob peaceably settled in the land of Canaan; but he was born to more than common trouble; and here evil comes upon him out of his own house, the children of his own bowels prove as thorns in his side. 1 AN ND Dinah the only daughter of Leah, [which] she bare unto Jacob, a fine and favourite child, about fifteen years of age, went out to see the daughters of the land, at a time when 2 there was a great feast in the city of Shechem. 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. We do not find that he used any force in the case; but she being from under her parents' eye, in bad company and the way of 3 temptation, was easily seduced. And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel, spake to her heart, perhaps won her affections. 4 And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get 5 me this damsel to wife. And Jacob heard, no doubt with great grief and concern, that he had defiled Dinah his daugh ter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field and Jacob held his peace until they were come, that he might cons 6sult with them what to do. And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him, and make a proposal of marriage between Shechem and Dinah, and other 7 branches of the family. 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; it was a base, foolish, and sinful deed; an insult on Israel, and on the good patriarch; which thing ought not to be done in a family consecrated to 8 God, and which duty, decency, and hospitality forbade. And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her 9 him to wife. And make ye marriages with us, [and] give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you. 10 And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions 11 therein. And Shechem seconded the proposal, and said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, grant me this request, and what ye shall say unto me I 12 will give. Ask me never so much dowry for her portion, and gift for reparation of the wrong done her, and as a testimony of my respect to you, and kindness to her, 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, or seemed to consent; though they never intended to give her in marriage to Shechem, because he 14 had defiled Dinah their sister: 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: pretending honour and conscience, and a regard to religion, while they were 15 dealing deceitfully: But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we [be,] that every male of you be circum❤ 16 cised; Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, 17 and we will become one people. But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone. It was exceeding wrong in itself to offer this sign of God's covenant to the Canaanites; but abominable 18 to do it with an ill design, and with a lie in their mouths. And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son. 19 And the young man, out of love to Dinah, 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; was greatly esteemed both by his own family and country; which was the reason he prevailed so much with them in so strange a request. : |