Genesis (Sections 1-7)

Section 1 "When the Morning arose, then the Angels hastened Lot."—Genesis 19:15 Were these personages angels, or divine appearances? It matters not: they were messengers sent from God to save. In any case they teach us how to deal with men if we are to arouse and bless them. We must go to their homes—"They turned in unto Lot" (verse 3); they stated the case—"The Lord will destroy this city" (verse 14); they urged and persuaded—"Up, get you out of this place"; and they resorted to a loving violence—"The men laid hold upon his hand," etc. (verse 16). Picture the two angels with all their four hands occupied in leading out Lot and his wife and his two daughters.

I. The Righteous need to be hastened.

1. In what? In matters of obedience to their Lord. Few can say, "I made haste and delayed not to keep thy commandments." In coming out from the world. "He lingered." "His wife looked back" (verse 26). The urgency of the command which says—"Come ye out from among them; be ye separate," shows how loth we are to "rise up and come away." In seeking the good of their families. "Hast thou here any besides?" (verse 12). In general quickness of movement in spiritual things. "Escape for thy life" (verse 17). "Haste thee" (verse 22).

2. Why? The flesh is weak. Lot was an old man, too much tinctured with worldliness, and he was away from Abraham, the nobler spirit, who had helped to keep him right.

Perseverance is difficult. "I cannot escape to the mountain."

Sodom has a sluggish influence. We often traverse the "Enchanted ground," where sleep seizes on the traveler. When our worldly occupation is incessant, and takes up most of our thoughts, we are hindered from decision.

Idle leisure is still worse. Men with nothing to do in the world seldom do anything in religion.

3. By what means? By reminding them of their obligations, their opportunities, and the days already wasted. By leading them to consider the flight of time and brevity of life. By warning them of the sure ruin of their impenitent friends. By setting before them the fact that delay in duty is sin, and leads to other sins.

II. The Sinners need to be hastened.

1. Sinners are very slow, and apt to linger.

They have settled down in the Sodom of sin. Like the sluggard, they desire "a little more folding of the arms to sleep."

They are bound by many ties to the City of Destruction.

They do not believe our warning. "He seemed as one that mocked unto his sons-in-law" (verse 14).

They trifle with our message when they dare not contradict it.

Delay is Satan's grand device for their ruin.

Procrastination baffles our persuasions. Delays act like bales of wool dropped over the wall of a besieged city to deaden the blows of a battering-ram. Felix quieted his conscience by the idea of "a more convenient season."

2. Our business is to hasten them.

We must be in earnest ourselves, as these angels were.

We must also be patient, and repeat our pleadings.

We must be resolute, and lay hold on their hands.

3. We have many arguments with which to hasten them. May the Holy Spirit make them see— Their imminent danger while lingering. The sin of loitering when God commands them to escape for their lives. The fitness of the present above any possible future. The uncertainty that any available future will come. The supreme necessity of immediate decision with some; for it may be "now or never" with them: they will "die in their sins" if they do not hear the voice of God today.

Illustrative Odds and Ends A Christian tradesman bethought him that he had never spoken to a certain regular customer about his soul, though the man had called at his shop for years. He determined to plead earnestly with him the next time he came in his way. There was no next time: his customer died suddenly, so that he saw him no more. When a young man made an open profession of the gospel, his father, greatly offended, gave him this advice: "James, you should first get yourself established in a good trade, and then think of the matter of religion." "Father," said the son, "Jesus Christ advises me differently; he says, 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God.' "

Earnestly may we urge men to seek a present salvation since even the voluptuary pleads against delay in such words as these,—

O, gather roses while they blow Tomorrow's not today;

Let not one moment vainly flow, Time fleeth fast away.

Much of the beauty of obedience lies in its being rendered at once, and without question. God's will is done in heaven immediately, because love is perfect there. That child is disobedient who is slow in obeying.

"Brother," said a dying man, "why have you not been more pressing with me about my soul?" "Dear James," replied the brother, "I have spoken to you several times." "Yes," was the answer, "you are not to blame; but you were always so quiet over it; I wish you had gone on your knees to me, or had taken me by the neck and shaken me, for I have been careless, and have nearly slept myself into hell." The poor needle-woman with her inch of candle has work to finish. See how her fingers fly, for she fears lest she should be left in darkness, and her work undone.

Some Christians are slow to obey a command because it has not been laid home to their hearts with power. Fancy a child saying this to a father, or a soldier to his officer! Something else would soon be laid home with power. Do not some professors cause sinners to loiter by their own loitering? A man taking a seat at the Tabernacle came to the minister and said, "Sir, do I understand that if I become a seat-holder I shall be expected to be converted?" "Yes," was the reply, "I hope you will, and I pray that it may be so. Do you object?" The answer was, "O sir, I desire it above everything." Was not the man hastened by the general feeling of hopefulness which pervaded the Church? Assuredly there is much in the atmosphere which surrounds a man. Among warm-hearted Christians it is hard for the careless to remain indifferent.

Section 2 "As a Prince hast thou Power with God." —Genesis 32:28

Power with God is a sublime attainment; it leads to the possession of every form of power. No wonder that it is added "and with men." When Jacob had prevailed with God he had no reason to fear Esau. Observe that it is the power of a single individual, exhibited in a time of deep distress: how much more power will be found where two or three agree in prayer. Let us note,—

I. What this Power cannot be.

Cannot be physical force. "Hast thou an arm like God?" (Job 40:9).

Cannot be mental energy. "Declare if thou hast understanding" (Job 38:4).

Cannot be magical. Some seem to fancy that prayers are charms, but this is idle. "He maketh diviners mad" (Isaiah 44:25). "Use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do" (Matthew 6:7).

Cannot be meritorious. "Is it gain to him that thou makest they ways perfect?" (Job 22:3). "If thou be righteous, what givest thou him?" (Job 35:7).

Cannot be independent. It must be given by the Lord. "Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me" (Job 23:6).

II. Whence this Power proceeds.

1. It arises from the Lord's nature: his goodness and tenderness are excited by the sight of our sorrow and weakness. A soldier about to kill a child put aside his weapon when the little one cried out, "Don't kill me, I am so little."

2. It comes out of God's promise. In his covenant, in the gospel, and in the Word, the Lord puts himself under bonds to those who know how to plead his truth and faithfulness. "Put me in remembrance; let us plead together" (Isaiah 43:26).

3. It springs out of the relationships of grace. A father will surely hear his own children. A friend will be true to his friend. Story of the power of a child in Athens who ruled his mother and through her his father who was the chief magistrate, and so controlled the whole city; love thus made a babe to have power over a prince and his people. The love of God to us is our power with him.

4. It grows out of the Lord's previous acts. His election of his people is a power with him since he is unchanging in his purposes. Redemption, regeneration, calling, communion, are all arguments for our final preservation, for mercy will not forsake that which wisdom has commenced. Each blessing draws on another like links of a chain. Past mercies are the best of pleas for present and future aid.

III. How Can It Be Exercised?

1. There must be a deep sense of weakness. "When I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10).

2. There must be simple faith in the goodness of the Lord.

"He that believeth on me the works that I do shall he do also" (John 14:12). Faith is the prevailing grace, It treads on the world, and on hell;

It vanquishes death and despair:

And, what is still stranger to tell, It overcomes heaven by prayer.

3. There must be earnest obedience to his will. "If any man doeth his will, him he heareth" (John 9:31).

4. There must be fixed resolve. "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me" (verse 26).

5. With this must be blended importunity. "There wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day" (verse 24).

6. The whole heart must be poured out. "Yea, he wept and made supplication" (Hosea 12:4).

7. Increased weakness must not make us cease. Jacob was lame, yet he prevailed. "The lame take the prey" (Isaiah 33:23).

IV. To what Use this Power may be turned.

1. For ourselves. For our own deliverance from special trial. Our honorable preferment. "Thy name shall be called Israel." Our future comfort, strength, and growth, when, like Jacob, we are called to successive trials.

2. For others.

Jacob's wives and children were preserved, and Esau's heart was softened. If we had more power with God we should have a happier influence among our relatives. In other instances, Abraham, Job, Moses, Samuel, Paul, etc., exercised power with God for the good of others.

We shall win souls for Jesus by this power. He that has power with God for men will have power with men for God.

O for a holy ambition to possess power with God!

If we have it, let us not lose it, but exercise it continually.

How terrible to have no power with God, but to be fighting against him with our puny arm!

Notes for Brightening

Jacob, though a man, a single man, a traveling man, a tired man, yea, though a worm, that is easily crushed and trodden under foot, and no man (Isaiah 41:14), yet in private prayer he is so potent, that he overcomes the Omnipotent God; he is so mighty, that he overcomes the Almighty.—Thomas Brooks. A stern father has been conquered by a tear in the eye of his daughter. An unwilling heart has relented and bestowed an alms at the sight of the disappointment caused by a refusal. Sorrow constrains to pity. When importunity takes the hand of grief, and the two go together to the gate of mercy, it opens of its own accord. Sincerity, earnestness, perseverance, confidence, and expectancy are all potent instruments of power with God.

How often have I seen a little child throw its arms around its father's neck, and win, by kisses and importunities and tears, what had else been refused. Who has not yielded to importunity, even when a dumb animal looked up in our face with suppliant eyes for food? Is God less pitiful than we?—Dr. Guthrie.

It were easy here to expatiate into a large history of the great exploits which prayer is renowned for in Holy Writ. This is the key that has opened and again shut heaven. It hath vanquished mighty armies, and unlocked such secrets as passed the skill of the very Devil himself to find out. It hath strangled desperate plots in the very womb wherein they were conceived; and made those engines of cruelty prepared against the saints recoil upon the inventors of them, so that they have inherited the gallows which they did set up for others. At the knock of prayer prison doors have opened, the grave hath delivered up its dead; and the sea's leviathan, not able to digest his prey, hath been made to vomit it up again. It hath stopped the sun's chariot in the heavens, yea, made it go back. And that which surpasseth all, it hath taken hold of the Almighty, when on his full march against persons and people, and hath put him to a merciful retreat.—W. Gurnall. In a certain town (says the Rev. Mr. Finney), there had been no revival for many years; the church was nearly run out, the youth were all unconverted, and desolation reigned unbroken. There lived in a retired part of the town an aged man, a blacksmith by trade, and of so stammering a tongue that it was painful to hear him speak. On one Friday, as he was at work in his shop alone, his mind became greatly exercised about the state of the church, and of the impenitent. His agony became so great, that he was induced to lay aside his work, lock the shop door, and spend the afternoon in prayer. He prevailed, and on the Sabbath called in the minister and desired him to appoint a conference meeting. After some hesitation, the minister consented, observing, however, that he feared but few would attend. He appointed it the same evening, at a large private house. When evening came, more assembled than could be accommodated in the house. All were silent for a time, until one sinner broke out in tears, and said, if anyone could pray, he begged him to pray for him. Another followed, and another, and still another, until it was found that persons from every quarter of the town were under deep convictions. And what was remarkable, was that they all dated their conviction at the hour when the old man was praying in his shop. A powerful revival followed. Then this old, stammering man prevailed, and, as a prince, had power with God.

Section 3 "He blessed him there."—Genesis 32:29 The main thing is to get a blessing. The angel did not gratify Jacob's curiosity when he asked his name; but he did bless him. May the same be the case with us at this time; even as it was with the disciples when they asked, "Wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" and the Lord replied, "It is not for you to know the times and the seasons, but ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you." We need not know the future, but we do need power for the present.

I. What was Jacob's Blessing in that Place?

"He blessed him."

1. He was saved from a great peril—Esau's attack. "For I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children" (verse 11).

2. He was forgiven a great wrong. His supplanting of Esau was condoned by his brother.

3. He was able to feel that a great breach was healed. "Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and they wept" (Genesis 33:4).

4. He had won a new name and rank (verse 28). He was knighted on the spot, made a prince on the field.

5. He was now under a fresh anointing: he was a superior man ever after. "The angel redeemed him from all evil" (Genesis 48:16).

II. What was the Place?

"He blessed him there."

1. A place of great trial (verses 6 and 7).

2. A place of humble confession. "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed to thy servant" (verse 10).

3. A place of pleading (verses 11 and 12). "There wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day" (verse 24).

4. A place of communion. "I have seen God face to face" (verse 30).

5. A place of conscious weakness. "As he passed over Penuel, the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh."

All this is full of instruction to us, for we read in Hosea 12:4, "Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Beth-el, and there he spake with us."

III. Are there other such Places?

1. Before the earth was created the Lord blessed his chosen people in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3-4).

See also, Matthew 25:34 : "Come ye blessed of my Father," etc.

2. At the cross, the tomb, and the throne of Jesus. "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 22:18).

3. In the heavenly places. "And made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6).

4. At conversion. "From this day will I bless you." "Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven," etc. (Psalms 32:1-2).

5. In times of stripping, humbling, chastening, pleading, etc. "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation," etc. (James 1:12).

6. In times of prompt obedience. "Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord," etc. (Psalms 1). "In keeping of them there is great reward."

7. At the ordinances (Acts 8:39; Luke 24:30-31).

IV. Is this such a Place?

Yes, if you are—

Willing to give up sin.

Willing to have Jesus for your all in all.

Willing to resign yourself to the Father's will.

Willing to serve God in his own way.

Go not away without a saving blessing. Believe for it. Wrestle for it. Only the Lord can give it, look to him alone for the blessing. What are means of grace unless the Lord blesses them, and blesses you in the use of them?

Remarks and Incidents This blessing wherewith Christ here blessed Jacob was a divine blessing containing all other blessings within its bowels. It was that blessing of the throne which comprehended in it the blessings of the footstool. Jacob had got already a great store of foot-stool mercies—much wealth, wives and children, etc. These worldly blessings would not (and indeed could not) content him: he tugs hard still, and must have some better mercy than these, even the throne mercy, to wit, peace with God; well knowing that this would bring peace with his brother, and all other good things; as Job saith, "Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee" (Job 22:21). He knew that his power to prevail with Emmanuel himself would fill him with power to prevail with Esau.—Christopher Ness.

It was with a young man a day of seeking, and he entered a little sanctuary and heard a sermon from "Look unto me and be ye saved." He obeyed the Lord's command, and he blessed him there. Soon after he made a profession of his faith before many witnesses, declaring his consecration to the Lord, and he blessed him there. Anon he began to labor for the Lord in little rooms, among a few people, and he blessed him there. His opportunities enlarged, and by faith he ventured upon daring things for the Lord's sake, and he blessed him there. A household grew about him, and together with his loving wife he tried to train his children in the fear of the Lord, and he blessed him there. Then came sharp and frequent trial, and he was in pain and anguish, but the Lord blessed him there. This is that man's experience all along, from the day of his conversion to this hour; up hill and down dale his path has been a varied one, but for every part of his pilgrimage he can praise the Lord, for "he blessed him there."

I have here (said Mr. Fuller) two religious characters, who were intimately acquainted in early life. Providence favored one of them with a tide of prosperity. The other, fearing for his friend, lest his heart should be overcharged with the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches, one day asked him whether he did not find prosperity a snare to him. He paused and answered, "I am not conscious that I do, for I enjoy God in all things." Some years afterwards his affairs took another turn; he lost, if not the whole, yet the far greater part of what he had once gained, and by this disaster was greatly reduced. His old friend being one day in his company, renewed his question, whether he did not find what had lately befallen him to be too much for him. Again he paused and answered, "I am not conscious that I do, for now I enjoy all things in God." This was truly a life of faith. To him it was as true as to Jacob. "He blessed him there."—Arvine's Anecdotes.

Section 4 "Esau said, I have enough." "Jacob said, I have enough."—Genesis 33:9; Genesis 33:11

It is as rare as it is pleasing to meet with a man who has enough; the great majority are craving for more. Here we see two persons who were content. It is true they were both wealthy men, but these are often more greedy than the poor. To increase the wonder, we have here not only two men, but two brothers, and two brothers of dissimilar disposition, each saying, "I have enough." Where shall we find two brothers like them? Surely their father's blessing was upon these contented twins. They were great wonders.

I. Here is an ungodly Man who has enough.

Because Esau has other faults, there is no necessity that he should be discontented and grasping: contentment is a moral excellence as much as a spiritual grace. Unconverted men are sometimes contented with their lot in this life.

1. It is not always or often so; they are mostly a dissatisfied company.

2. It is sometimes so; as in the case of Esau. This may arise from a want of energy. Or from a naturally easy disposition, readily pleased. Or from utter recklessness which only considers present pleasure.

3. It has some good points about it. As preventing greed and the oppression which comes of it. As often promoting a good-natured liberalty and the disposition to "live and let live."

4. Yet it has its evil side.

It leads men to boast of their wealth or acquirements who would not do so if they were craving for more.

It tends to breed a contempt for spiritual riches.

It may thus be a sign of having one's portion in this life.

II. Here is a godly Man who has enough.

1. It is a pity that this is not true of every Christian man. Some appear to be eager after the world though they profess to be separated from it. This creates care, fretfulness, envy of heart, and leanness of soul.

2. It is delightful to have enough. Contentment surpasses riches.

3. It is pleasant to have somewhat to spare for the poor; and this should be the aim of our labor. The apostle says (Ephesians 4:28) "Let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth."

4. It is blessed to have all this through our God. Jacob said, "God hath dealt graciously with me, and I have enough."

5. It is best of all to have all things. In the margin we read that Jacob said, "I have all things." "All things are yours" (1 Corinthians 3:22).

All that the believer needs is promised in the Covenant.

All things in providence work together for his good. In having God for his portion he has more than all.

Thus he has enough of strength and grace. Enough in Christ, in the Word, and in the Spirit. Enough in God's love, power and faithfulness, and an immeasurable supply in God himself, who name is "God All-sufficient." The child of God should be ashamed of discontent, since even a common sinner may be free from it.

He should be heartily satisfied; for he has all things, and what more can he desire? "O rest in the Lord" (Psalms 37:7).

Illustrations A poor Christian woman who was breaking her fast upon a crust and a cup of water, exclaimed, "What! all this and Christ too!" A Puritan preacher, asking a blessing on a herring and potatoes, said, "Lord, we thank thee that thou hast ransacked sea and land to find food for thy children." The great cry with everybody is, "Get on! get on!" just as if the world were traveling post. How astonished these people will be, if they arrive in heaven, to find the angels, who are much wiser than they, laying no schemes to be made archangels!—Maxims for Meditation. Is not the bee as well contented with feeding on the dew or sucking from a flower as the ox that grazeth on the mountains? Contentment lies within a man, in the heart; and the way to be comfortable is not by having our barrels filled, but our minds quieted. The contented man (saith Seneca) is the happy man. . . . Discontent robs a man of the power to enjoy what he possesses. A drop or two of vinegar will sour a whole glass of wine.—T. Watson. As a typical instance of the contentment of some unregenerate persons, note the following: "A captain of a whale-ship told one of the wretched natives of Greenland that he sincerely pitied the miserable life to which he was condemned. 'Miserable!' exclaimed the savage; 'I have always had a fish-bone through my nose, and plenty of train-oil to drink: what more could I desire?' "

Section 5

"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." —Genesis 33:13

Jacob could have kept pace with Esau had he been alone, but not with so many children and flocks. He did not expect Esau to travel at the slow rate which he was obliged to maintain, and therefore he desired to separate. Jacob, however, stated his reason plainly, and his brother felt the weight of it. If we must go different ways, let us cause our motive to be known, so that we may not be thought unkind. Matthew Henry says, "If friends cannot fall in with each other, they should see to it that they do not fall out." Jacob parted from his reconciled brother for the sake of his little ones, who were very dear to him.

I. Let us view Jacob as an Example to us.

He displayed a tender consideration for the young and feeble; let us do the same. Let us consider,—

1. How we may overdrive?

Puzzling them with deep and controversial points of doctrine, and condemning them because they are not quite correct in their opinions. "Them that are weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations" (Romans 14:1).

Setting up a standard of experience, and frowning at them because they have not felt all the sorrows or ecstasies which we have known.

Requiring a high degree of faith, courage, patience, and other graces which in their case can only be tender buds.

Preaching nothing but the severer truths, or constantly urging to duty by terrible threatenings while withholding the promises and the consolatory parts of the word.

Manifesting austerity of manner, suspicion, harshness, censoriousness of spirit, and contempt for weaker brethren.

Fault-finding and never commending. "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged" (Colossians 3:21).

Dwelling always upon the trials, temptations, and woes of believers, and saying little about their joys and privileges. In these and many other ways professed teachers show that they have need to go to school to Jacob to learn the shepherd's trade, and imitate his tender thoughtfulness.

2. Why we should not overdrive the lambs.

Common humanity forbids. Our own experience when we were young should teach us better.

We may again become weak, and need great forbearance.

We love them too well to be hard with them.

Jesus thinks so much of them that we cannot worry them. The Holy Spirit dwells in them, and we must be gentle towards the faintest beginning of his work.

We should be doing Satan's work if we did overburden them.

We should thus prove ourselves to have little wisdom and less grace. If we kill the lambs now, where shall we get our sheep from next year?

We dare not bear the responsibility of offending these little ones, for terrible woes are pronounced on those who do them wrong.

We remember how tender Jesus is: and this brings us to our second point.

II. Let us view Jacob as a Picture of our Lord Jesus.

See his portrait in Isaiah 40:11—"He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young."

1. The weak have a special place in his love.

2. He will not have it that any of them should die.

3. Therefore he never overdrives one of them.

4. But he suits his pace to their feebleness, "I will lead on softly" (Genesis 33:14).

"I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." Has he not thus been very tender to us? "Thy gentleness hath made me great" (Psalms 18:35).

Let us not fret and worry as though he were an exactor. We are not driven by Jehu, but led by Jesus. Let us rest in his love. At the same time let us not be slower than need be.

Towards others let us be tenderness itself, for we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Helpful Paragraphs The Lord chooses under-shepherds for his flock among men subject to weakness and infirmity, that they may have a fellow-feeling for the feeble. Lelah Merrill, in his "East of the Jordan," describes the movement of an Arab tribe, and says, "The flocks of sheep and goats were mostly driven by small children. Sometimes there were flocks of lambs and kids driven by children not much older relatively than the lambs and kids themselves. Some of the men had in their arms two, three, four, or a whole armful of kids and lambs that were too young to walk; and among some cooking utensils there was a large saucepan, and in it was a pair of small kids that were too young for the journey." When a candle is newly lighted and needs to be moved, it must be carried at a slow pace or it will be extinguished. A fire which is almost expiring may be revived by a gentle breath, but it will be blown out if the bellows are plied at their full force. You can drown a little plant by watering it too much, and destroy a lovely flower by exposing it to too much sun.

Nothing is so strong as gentleness: nothing so gentle as real strength.—Francis de Sales.

Dr. Johnson declared that want of tenderness is want of parts, and that it is a proof of stupidity as well as of depravity. At the Stockwell Orphanage the usual rule of walking is— little boys first. In this way the younger children cannot be overdriven or left behind, and moreover all the boys can see before them, whereas by the usual practice of putting the tall fellows first the view in front is shut out from all but the few who lead the way. Let the Church have great care for the weaker brethren, and shape her action with a constant reference to them. A strong Christian might do a thousand things lawfully if he only thought of himself, but he will not do one of them because he wishes to act expediently, and would not grieve his brother, or cause him to stumble.

Even in our manner there should be tenderness. A truly kind act may be so performed as to cause as much grief as joy. We have heard of one who would throw a penny at a beggar and thus hurt him while relieving him. A heart full of love has a mode of its own by which its gifts are enhanced in value. There is enough misery in the world without our carelessly adding to it. Some persons are morbidly sensitive, and this is wrong on their part; but when we are aware of their failing we must be the more careful lest we cause them needless pain. A gouty man will cry out if we walk with heavy footsteps across the room. Do we censure him for this? No, we pity him, and tread softly. Let us do the same for the sensitive.

Section 6 "Joseph opened all the Storehouses." —Genesis 41:56 The story of Joseph is full of interest; but it is chiefly useful to us as being marvelously typical of the life of our Lord Jesus.

Remark the bounty of providence in raising up Joseph to save the house of Israel, yea, and the whole world, from famishing. Then note the greatness of sovereign grace in raising up Jesus to save his people, and to be God's salvation to the ends of the earth.

Joseph had beforehand filled the vast storehouses, and our text shows us how he used the store,—"Joseph opened all the storehouses." How much more has been done by Jesus! O to be partakers of his grace!

I. Joseph opened the Storehouses by Royal Authority.

1. The king was only to be approached through Joseph: "Go unto Joseph" (verse 55). So with Jesus. "No man cometh unto the Father but by me" (John 14:6).

2. The king commanded that Joseph should be obeyed: "What he saith to you, do" (verse 55). "All men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father" (John 5:23).

3. In all the land no other could open a storehouse save Joseph. "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand" (John 3:35).

II. Joseph was a fit Person to be thus authorized to open the Storehouses.

1. He planned the storehouses, and was justly appointed to control them. See verses 33 to 36. "Can we find such a one as this is?" (verse 38).

2. He carried out the storage, and so proved himself practical as well as inventive. "Joseph gathered corn as the sand" (verse 49).

3. He did it on a noble scale. He gathered corn "until he left numbering; for it was without number" (verse 49).

4. He had wisdom to distribute well. The parallel is easily drawn, for our Lord Jesus is that Housekeeper, one of a thousand, who has provided for our soul's famine; "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell, and of his fulness have all we received" (Colossians 1:19; John 1:16).

III. Joseph actually opened the Storehouses.

1. For this purpose he filled them. Grace is meant to be used.

2. To have kept them closed would have been no gain to him.

3. He opened them at a fit time: "All the land of Egypt was famished;" "the famine was over all the face of the earth" (verses 55, 56).

4. He kept them open while the famine lasted.

They were never closed while a hungering applicant drew near. The corn held out through all the famine years. The places of storage were convenient (verse 48).

There were appointed hours for distribution. And proper arrangements to control and regulate the crowds.

All this is far exceeded in Jesus the Anti-type, in whom a fulness abides; who is ever near us; to whom we may come daily; and in whom every seeker finds a ready supply.

IV. Joseph opened the Storehouses to all Comers.

1. There was a special eye to Israel: "God sent me before you to preserve you;" but Joseph was also "a father unto Pharaoh," and the preserver of many nations.

2. It was a privilege to dwell near the granaries; but it would have been a dreadful thing if any had died within sight of them. Beware of being "hearers only." Read 2 Kings 7:19.

3. Yet many people came from far for food: "All countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn" (verse 57).

4. We read of none being sent empty away.

Yet Joseph did but sell while Jesus gives without money. Will you not come to him for heavenly bread?

V. Joseph acquired Possession of all Egypt for the King. The Egyptians gladly yielded their money, their lands, and their persons to Pharaoh, that their lives might be preserved. Even thus we surrender ourselves, our substance, our abilities, our time, our all to the Lord. Joseph's policy seems hard, but the design of Jesus is love itself. Our full submission and consecration are the grand result of infinite love.

Windows for Light This is the only hope of Egypt and all lands—Joseph is exalted. Joseph is in authority. The residue of whatever supply may be available is with him. He has in his hands the keys. "All countries came into Egypt to Joseph, for to buy corn" (verse 57). A perishing world hangs on this great fact, that Joseph reigns.—Dr. Candlish.

Dr. Conyers was for some years a preacher before he had felt the power of the gospel. As he was reading his Greek Testament he came to Ephesians 3:8 : "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." "Riches of Christ!" said he to himself,—" 'Unsearchable riches of Christ!' What have I preached of these? What do I know of these?" Under the blessing of the Spirit of God he was thus awakened to a new life and a new ministry. Are there not some yet living who might put to their own consciences similar questions?

William Bridge says, "There is enough in Jesus Christ to serve us all. If two, or six, or twenty men be athirst, and they go to drink out of a bottle, while one is drinking, the other envies, because he thinks there will not be enough for him too; but if a hundred be athirst, and go to the river, while one is drinking, the other envies not, because there is enough to serve them all."

All the spiritual blessings wherewith the Church is enriched are in and by Christ. The apostle instances some of the choicest (Ephesians 1:3). Our election is by him (verse 4). Our adoption is by him (verse 5). Our redemption and remission of sins are both through him. All the gracious transactions between God and his people are through Christ. God loves us through Christ; he hears our prayers through Christ; he forgives us all our sins through Christ. Through Christ he justifies us; through Christ he sanctifies us; through Christ he upholds us; through Christ he perfects us. All his relations to us are through Christ; all we have is from Christ; all we expect to have hangs upon him. He is the golden hinge upon which all our salvation turns. —Ralph Robinson.

If any of the people of Egypt had refused to go to Joseph, they would have despised not Joseph only, but the king; and would have deserved to be denied that sustenance which he only could give them. Are not the despisers of our great Redeemer in like manner despisers of his Father who has set him as his King upon the holy hill of Zion? . . . If Joseph had thrown open his storehouses before the Egyptians felt the pressure of hunger, they might soon have wasted the fruits of his prudent care. . . . Hunger, though very unpleasant, is often more useful than fulness of bread. They were very willing to give the price demanded for their food as long as their money lasted. What is the reason why so many are unwilling to come and receive wine and milk without money and without price? They feel no appetite for it. They are not sensible of their need of it.—George Lawson.

Section 7 "Judah, thou art he whom thy Brethren shall praise; thy Hand shall be in the Neck of thine Enemies; thy Father's Children shall bow down before thee."—Genesis 49:8

We shall use Judah as a type of our Lord Jesus, who sprang out of Judah, who is the heir of the royal house of David, and the Shiloh to whom the gathering of the people shall be (verse 10). We use both the man Judah and the tribe of Judah in the parallel.

I. Judah's Praise.

"Thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise."

They who know him best, to whom he is nearest in relationship, for whom he is most concerned, praise him most.

1. He is first in intercession. This is his covenant blessing. "Here, Lord, the voice of Judah" (Deuteronomy 32:7). This he proved in intercession with his father, Jacob (Genesis 43:3). And in pleading with Joseph when he would have detained Benjamin. How touchingly he spake! how earnestly he offered himself as a substitute! (Genesis 44:14).

2. He is first in wisdom. To Judah belonged the man who was filled with the spirit of God, by whom the tabernacle in the wilderness was erected. "See, I have called by name Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship" (Exodus 31:2-3). To Judah came the legislative power. "Judah is my lawgiver" (Psalms 40). "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah" (verse 10).

3. He takes precedence in offering.

He that offered his offering the first day was of the tribe of Judah. See Numbers 7:12.

4. He takes precedence in march. In descent or ascent, in battle or in progress, in the first place went the standard of Judah. Read Numbers 10:14; Judges 1:2.

5. In all things he has the pre-eminence.

David was chosen of the Lord to be king. "He refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim, but he chose the tribe of Judah" (Psalms 78:67-68).

II. Judah's Triumphs abroad.

"Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies."

Illustrate by life of David—He passed through severe conflicts. Read 1 Samuel 17:34-36.

He gained great victories (2 Chronicles 13:14).

He founded a peaceful empire.

He utterly crushed the forces of his foes, and broke the neck of all opposition. So has our Lord done by his life, death, resurrection, reigning power, and second coming.

III. Judah's Honors at Home. "Thy father's children shall bow down before thee."

1. He became the head of the family.

2. He was clothed with lion-like power.

"He couched as a lion and as an old lion." See verse 9. "The lion of the tribe of Judah hath prevailed" (Revelation 5:5).

3. He is the center of our assembling.

"To him shall the gathering of the people be" (verse 10).

4. His glory is his meekness.

"Binding his foal," etc. (verse 11). "Thy King cometh, meek, and sitting upon a colt the foal of an ass" (Matthew 21:5).

5. The wine bath at his first and second advent makes him lovely in our eyes.

Note verses 11 and 12; also "I have trodden the winepress alone" (Isaiah 43:1-3).

6. He is King to us for ever. Hallelujah.

See Hosea 11:12. "Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah yet ruleth with God." Are we among the foes against whom he fights as a lion? Let us beware how we rouse him up (verse 9). Are we among his friends for whom he fights? Let us praise him with all our hearts, and now bow down before him. Are we not his Father's children? Do we hunger and thirst after heavenly food? See in the 12th verse how abundant are wine and milk with him.

Suggestions

There is abundance of suggestiveness in the text for three sermons from the one verse which we have selected as a text, and the following verses are peculiarly rich. Judah's name signifies praise; Judah in the person of David became the leader of praise. "God is praised for him, in him, and by him; and therefore his brethren shall praise him." See both the lion rampant and the lion couchant in our Lord Jesus, who, having spoiled principalities and powers, has gone up as a Conqueror and has couched down at the right hand of the divine majesty.

"The lion of the tribe of Judah hath prevailed." Rutherford often cried, "O for a well-tuned harp!" The following extract from Thomas Brooks may help the preacher to a measure of variety in setting forth our Lord's claim to our praise. "Christians, remember this, all the causes of prizing persons and things are eminently and only in Christ, therefore, set a very, very high price upon the Lord Jesus. You prize some for their beauty; why, the Lord Jesus Christ is the fairest among the children of men (Psalms 45:1-2; Song of Solomon 5:10) —'My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest,' or, the standard-bearer, 'among ten thousand.' You prize others for their strength (Isaiah 26:4)—'Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.' You prize others for bearing their father's image; why, the Lord Jesus is the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person (Hebrews 1:3). You prize others for their wisdom and knowledge; such a one is a very wise man, you say, and therefore you prize him; and such a one is a very knowing man, and therefore you prize him; why, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Christ (Colossians 2:3). The truth is, all those perfections and excellencies that are in all angels and men, are all epitomized in Christ. All the angels in heaven have but some of those perfections that be in Christ. All wisdom, and all power, and all goodness, and all mercy, and all love, etc., is in no glorified creature; no, not in all glorified creatures put together. But now in Christ all these perfections and excellencies meet, as all water meets in the sea, and as all light meets in the sun. Others you prize for their usefulness; the more useful persons and things are, the more you prize and value them. The Lord Jesus Christ is of universal use to his people; why, he is the right eye of his people, without which they cannot see; and the right hand of his people, without which they cannot do, etc. He is of singular use to all his people. He is of use to weak saints, to strengthen them; and he is of use to doubting saints, to confirm them; and he is of use to dull saints, to quicken them; and he is of use to falling saints, to support them; and he is of use to wandering saints, to recover them. In prosperity he is of use to keep his saints humble and watchful, spotless and fruitful; and in adversity he is of use to keep them contented and cheerful. All which should very much engage our hearts to prize this Christ."