Friday: Further Thought ~ Jacob-Israel
Further Thought:
Read Ellen G. White, “The Night of Wrestling,” Pages 195-203, in Patriarchs and Prophets.
“Jacob’s experience during that night of wrestling and anguish represents the trial through which the people of God must pass just before Christ’s second coming … Such will be the experience of God’s people in their final struggle with the powers of evil.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
God will test their faith, their perseverance, their confidence in His power to deliver them. Satan will endeavor to terrify them with the thought that their cases are hopeless; that their sins have been too great to receive pardon. They will have a deep sense of their shortcomings, and as they review their lives their hopes will sink. But remembering the greatness of God’s mercy, and their own sincere repentance, they will plead His promises made through Christ to helpless, repenting sinners. Their faith will not fail because their prayers are not immediately answered. They will lay hold of the strength of God, as Jacob laid hold of the Angel, and the language of their souls will be, ‘I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me.’ …
Yet Jacob’s history is an assurance that God will not cast off those who have been betrayed into sin, but who have returned unto Him with true repentance. It was by self-surrender and confiding faith that Jacob gained what he had failed to gain by conflict in his own strength. God thus taught His servant that divine power and grace alone could give him the blessing he craved. Thus it will be with those who live in the last days. As dangers surround them, and despair seizes upon the soul, they must depend solely upon the merits of the atonement. We can do nothing of ourselves.” — Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, Pages 201-203.
Discussion Questions:
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Matthew 11:28,29. Do you feel weary and/or heavily burdened - perhaps even crushed, shattered or broken? If you do, you are certainly not alone in that experience. Increasing numbers of people are becoming worn-down by all manner of challenges and difficulties that seem to be relentlessly growing.
If this is your experience, Jesus invitation to you today, and afresh every day, is to come to Him - surrender to Him. Surrender your efforts to try living life your way and/or in your own strength. Acknowledge that apart from a living connection with Jesus, you can do nothing - but that in His strength, you will be enabled to do all that He wills for you to do today regardless of whether you feel that strength or not. This has always been the true reality. Unfortunately it often takes hard or impossible times for us to become aware (or re-aware) that it is the reality.
There is a passage in Desire of Ages that I find well summarises why and how we can have courage renewed when we find ourselves at our lowest. Perhaps it might encourage you today, whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever circumstances you might be in:
And I also pray Ephesians 3:14-21 for you. Please join me in also praying that for yourself and for anyone else across the world who might also be in need.
Amen.
Yes please keep me in yours!
Shalom
🙏
Phil, This is so beautiful, and it touches my heart greatly. Thank you. 🙏🏽
This study seems to put the struggle of our personal salvation in an end time eschatology scenario.
A lot of Jewish followers of Jesus were burned on stakes to light up Nero's property and thousands fled from Jerusalm to Pella who were persecuted both by the Jewish priests and the advancing power of Rome that ended the Jewish era and its temple worship.
Christianity has spread since then, to the whole world, as wheat and weeds, and in every era had to battle with the same personal Devils until the final Judgement.
Hebrews 9:27-28 (CSB)
27 And just as it is appointed for people to die once -- and after this, judgment --
28 so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Shalom 🙏
Why do you think the Bible reveals so many morally degrading details about the lives of many of its characters.
Sister White answers it just fine above. Jacob and his family's history is a real source of encouragement that God will not cast off those who have gone into sin deliberately or unintentially or betrayed into sin. Those He will freely pardon who have returned to God through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Isaiah 55:7.
He picks up the pieces of the beautiful pot He had made and was so broken with sin. Turns them back into clay, and then: Ezekial 36:26.
As Jacob enters and settles in Hebron the end of his journey, where his father was, we can also learn from Esau the path he chose is not the one we want if we choose God's direction. Esau choose disobedience. But we can be elected. All of us have the opertunity.
"Every soul is elected who will work out his own salvation with fear and trembling. He is elected who will put on the armor and fight the good fight of faith. He is elected who will watch unto prayer, who will search the Scriptures, and flee from temptation. He is elected who will have faith continually, and who will be obedient to every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. The provisions of redemption are free to all; the results of redemption will be enjoyed by those who have complied with the conditions."Patriarchs
and Prophets 208.1.
John 3:36.
Matthew 7:31. To avoid this predicament, watch, pray, search the scriptures, and be a part of Revelation 22:14. We turn to the One who said? "he who prayed be merciful unto me a sinner is the one that will be justified." Luke 18:14. He is the One that will strengthen us to be worthy.
2Timothy 1:7. Romans 8:26. Hebrews 2:18.
The second discussion question asks, "Why do you think the Bible reveals so many sordid details about the lives of many of its characters? What point could be made from doing this? What message can we take from it?"
These stories show us how low we can sink by not following all of God's commands. It also shows God's love and compassion and saving power. It reminds me of what Paul said in 1 Timothy 1.
"This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life." 1 Timothy 1:15-16 NLT