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the threatened danger. So should the followers of Christ, as they ap-
proach the time of trouble, make every exertion to place themselves
in a proper light before the people, to disarm prejudice, and to avert
the danger which threatens liberty of conscience.
Having sent his family away, that they may not witness his
distress, Jacob remains alone to intercede with God. He confesses
his sin, and gratefully acknowledges the mercy of God toward him,
while with deep humiliation he pleads the covenant made with his
fathers, and the promises to himself in the night vision at Bethel and
in the land of his exile. The crisis in his life has come; everything
is at stake. In the darkness and solitude he continues praying and
humbling himself before God. Suddenly a hand is laid upon his
shoulder. He thinks that an enemy is seeking his life, and with all the
energy of despair he wrestles with his assailant. As the day begins
to break, the stranger puts forth his superhuman power; at his touch
the strong man seems paralyzed, and he falls, a helpless, weeping
suppliant, upon the neck of his mysterious antagonist. Jacob knows
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now that it is the Angel of the covenant with whom he has been
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in conflict. Though disabled, and suffering the keenest pain, he
does not relinquish his purpose. Long has he endured perplexity,
remorse, and trouble for his sin; now he must have the assurance
that it is pardoned. The divine visitant seems about to depart; but
Jacob clings to him, pleading for a blessing. The Angel urges, “Let
me go; for the day breaketh;” but the patriarch exclaims, “I will not
let thee go, except thou bless me.” What confidence, what firmness
and perseverance, are here displayed! Had this been a boastful,
presumptuous claim, Jacob would have been instantly destroyed;
but his was the assurance of one who confesses his weakness and
unworthiness, yet trusts the mercy of a covenant-keeping God.
“He had power over the Angel, and prevailed.” [Hosea 12:4.]
Through humiliation, repentance, and self-surrender, this sinful,
erring mortal prevailed with the Majesty of Heaven. He had fastened
his trembling grasp upon the promises of God, and the heart of
Infinite Love could not turn away the si
his triumph, and an encouragement to others to imitate his example,
his name was changed from one which was a reminder of his sin,
to one that commemorated his victory. And the fact that Jacob had
prevailed with God was an assurance that he would prevail with men.
He no longer feared to encounter his brother’s anger; for the Lord
was his defense.
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Satan had accused Jacob before the angels of God, claiming
the right to destroy him because of his sin; he had moved upon
Esau to march against him; and during the patriarch’s long night of
wrestling, Satan endeavored to force upon him a sense of his guilt,
in order to discourage him, and break his hold upon God. Jacob was
driven almost to despair; but he knew that without help from Heaven
he must perish. He had sincerely repented of his great sin, and he
appealed to the mercy of God. He would not be turned from his
purpose, but held fast the Angel, and urged his petition with earnest,
agonizing cries, until he prevailed. Heavenly messengers were sent
to move upon Esau’s heart, and his purpose of hatred and revenge
was changed to fraternal affection.
As Satan influenced Esau to march against Jacob, so he will stir
up the wicked to destroy God’s people in the time of trouble. And as
he accused Jacob, he will urge his accusations against the people of
God. He numbers the world as his subjects; but the little company
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293
who keep the commandments of God are resisting his supremacy. If
he could blot them from the earth, his triumph would be complete.
He sees that holy angels are guarding them, and he infers that their
sins have been pardoned; but he does not know that their cases have
been decided in the sanctuary above. He has an accurate knowledge
of the sins which he has tempted them to commit, and he presents
these before God in the most exaggerated light, representing this
people to be just as deserving as himself of exclusion from the favor
of God. He declares that the Lord ca
and yet destroy him and his angels. He claims them as his prey, and
demands that they be given into his hands to destroy.
As Satan accuses the people of God on account of their sins, the
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Lord permits him to try them to the uttermost. Their confidence in
God, their faith and firmness, will be severely tested. As they review
the past, their hopes sink; for in their whole lives they can see little
good. They are fully conscious of their weakness and unworthiness.
Satan endeavors to terrify them with the thought that their cases
are hopeless, that the stain of their defilement will never be washed
away. He hopes to so destroy their faith that they will yield to his
temptations, and turn from their allegiance to God.
Though God’s people will be surrounded by enemies who are
bent upon their destruction, yet the anguish which they suffer is not a
dread of persecution for the truth’s sake; they fear that every sin has
not been repented of, and that through some fault in themselves they
shall fail to realize the fulfillment of the Saviour’s promise, “I will
keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the
world.” If they could have the assurance of pardon, they would not
shrink from torture or death; but should they prove unworthy, and
lose their lives because of their own defects of character, then God’s
holy name would be reproached.
On every hand they hear the plottings of treason, and see the
active working of rebellion; and there is aroused within them an
intense desire, an earnest yearning of soul, that this great apostasy
may be terminated, and the wickedness of the wicked may come to
an end. But while they plead with God to stay the work of rebellion,
there is a throb of self-reproach that they themselves have no more
power to resist and urge back the mighty tide of evil. They feel that
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had they always employed all their ability in the service of Christ,
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going forward from strength to strength, Satan’s forces would have
less power to prevail against them.
They afflict their souls before God, pointing to their past repen-
tance of their many sins, and pleading the Saviour’s promise, “Let
him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me, and
he shall make peace with me.” [Isaiah 27:5.] Their faith does not fail because their prayers are not immediately answered. Though