HOMILETICS. Vers. 25-43.~acob and Lahan, or craft versus greed. I. JACOB's RESPECTFUL REQUEST OF LAllAN. At the close of fourteen years' harsh and exacting service, Jacob desires permission to take hie wives and children and return to Canaan. The motives which induced him were probably-I. The termination of hie contract, which released him from a servitude both galling and oppressive. 2. The remembrance of God's covenant, which had assigned him the land of promise as his true inheritance. 3. The joy occasioned by the birth of Rachel's child, whom he seems to have regarded as the theocratic heir. 4 . .A desire to provide for his now rapidly-increasing house- hold. IL JAcoB'e SELFISH HINDRANCE BY LAllAN. That Jacob's uncle and father-in-law was unwilling to acquiesce in his departure and solicitous to ret&in him was due to- 1. His appreciation of Ja.cob's qualities as a flock-master. Jacob felt he could appeal to "the service he had done" for the past fourteen years. 2. His discovery of a latent connection between Jacob's presence and his own augmenting prosperity. Laban, poor enough before his nephew's arrival, had shrewdly noted that the day of Jacob's coming had been the day of fortune's turning in his ~avo~r, and tha~, wherever his clever "brother" went, flocks and herds broke out beside him. 3. Hui secret hope of effecting easy terms with Jacob. Though ostensibly willing to ta~e him at hie own price, he was clearly calculating that he would_ not have much d1~- ficulty in over-reaching the man whom already he had cheated m the matter of !us daughters. III. JACOB 1B BEM.ABKABLE CONTRACT WITH LABAN. He agrees to serve a third time with Laban on condition of receiving all the speckled and spotted, ringstraked and brown, e.nimals that Le.ban's flocks might produce, after ell of those sorts had been previoullly rt:moved. 1. The proposal of such a singular condition on the part of Jacob was an act not of folly, but of faith, being tantamount to a committal of his cause to God instead of Laban. 2. The acceptance of it on the p&rt of. Laban was a pitiful display of greed, and a proof that the bygone years of proseenty had both awakened in his soul the insatiable demon of avarice and extmgwshed any spark of kindly feeling towards Jacob that may have once existed in his breast. IV. JACOB'e CUNNINO BTRATAOEM AOAINBT LABAN. 1. The nature of it. Thie was the employment of a triple artifice: (1) by means of pilled rods to produce parti- coloured animals in Le.ban's flock; (2) on securing these, so to use them as to increase their number; and (3) to direct the animals in such n fashion that the Cli, XXXI. 1-21.j THE BOOK OF GEN'ESIS. 373
l!ltronger and healthier portion of the flock should be his, and the feebler Laban·~. 2. The BUCCeBB of it. That Jacob's stratagem did not fail is apparent; but how far it wo.s due to the particular expedient employed cannot be so easily determined. Tho.t impressions me.de upon the minds of sheep at rutting time affect the fcetus seems II well-established £net; but the extraordinary rapidity with which brown and speckled animali; were produced appears to point to the intervention of a special providence in Jacob's behalf. 3. 'l'he rightness of it. That in what Jacob did there was nothing fraudulent may be inferred from the fact that he acted under the Divine approval (eh mi. 12), and made use of nothing but the superior knowledge of the habits of anitnals which he had acquired through hie Jong experience in keeping sheep. V. JACOB's ULTIMATE ADVANCEMENT OVER LAFAN. This comes out with greater prominence in the ensuing chapter; the present notices his Rmazing prflSf,erity. "The man increased exceedingly; " and, in spite of Laban's craft and avarice com- bined, eventually eclipsed him in the possession of flocks and herds. Leam-1. The attractive influence of home, both temporal and spiritual. 2. The danger of material prosperity-exemplified in Laban. 3. The wisdom of trusting God in all things, even in secular callings. 4. The value of all kinds of knowledge, but especially of the best. 5. The advantage of having God upon our side in all our bargains-notably when dealing with the selfish and mean. 6. The right to use all lawful means to preserve our interests-particularly against such as would invade them. 7. The possibility of the last outstripping the first-in the Church as well as in the world. HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver. 43.-Jacob's hutory an illustration of the blending together of the natural and the supernatural in God:s dealings. ".And the man increased exceedingly," &c. I. The PROMISE TO GUIDE, protect, and bless fulfilled in connection with the em- ployment of ordinary faculties and instrumentalities. Jacob's craft partly natural, but in this instance specially assisted that he might be helped in an emergency. The 11 supplanter" in this case represented the better cause.
II. HUMAN DEVICES only apparently, and not really, thwart the purposes of God. Jacob represents the people of God. The victory is appointed them. Their interests must be served by the kingdoms of this world, though for a season the ad vantage appears on the side of the mere calculating, selfish policy. The true wisdom is that which cometh from above. III. INCREASE in the best sense is God's promise. It will be sent as he wills and when he wills, but will be found the true answer to prayer and the true manifesta- tion of love. On all that belongs to us the blessmg rests. Spiritual prosperity carries with it 1111 other. Though the individual may be called to suffer for the sake of the community, the promise to the Church must be fulfilled. "It is our Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom." "The meek shall inherit the earth."-R.