The Pulpit Commentary — Jeremiah — Volume 1 — Section 280

II. Another element of this portion which Jacob possessed in God was the CON- TINUAL AND MOST COMFORTING MANIFESTATIONS OF GOD which he was privi\ecred to enjoy. How continually in his career are we met with instances of God's app~arino to him I · And besides the distinctly recorded instances, the impression is left upon th~ mind that it was the constant privilege of Jacob to hold intercourse with God, to talk with him as a man talketh with his frienci. Yes; the God of Jacob was One who was graciously willing to come near to his servant, and to be known by him as his God-a God near at hand, and not afar off. But who C'.a.n estimate what these Divine communications did for Jacob ?-how unspeakably valuable an element in his portion this was? What courage, what confidence, what bright hope, what strength of faith, it must have imparted to the patriarch's mind I And such bl~ssedness is assured to all believers. "I will come unto them, and will manifest myself unto them," said our Saviour. "I have set the Lord al way before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." "God is our Refuge and Strength, a very present Help in trouble." It is because we cannot realize God's presence, can in no way feel him near to us, that therefore our hearts fail us for fear and our souls are cast down within us. But be to whom God reveals himself as be did to Jacob has in that fact a safeguard and protection from fear such as nought else can afford. IIL But another element in the portion which Jacob had in God was that ot PURIFYING DISCIPLINE. Assuredly be was not left without chastisement; yea, it was a very scourging that was dealt out to him on account of bis sins. Men are apt, both in reading the Bible and in observing the too frequent failures of godly men now, to look steadily at the sins of men like Jacob and David and others, and to wonrler how such men can be regarded as God's people at all; but they do not look on and observe how sorely they are punished for their faults, and bow they in this world find, beyond well-nigh all others, that "the way of transgressors is br.rd." Whoe\·er else may seem to sin with impunity, the children of God may not and do not. No doubt Rebekah and Jacob thought they bad done a very wise and clever thing when, by deceiving Isaac, they fraudulently obtained the blessing which belonged to Esau as the firstborn. But ,Rebekah, in the long years of melancholy bereavement of her favourite son-for she never saw him again after that day he fled from his home-bad abundant leisure to see a:ad repent of her folly and her sin. And Jacob, as he ate the bread of servi- tude and dwelt a stranger in a strange land, haunted with dread of Esau, was made to know that bis trickery and fraud had borne him but a wretched harvest. The consuming fire of· God's holy love burnt fiercely on until this dross which wl\S so mingled with the pure ore of Jacob's faith was purged out of him. And this is ever au indispensable and a never-absent part of the portion of Jacob. The purging, purifying disciplines of God's holy love we shall all have to submit to according to our need of them. And this should render the Portion of Jacob not less but more precious in our esteem. If we willingly submit to much pain and distress in order that the health of the body, which at best can last only for o. few short years, may be secured., may we not much rather submit ourselves to whatever of painl'ul discipline God may appoint in order to secure the health of our souls, which shall live for ever? How dreadful would it be if God were not thus to purge and cleanse us; if he were to allow the cancerous growth of our sins to spread and grow until it bad obtained such hold on us that death, eternal death, must follow I But this, out of fatherly love to us, he will never allow; and therefore Jacob was, and so we must oo, held down to the suffering which bis disciplines cause until their perfect work is done, and we are presented Jault- less before the presence of bis glory with exceeding joy. Oh, let us be more anxious that God's will should be done in us than that his hand should be taken off from us. Never, never may he say concerning any one of us as he did ooncerning Ephraim, "Ho is joined to his idols: let him alone." IV. GoD's •PROVIDENTIAr, GUARDIANSHIP AND CARE was a further element in tbo portion of Jacob. How God watched over him I how truly Jacob could sr1y, "Ho knoweth the way;tbat I take" I Never was there nny man to whom these words were more appropriate than they wero to him. With what const..'\ut interest did Gou appear to mark all the way by which Jacob bad to go I His eye was never off him, his hand never withdrawn, his help never wanting when needed. Even when Jacob dicl uot dream that God was near him, ho was so in fact. So that ho had to confess as at 2S0 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH. [utt. x.1-25,