The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 374

which he pmyed and r,lcd is cxprc~~c<l in the words, "I will not let thee go except t}Jou blc~e m<>." Thus M a prinoo be had power with God and with men and p;evailed. (2) What evidence we have here of the riches of Divine grace I Tho o:nnipotont One ~vei, us the power in virtue of which we prevail ,vith him, even with himself I The method by which men prevail with God ie the ordinnnccs of prnycr and supplication which he hill! hillll!elf appointed; while the spirit suitable to such employments le a broken :rnd a contrite heart, for such the Lord wlll not despillO, Jacob wa.s truly mag• nanimous, and yet tender-hearted and contrite, and his weeping was the outpourin" of hie tenderness of heart ancl contril.ion of epirit. (3) The choicest bleasinga of pr';ivi- dence and grace are often bestowed upon men after 88&8011B of affliction and distress• and bestowed after intense wrestli.nge, earnest prayers, and BOlomn supplications. Her~ wa,; a lcsson for the people of the prophot's day to encourage them against the dangers anc di_fficulties that were_ fast crowding _upon them, a~d to instruct the_m by the example of tbmr honoured progenitor to put their confidence m God, and not m miserable dis- appointing hnma.n confederacies. Thus by the power of Omnipotence itself they ~ight retrieve their sinking fortunes, surmount all difficulties, and triumph over all enemies. Here, too, is a lesson worth learning by us all. Power belongeth unto God; that power WE, may partake of; prayer brings that power near and allies it to onr side, and in virtue of that power we shall prevail over all enemies whether tempoml or spiritual. 8. The third era in Jaoob's hurtory was marked by bis finding God at Bethel. (1) Twice God baa been pleased to manifest himself to Jacob at Bt,thel, first when be left his father's house and set out for Padan-ara.m, as recorded in Gen. xxviii., when be saw that wondrous vision of the ladder connecting heaven and earth, the creature and the Creator, while angels as heavenly meesengers ascended and descended upon it. 'l'he other occasion was when be was in great trouble and terror in consequence of the slaughter of the Sbechemites To this, which is narrated in Gen. :u:xv., the prophet specially refers in the passage before us. The occasion was a memorable one, and in one respect a melancholy one, in Jacob's history. He bad forgotten the vows, or at least failed to pay them ; be bad neglected duty of a solemn and binding character. And now be is in danger and distress, yet finds God, and in him succour and support. God had been with the fugitive who returned a prince and a patriarch; be bad prospered him and brought him back in safety and in peace, causing him to find grace in the sight of bis brother Esau, father of the dukes of Soir. Arrived at Succotb, Jacob had built hiin a house, made booths for bis cattle, and there bis grazing flocks and herds, bis peaceful dwellin~, his large and powerful family, all attested the faithfulness of the covenant God. But for long there is no word of Bethel, and apparently no remembrance of the vow be bad made to repair thither on his return, make that place a house of God, and allot the tenth of his substance to its maintenance. He left Succoth, passed the Jordan, and removed to Shalem; be lingered there, and time passed on, some seven or eight yes.re elapsed, and still Bethel is unvisited and the vow unfulfilled. At length deep family affliction, sad family dishonour, and dark family guilt united to afflict, perhaps punish, the patriarch ; and it became necessary for God himself to remind Jacob of Bethe~ and the wondrollS vision he bad seen there, and the solemn vow he had made there, all of which seemed to have faded from his memory, and might per- chance have been entirely forgotten, bad not God said t.o Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel." In bis distress be sought the Lord, and the call of God reminded him of bis ciuLy Under such circumstances he found him at Bethel," which may be understoO<i both of God who prevented Jacob by a vision the first time, and with a call the second tiUle; and of Jacob who found God there when he sought unto him." (2) '!'hue, after a period of forgetfulnel!I! or neglect, soon as Ja.cob wae stirred up to seek the· Lord, he four.d him. Here was encouragement for liie erring posterity to seek that God who never said to the seed of Jacob any more than to Jacob himself," Seek ye my face in vain." (3) It is well worthy of note that the means whereby God ie pleased to have intercourse with his peor,Ie ie bis Word, as we may rightly infer from the expression, "there he spake with us.' And it i.JI further noticeable, that God's revelations of him Helf of old remain the heritage of the Church in all after ages. 'l'he wordH there he spake '//Yith us show that tbe communication was not merely personal to Jacob, but fur hui v,slr,rity. God sr,ake with them as though present, and what he said concerned thoru tJ,,,u;!L tbey were yet io the loins of thdr 1,iu;;<·oitor. So with the Church a.ml 1ieopl<i 011. xtt. 1-14.) T:llE :8001! Olr ll08EA. 875