“HE loved righteousness, and hated lawlessness,” though it cost His blood, and the forsaking and bruisings of God. “Therefore God, even his God, anointed him with oil of gladness above his companions."
Gladness follows upon righteousness; blessing comes upon grace; gladness is consequent upon righteousness.
“Grace is poured into thy lips, therefore God hath blessed thee forever.” “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hast hated lawlessness, therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with oil of gladness above thy companions.” Now is a foundation laid for gladness forever-laid in blood, laid in righteousness, for a sanctuary in Zion, a tried stone, a sure foundation, that whosoever believeth in Him should not be ashamed.
In truth did the righteous One own Jehovah as His God when all things went against Him. He witnessed for His righteousness, and truth, and grace, even in the dust of death. Nor this alone. In three days did He raise up a temple of God for Him to dwell in, a sanctuary, in which men who had fled thereto might render His full due, and worship Him acceptably forever. How great the contrast to Jacob, the deceitful servant who in fleshly haste had undertaken to do this very thing.
He took the honor of that priestly place uncalled of God, whereas this One has not glorified Himself to be made high priest, but He who had said, “Thou art my Son,” says also, “Thou art a priest forever."
"Jacob took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God, yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed.” But this man, before He was conceived in the womb, was called Jesus, since, He “should save his people from their sins; was crucified through weakness, that through death he might annul him who has the might of death,” “and was tempted in all things in like manner (sin apart) as we:” with Him power is perfected in weakness, and “through sufferings was he made perfect."
“He, in the days of his flesh, having offered up both supplications and entreaties to him who was able to save him out of death, with strong cryings and tears,” not for Himself, but that He should “become to all them that obey him the author of eternal salvation;” whereas Jacob wept for himself, and made supplication unto Him for himself, saying, “Deliver me, I pray thee,” delivering also into the hand of his servants “every drove by themselves, saying, Pass over before me, and so commanded he the second and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, Say ye Jacob is behind us."... So went the present over before him. And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and sent them over the brook Jabbok, and Jacob was left alone.” Let all things go, if by any means Jacob lives. If ye seek these, let me go my way. Note the contrast! “Jesus, knowing all things that were coming upon him,” went forth, and said,” Whom seek ye?.... If therefore ye seek me, let these go their way."
Jacob at last is found alone, the first time since that night at Luz, when he vowed the vow. If Jacob is not faithful, God is. If Jacob will not keep his word, God must. If Jacob does not bless God, God will bless him. If Jacob owns not God's new name, God calls Jacob by his new name. But first He must find some point of truth. Man cannot partake in any blessing without the required truth for it to rest on. Is it food? He must have the desire; if not, he abhors all manner of meats. If drink, the thirst to slake goes first, or the fountain of living water is deserted, and broken cisterns, which can hold no water, preferred. If clothing, nakedness must first be known and owned. (Gen. 3:7 -21.) So a Savior is for the lost, and cleansing for the filthy, deliverance for the captive, and pardon for the guilty.
If Jehovah is to be revealed and glorified, it can only be in man renewed and redeemed. The proof is that when the old man, Jacob, is brought to a point beyond which God cannot lead him, a pitch of blessing than which a greater cannot be attained, he fails more utterly than ever. Thus God had been with him, fed him, clothed him, kept him, compassed him with a host of angels, and now, wonder of all wonders, has met him face to face; yet Jacob lives, and dares to stand on equal ground with God, and resist Him until the break of day. Is not this ever the course of fleshly man, especially religious man? Was there not “a householder who planted a vineyard, and made a fence round it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen.... and sent his bondsmen to receive his fruits” —, without avail— “and at last he sent to them his son. . . But the husbandmen, seeing his son, said, This is the heir, come, let us kill him?” Were they not stiff-necked, and uncircumcised in heart and ears, always resisting the Holy Spirit, as their fathers? Thus Jacob fenced off all the strivings of the Lord—in ignorance, surely, and unbelief. The secret place of Jacob's power must be smitten. If hitherto he has prevailed through strength, and boasted in his hands, now be must be taught the Lord's grace suffices, and to boast rather in his weakness, that the power of the Lord may dwell upon him.
Still a merchantman, and bargaining for gain, he seeks blessing only for himself, with mind oblivious of the Lord. But most surely had the time arrived for Jehovah's glory to be considered. “His eternal power and divinity,” His creative glory had been fully and completely manifested when “God saw everything that he had made, and behold it was very good” (Gen. 1:1-31).; “and God blessed the seventh day."
His glory in irresponsible irrespective grace had been eternally set forth when the Lord God said, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman; between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Gen. 3:1-24.) Now man had undertaken to manifest God's grace and righteousness combined. Not alone was it needful that His hand of power should be recognized, and His heart of love exhibited, but His righteous character declared. Now was the time for man to do it, in order that the Lord might tabernacle in the land among the children of Israel.
So the Lord wrestles for His glory, and Jacob strives for his gain; eye to eye, hand to hand, foot to foot. Jehovah breaks through all Jacob's devices, gets at him face to face, meets scheme with scheme, and trick with counter-check, devising evil against him who devised iniquity, answering a fool according to his folly, in truest grace, but prevails not. The flocks, the herds, the servants, the sons, the wives are searched, but Jacob's idol is not found, for Jacob is not there, and self is the object of his service, not Jehovah. At last alone he is found, the secret of his strength untouched. Unwittingly he was the thief of Laban's Teraphim, the spirit of whoredom was in the midst, but now his pride testifies in his face; be knows not Jehovah, is a worshipper of self, as yet an empty vine, bringing forth fruit unto himself.
One thing alone is left to do; “he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint."
Is the object gained? Does God get the glory sought? “He said, Let me go, for the day breaketh the supremely critical moment has arrived. Will Jacob answer to it? No! No! What is born of the flesh is flesh, even in death and judgment; and Jacob dares to parley with Jehovah, and to make terms with Him. At the first he had made God's glory to depend upon his blessing, and now he would stake his blessing upon his strength, for he said, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me” —his vow forgotten, Jehovah's name uncared for, His glory unregarded—Jacob first, and last, and altogether.
The truth is out: man has come short of God's glory, and when all is done, Jacob alone is left. He is true to his name, Jacob, a supplanter, whether it be of his brother's birthright, or of Jehovah's glory. There is this truth at least—he does not deny himself, he owns his name, and on this peg of truth the Lord, who cannot deny Himself, can hang the blessing. As yet he own not Jehovah's name, but this truth he has—he owns his own. “If any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not, he will deliver his soul from going down into the pit.” “Every one whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” So here, at the very darkest moment, when all by man is lost, and, as far as he is concerned, the result is irretrievable ruin, a glint of light from God shines athwart the scene, even as says the prophet: “Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them; he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.
Thus saith the Lord.... therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision, and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine, and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them..... But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.” Just, therefore, so it shall be in the coming time, when, as heretofore, it shall be said, “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thy help.” So, in the narrative before us, when God's loved one (Jacob) has brought himself into the extremity of ruin, having plowed wickedness, and reaped iniquity, eaten the fruit of lies, because he trusted in his way, and in the greatness of his strength; when it might be said, “Loruhamab,” and “Lo-Ammi,” then the valley of Achor becomes a door of hope, for thus He said: “Thy name shall be no more called Jacob, but Israel.” For in the new-coming man (God's Israel) the mighty one has helped the helpless by the Spirit of the Lord; by the strength of his arm scattering haughty ones, putting down rulers, and exalting the lowly; so that the beggar is raised from the dunghill to the throne of glory, and Jehovah is blessed and tabernacles in the earth. Israel, the chosen servant, the seed of Abraham, shall help the worm Jacob, and glorify Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, the King of Israel.
Thus Jacob, as the witness for Jehovah's name, forever quits the scene. Self, in every shape, has been his thought from first to last. He has pleaded for himself even when his strength and springs of life were withered with a touch. He has gained his point; for God, having respect to His righteous servant, the root of another race, has reserved His glory till another time. “Jacob asked, and said, Tell, I pray thee, thy name? And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name?” Could He entrust the glories of His name to such a bruised reed Nay! the servant whom He had chosen, His beloved, in whom His soul had found its delight, upon whom He should put His Spirit, alone was fit for such a Charge and task as that. Not so such a withered, halting man as Jacob! Not to such smoking flax will He confide the manifesting forth His glory.
Jacob, notwithstanding, gets his blessing, and has his heart's desire, for “He blessed him there."