Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

myself."me.".... Forcall"nations."mother."For a month, he was their guest, and inthat month, he came to love Rachel verydearly. So when Laban suggested that hestay and work for wages, he agreed towork seven years for Rachel, since hehad no "dowry" to pay. What a lovestory this is, and a true one! So muchdid he love Rachel that the seven yearsseemed but a few days. How he and Rachel must have counted off the months,then the weeks and finally the days!Then came the big wedding feast.Then a terrible thing happened. Whenmorning came and the bride took off theveil all women then wore, Jacob saw thatit was not Rachel at all, but her sister,Leah, that Laban had given him in marriage. Laban after all the seven yearswork, had deceived him. What a heartbreak for him and for Rachel! ThenLaban, who was greedy, as well as deceitful, told him that if he would workseven more years, he could have Rachelin addition to Leah for his wife. God hadnot yet told people that it was wrong tohave two wives at the same time, soJacob agreed, for he wanted Rachel veryvery much. And so it was that Rachelfinally became his wife.But the home was not too happy, forone wife was greatly loved and the othernot at all. So God sent four little boys tocomfort Leah, for to have sons was thehighest happiness a woman could have.They named the boys, Reuben, Simeon,Levi and Judah. Rachel was very sadthat she had no children and finally didwhat Sarah had done years before andgave her maid to Jacob for a wife. Bilhah,her maid, had two little boys, andthese Rachel named Dan and Naphtaliand called them her children. Then Leahgave her maid to Jacob for a wife, andZilpah also had two little boys, whomthey named Gad and Asher. After thisLeah had two more sons of her own,Issachar and Zebulon and finally a littlegirl Dinah. Last of all, God sent Rachela little baby boy and she was more happy than ever before and named him Joseph, who was in God's plan to become avery great man, greater than all his brothers. The names of these boys sound familiar no doubt. Why? Because they arenames of the tribes of Israel. So theseeleven sons, and later Rachel's secondson, Benjamin, were the working out ofGod's promise to make of Jacob a greatnation.During the years that Jacob's familywas growing, his wealth was growing too.He worked for Laban all these years,and though Laban was not an honestman to work for and had changed Jacob's wages ten times, yet God waswatching over Jacob and blessed him inall that he did. Finally, he became muchricher than Laban and Laban was jealous of him. After the birth of Joseph,October 6, 1954SABBATH SCHOOL, LESSONJacob felt it was time to go back to hisTo bring them to His side. Selected our "church families" has greatlyimhomecountry, especially after God spoketo him one night and told him to go back.October 24, 1954by Rev. Joseph A. HillRachel and Leah were very willing to (Lessons based on International Sunday Schoolgo, for Laban had not treated them well Lessons; the Internationa] Bible Lessons forChristian Teaching:, copyrighted by the Interand was getting more and more un national Council of Religious Education.)pleasant.MAKING HOME LIFE SUCCESSFULOne time when Laban was away shearLesson Material: Proverbs 4; 6:20-7:27;ing sheep, Jacob gathered all his family17:1; 19:13, 14; 31:10-31.and possessions and slipped away secretPrinted Text: Proverbs 4:1-4; 6:20-23;ly, lest Laban would make trouble for17:1; 19:13, 14; 31:10-12.him. When Laban discovered they wereMemory Verse: Proverbe 6:20 "My son,gone, he pursued after them and mightkeephave harmed them, but God in a dreamthy father,and forsake not the law of thytold him to say nothing either good orThe ideal home is the Christian home.bad to them. When he finally reachedJacob's caravan, he pretended that heWhat makes a home Christian? Does themere application of "Christianhad wanted to make a big farewell partymake a home Christian? If all membersfor them and spoke very politely to them.of a household are truly Christian, doesJacob and Laban set up a pillar ofthis fact guarantee that the home itself,stones and promised that they would notthe family, will be truly Christian? Orgo past that pillar to do harm to eachis Christian family life more than aother. Laban went back home, and sincerelationship between individuals who arehe is not important in the story of God'sredeemed? The family is not a group ofpeople, we hear nothing more from him.individuals, mutually related, but an orThis second chapter of Jacob's life, theganism, correlated to God, our heavenlytime in Haran, lasted some twenty years,Father. The home, if it is Christian,but is now almost over and the page isprises a redeemed family in covenant withbeginning to turn to chapter three in hisGod. The relationship is not betweenlife story. We know more about hisGod and each member of the familyjourney home than of the tripnorth whenseverally, but between God the Fatherhe was running away from Esau. In ourand the family as a whole.story next week, we shall learn whatThe Christianhappened when at last the two brothersfamily is a covenantfamily. The Covenant of Grace was instimet.This week, instead of note-book work,we have a Bible puzzle for you to solve.tuted and administered not with referenceto Abraham as an individual merely, butas the head of a household and thereforePerhaps you can then make similar puz"a fatherzles to bring to Juniors for others tomany God said tosolve. Find Abraham, "And I will establishthe names of themypeople whonant between me and thee andsaid the following quotations. Thethyfirstafter thee in theirletter of each name, taken ingenerations, for anorder, willspell theeverlasting covenant, to be a God untoname of one of the charactersthee and toin our lesson.thy seed after thee" (Genesis17:7). It was with reference to the fam1. "Intreat me not to leave thee, or tothee." ilyreturn from following unit, and with the human raceafteras an organism, that God established2. "I heard thy voice in the garden andand yet fulfils His Covenant of Grace.I was afraid, for I was naked and IAccordingly, when Paul and Silas werehidquestioned by the jailer concerning the3. "My punishment is greater than Ican bear."means of salvation, they replied: "Believe4. Go and search diligently for the youngon the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shaltbe saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31).child; and when ye have found him,As the head of the household, his faithbring me word again, that I may goin Jesus Christ constituted aalso."and worship himfamily relationship with God. Through5. "Feed me, I pray thee, with that samethe Covenant of Grace the jailer's familyred pottage, for I am faint."became a redeemed family. God's ordin6. "Wherefore then didst thou flee secretaryly and steal away fromadministering salvation isthrough covenantal family religion, as(Answer next week)Peter implied in his divinely inspired sermon in the second chapter of the BookChrist has no hands but our hands of Acts: "Repent, and be baptized everyTo do His work today;one of you in the name of Jesus ChristHe has no feet but our feetthe promise is unto you, andTo lead men in His way.to your children. as ...many as the LordHe has no tongue but our tongues our God shall (verses 38-39).To tell men how He died;Failure to recognize the implicationsHe has no help but our helpof the covenant theology in relation to219