GEN. 28
THE night was dark, the desert drear,
And Jacob's heart was sad with fear,
He'd bade his aged sire farewell;
And if again, he could not tell,
His eyes should see his face revered,
Or hers, whose mother's love had cheered
His life from helpless infancy;
From both, alas! he now must flee:
His injured brother's low'ring face,
Where thoughts of blood the eye could trace;
A guilty conscience towards his sire
For that which stirred his brother's ire,
Oppressed him with its heavy load,
And dimmed his confidence in God.
His weary journey, all alone,
The track and dangers all unknown,
The land of promise left behind,
With bitterest thoughts o'erwhelmed his mind.
He laid his staff upon the ground,
A stone he for his pillow found;
And jaded, sorrowful, opprest,
He seeks his aching limbs to rest.
He counts himself of all bereft,-
None near to shield, or cheer him, left;
A stranger, homeless, and forlorn;
Through his own fault so rudely torn
From all he 'd loved from childhood's morn.
He 'd bought the birthright,-that was true;
By craft had got the blessing too:
But, while his faith had valued right
What worthless seemed in Esau's sight,
(Who, in profane and worldly mood,
Despised it for a dish of food,
And left his name in holy pages,
A warning to all future ages),
Supplanter-like, had both obtained,
And sorrows with these treasures gained.
He'd acted with the serpent's guile,
E'en while he chose the better part;
Upon his faith while heaven could smile,
God frowns upon his treacherous art.
* * *
What solemn lessons may we learn
While we ourselves in him discern,-
The Esau and the Jacob life,
The flesh and spirit's constant strife:
How e'en, while faith directs the will,
Evil is ever present still;
The need to watch, the need to pray,
E'en while we tread the heavenward way!
A holy Father is our God;
And chastens, with His faithful rod,
His foolish children, when they stray
From wisdom's straight and narrow way.
If Jacob wander from that road,
He '11 lose communion sweet with God;
For He, who still His Jacob loves,
Can only smile, when He approves,
Though He will ne'er His covenant break,
Though He will ne'er His truth forsake,
Though He will ne'er His promise fail,
Nor let His children's foes prevail:
Though in His everlasting love
His faithfulness shall ne'er remove,
The stripes and scourgings of His rod
Shall prove the holiness of God.
Weary and sad his eyelids close,
In sleep he seeks to lose his woes:
How does the lonely wand'rer miss
His sire's embrace, his mother's kiss;
The "good night," that his filial ear
From childhood's home was wont to hear;
His tranquil couch, his guarded tent,
The slaves to do his will intent!
If any sound now reach his ear,
If aught disturb the silence drear,
'T will be some howl to wake his fear.
He sleeps at last-forlorn, alone,
His aching head upon the stone;
When lo 1 in visions of the night
What heavenly glories meet his sight!
From the cold earth on which he lies,
A ladder reaches to the skies;
Angels of God to earth descending,
Angels of God to heaven ascending:
The upward path to heaven above;
The downward of Incarnate love.
And lo! above it stands the Lord,
By all those angel-hosts adored,
Whose gracious voice, in accents clear,
Thus spoke to Jacob's ravished ear:
“The God of Abram is my name;
In Chaldee I to him appeared;
Guided by Me he hither came,
And in this land my altars reared.
I was his shield, his great reward,
His faithful and almighty Lord;
My covenant with him is sure,
And shall from age to age endure.
Thy father Isaac's God, I am,
And I to thee will be the same:
The land I to thy fathers gave,
Thou shalt for Thy possession have.
Though now alone, cast out, distrest,
More than the dust thy seed shall be;
To north and south, to east and west
Shall spread thy countless progeny.
Lo! I am with thee. I will keep
Thee as the apple of mine eye:
My loving care shall never sleep;
I will thy every want supply.
Back to this land, secure from harm,
I '11 bring thee by My powerful arm;
Nor will I ever thee forsake,
Till all these promises I make
Fulfilled are, for My own name-sake.”
Oh, what an hour of sacred bliss!
What has the world compared with this?
What though his bed be on the ground,
And desolation dark around,
Heaven opens to his wondering eyes,
A way from earth to reach the skies:
Th' angelic hosts are gathered there
To guard him, as salvation's heir.
How rich, how glorious is his lot!
Who nothing has, has all things got!
The land is his by covenant sure,
By promise, that shall aye endure;
But, oh, more blessed still than all,
God He may now His own God call!
And the vast fullness of His name
He now may trust, He now may claim.
In every scene and place and hour,
Love all divine, almighty power,
Wisdom and mercy,-all engage
His head to shield, His woes assuage;
To comfort, to protect and bless
His journeyings through the wilderness:
Whene'er He leans on pilgrim's rod,
Jacob may well trust Jacob's God.