2979. Our Banner

No. 2979-52:133. A Sermon Delivered In The Year 1863, By C. H. Spurgeon, At The Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.

A Sermon Published On Thursday, March 15, 1906.

You have given a banner to those who fear you, that it may be displayed because of the truth. {Ps 60:4}

1. Most writers on this Psalm, after having referred the banner to the kingdom of David, say that there is a reference to the Messiah here. We believe there is. Nor is that reference an obscure allusion. In the Lord Jesus we find the clue to the history and the solution of the prophecy. He is the banner, — he is the ensign that is lifted up before the people. He is Jehovah-nissi, “the Lord my banner,” whom it is our joy to follow, and around whom it is our delight to rally, we shall not take time to prove, — though we might readily do so, — that the banner here intended is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ in the majesty of his person, — in the efficacy of his merit, — in the completeness of his righteousness, — in the certainty of his triumph, — in the glory of his advent. If you read it with an eye to him, you have the meaning at once: “You have given Christ as a banner to those who fear you, to be displayed because of the truth.” So let us consider our Lord Jesus Christ, first, as he is compared to a banner; secondly, by whom he is given; thirdly, to whom he is given; and fourthly, for what purpose.

2. I. Let us consider OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST AS HE IS COMPARED TO A BANNER.

3. The banner was far more useful, I suppose, in ancient, than it is in modern warfare. Times have changed, and we are changed by them. Yet we still speak with reverence of the old flag. There is much meaning in the phrase, “the flag that’s braved a thousand years the battle and the breeze.” The soldier still waves the flag of his country, and the sailor still looks with patriotic pride to the flag that has so long floated at England’s masthead. Our metaphor, however, rather points to ancient than present use.

4. We should notice, first of all, that the banner was lifted up and displayed as the point of union. When a leader was about to gather troops for a war, he hoisted his banner, and then every man rallied to the standard. The coming to the standard, the rallying around the banner, was the joining with the prince, the espousing of his cause. In the day of battle, when there was ever a likelihood that the host would be put to flight, the valiant men all fought around the banner. Its defence was of the first and chief consequence. They might leave the baggage for a while; they might forsake the smaller flags of the divisions; but the great blood-red banner that had been consecrated with prayer, they must all gather around it, and there, if need be, shed their heart’s blood.

5. Christ, my brethren, is the point of union for all the soldiers of the cross. I know of no other place where all Christians can meet. We cannot all meet — I am sorry that we cannot, — at the baptismal stream. There are some who will not be baptized; they still persist in the sin of putting drops of water in the place of the ordained flood, and bringing infants where faith is required. We cannot all meet even around the table of the Eucharist; there are some who thrust aside their brethren, because they do not see eye to eye with them; and even the communion table has sometimes become a field of battle. But all Christians can meet in the person of Christ; all true hearts can meet in the work of Christ. This is a banner that we all love, if we are Christians, and far hence be those who are not. Close to your cross, oh Jesus, do we come! The Churchman, laden with his many forms and vestments; the Presbyterian, with his stern Covenant, and his love of those who stained the heather with their blood; the Independent, with his passion for liberty, and the independence of the free churches; the Methodist, with his intricate forms of Church government, sometimes forms of bondage, but still forms of power; the Baptist, remembering his ancient pedigree, and the days in which his forefathers were hounded even by Christians themselves, and not counted worthy of that name; they all come to Christ. Various opinions divide them; they do not see eye to eye on many matters; here and there, they will have a skirmish for the old landmarks; and rightly so, for we ought to be jealous, as Josiah was, to do what is right in the sight of the Lord, and neither decline to the right hand nor to the left. But we rally to the cross of Christ; and there, all weapons of destructive warfare being cast aside, we meet as brethren, fellow comrades in a blessed Evangelical Alliance, who are prepared to suffer and to die for his dear sake. Forward then, Christians, to the point of union! In the crusade against the powers of darkness, with the salvation of sinners for my one undivided aim, little do I care for anything but the lifting up of my Master’s gospel, and the proclamation of the Word of mercy through his flowing blood.

6. Again, the banner, in time of war, was the great guide star; it was the direction for the soldier. You remember what special care they took, in the day of battle, that, in case the standard-bearer should fall, there might still be some means of guiding the warriors.

7. So, to this day, Christ is the great Guide of the Christian in the day of battle. There is no fear that Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and for ever, will ever fail. Fix your eye on him, Christian; and if you would know the best way to fight, fight in his footsteps, imitate his every action, let your life be a copy of his life. You need never stop to ask for directions: the life of Christ is the Christian’s model. You need not turn to your fellow believer, and say, “Comrade, what are we to do now? The smoke of battle gathers, and the cries are various; which way shall I go?” The apostle Paul has given us our directions: “Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Press forward, in Christ’s footsteps, saying, “God has given you, my Saviour, to be for me a banner because of the truth.”

8. In these two respects, as the central point for rallying, and as the direction to the warrior, Christ is our banner.

9. And the banner, let it be remembered, is always the chief object of attack. The moment the adversary sees it, his object is to strike there. If it is not the most vulnerable point, it will be at least the point where the adversary’s power is most felt. Did they not of old aim their shots at the flagstaff so as to cut down the banner? Whenever the old Knights of the Red Cross fought the Saracens, they always endeavoured to make their steel ring on the helmet of the man whose hand held the standard of Mohammed; the fight was always fiercest around the standard. Sometimes, when the battle was over, the field would be strewn with legs, and arms, and mangled bodies; but, in one place, there would be a heap where they were piled one upon another, a great mountain of flesh and armour, broken bones and smashed skulls, and one would ask, “What does this mean? How did they get here? Why did they trample so one upon another, and fought in pools of human blood?” The answer would be, “It was there the standard-bearer stood, and first the adversary made a dash, and stole the banner; and then fifty knights vowed to redeem it, and they dashed against their foes, and took it by storm; and then again hand to hand they fought with the banner between them, first in one hand and then in another, changing ownership each hour.”

10. So, dear friends, Christ Jesus has always been the object of attack. You remember that, when divine justice came out against Christ on Calvary, it made five tears in the great banner, and those five tears, all glorious, are still in that banner. Since that day, many a shot has sought to riddle it, but not one has been able to touch it. Borne aloft, first by one hand and then by another, the mighty God of Jacob being the strength of the standard-bearers, that flag has bidden defiance to the beleaguered hosts of the world, the flesh, and the devil; but never has it been trailed in the mire, and never once carried in jeering triumph by the adversary. Blessed are the tears in the banner, for they are the symbol of our victory. Those five wounds in the person of the Saviour are the gates of heaven to us. But, thank God, there are no more wounds to be endured; the person of our Lord is safe for ever. “A bone of him shall not be broken.” His gospel, too, is an unwounded gospel, and his mystical body is uninjured. Yes; the gospel is unharmed after all the strife of ages. The infidel threatens to tear the gospel to pieces, but it is as glorious as ever; modern scepticism has sought to pull it thread from thread, but has not been able so much as to tear a fragment of it. Every now and then, fresh adversaries have found out some new methods of induction or declamation, {a} attempting to prove the gospel to be a lie, and Christ an impostor. Have they succeeded? No, truly, they have all had to flee from the field. The good old banner of the Lord Omnipotent, even Christ Jesus, still stands erect above them all.

11. And why should the banner be the object of attack except for this very reason, that it is the symbol of defiance? As soon as ever the banner is lifted up, it is, as it were, flaunted in the face of the foe. It seems to say to him, “Do your worst, bring it on! We are not afraid of you, — we defy you!” So, when Christ is preached, there is a defiance given to the enemies of the Lord. Every time a sermon is preached in the power of the Spirit, it is as though the shrill clarion woke up the fiends of hell, for such a sermon seems to say to them, “Christ is come out again to deliver his lawful captives out of your power; the King of kings has come to take away your dominions, to wrest from you your stolen treasures, and to proclaim himself your Master.” There is a stern joy that the minister sometimes feels when he thinks of himself as the antagonist of the powers of hell. Martin Luther seems to have felt it when he said, “Come, let us sing the forty-sixth Psalm, and let the devil do his worst!” That was lifting up the standard of the cross. If you want to defy the devil, do not go about preaching philosophy; do not sit down, and write out fine sermons, with long sentences, three-quarters of a mile in extent; do not try and cull fine, smooth phrases that will sound sweetly in people’s ears. The devil does not care a bit for this; but talk about Christ, preach about the sufferings of the Saviour, tell sinners that there is life in a look at him, and immediately the devil takes great umbrage. Look at many of the ministers in London! They preach in their pulpits from the first of January to the last of December, and no one finds fault with them, because they prophesy such smooth things. But let a man preach Christ, let him speak about the power of Jesus to save, and press home gospel truth with simplicity and boldness, immediately the fiends of darkness will be against him; and, if they cannot bite, they will show that they can howl and bark. There is a symbol of defiance in the banner of the cross; it is God’s symbol of defiance, his gauntlet thrown down to the confederated powers of darkness, a gauntlet which they dare not take up, for they know what tremendous power for good there is in the lifting up of the cross of Christ. Wave, then, your banner, oh you soldiers of the cross; each in your place and rank keep watch and ward, {guard} but still wave your banner; for though the adversary shall be full of wrath, it is because he knows that his time is short when once the cross of Christ is lifted up.

12. We have not quite exhausted the metaphor yet. The banner was always a source of consolation for the wounded. There he lies, the good knight; he has fought very well without fear and without reproach; but a chance arrow pierced the joints of his harness, and his life is oozing out from the ghastly wound. There is no one there to unbuckle his helmet, or give him a draught of cooling water; his body is locked up in that hard case of steel, and though he feels the smart, he cannot gain relief. He hears the mingled cries, the hoarse shouts of men who rush in fury against their fellows; and he opens his eyes, — since he has not yet fainted from his bleeding. Where, do you think that he looks? He turns himself around. What is he looking for? For friends? For comrades? No. Should they come to him; he would say, “Just lift me up, and let me sit against that tree, but you go to the fight.” Where is that restless eye searching, and what is the object for which it is looking? Yes, he has it; and the face of the dying man is brightened. He sees the banner still waving, and with his last breath he cries, “On! on! on!” and falls asleep content, because the banner is safe. It has not been cast down. Though he has fallen, yet the banner is secure. Even so, every true soldier of the cross rejoices in its triumph. We fall, but Christ does not. We die, but the cause prospers. As I have told you before, when my heart was most sad, — as it never was before nor since, — that sweet text, “Therefore God also has highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name,” quite cheered my soul, and gave me peace and comfort again. Is Jesus safe? Then it does not matter what becomes of me. Is the banner all right? Does it wave on high? Then the adversary has not won the day; he has felled one and another, but he himself shall be broken in pieces, for the banner still glares in the sun.

13. And, lastly, the banner is the emblem of victory. When the fighting is over, and the soldier comes home, what does he bring? His blood-stained flag. And what is borne highest in the procession as it winds through the streets? It is the flag. They hang it in the cathedral; high up there in the roof, and where the incense smokes, and where the song of praise ascends, there hangs the banner, honoured and esteemed, borne in conflict and in danger. Now, our Lord Jesus Christ shall be our banner in the last day, and when all our foes shall be under our feet. A little while, and he who will come shall come, and will not delay. A little while, and we shall see —

    Jehovah’s banner furled,
    Sheathed his sword; he speaks! ’tis done,
    And the kingdoms of this world
    Are the kingdoms of his Son.

And then Jesus, high above us all, shall be exalted, and through the streets as the holy city the acclamations shall ring, “Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

14. II. Let us turn to our second point for a few moments. It is this: Who gave us this banner? BY WHOM WAS CHRIST GIVEN TO US?

15. Soldiers often esteem the colours for the sake of the person who first bestowed them. You and I ought greatly to esteem our precious Christ for the sake of God who gave him to us: “You have given a banner to those who fear you.” God gave us this banner in old eternity. Christ was given by the eternal Father, from everlasting, even before the earth was, to his elect people, to be the Messiah of God, the Saviour of the world. He was given in the manger, when “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” He was given on the cross when the Father bestowed every drop of his Son’s blood, and every nerve of his body, and every power of his soul, to bleed and die, “the Just for the unjust, so that he might bring us to God.” “You have given a banner.”

16. That banner was given to each one of us in the day of our conversion. Christ became, from that time on, our glory and our boast. And he is given to some of us, especially, when we are called to the ministry, or when the Holy Spirit’s guidance has us do any extraordinary work for Christ. Then the banner is, in a direct and special manner, committed to our care. There are some here who have had this banner given to them to carry in the midst of the Sunday School. A dear sister here has it. A beloved brother has it to bear in the midst of many of this congregation. The young men of our College, of our Evening Classes, and many others of you, workers for Christ, have that banner, that you may bear it in the streets, that you may lift up the name of Jesus in the causeways, and in the places of assembly. And, in a certain measure, all of you, who love the Lord, have that banner given to you, so that in your various spheres of service you may talk about Jesus, and lift up his holy name.

17. Now, inasmuch as God himself gives us this banner, with what reverence should we look at it, with what ardour should we cluster around it, with what zeal should we defend it, with what enthusiasm should we follow it, with what faith and confidence should we rush even into death itself for its defence!

18. III. Thirdly, TO WHOM IS THIS BANNER GIVEN?

19. The text says, “You have given a banner to those who fear you.” Not to all men. God has a chosen people. These chosen people are known, in due time, by their outward character. That outward grace-wrought character is this, they fear God, and those who fear God are the only people who ought to carry this banner. Shall the banner be put into a drunkard’s hands? Shall the great truth of Christ be left to those who live in sin? Oh, it is a wretched thing when men come into the pulpit to preach who have never known and felt the power of the gospel themselves! There was a time — but times are changed somewhat, — when, in multitudes of our parish pulpits, men whose characters were unhallowed preached to others what they never practised themselves. To such, the banner ought not to be given. Men must fear God, or else they are not worthy to bear it.

20. Moreover, no one but these can bear it. What others bear is not the banner; it is only an imitation of it. It is not Christ they preach; it is a diluted thing that is not the gospel of Jesus. They cannot proclaim it to others until they know it themselves. It is given to those who fear God, because they will have courage to bear it. Fear is often the mother of courage. To fear God, makes a man brave. To fear man, is cowardly, I grant; but to fear God, with humble awe and holy reverence, is such a noble passion that I wish we were more and more full of it, blending, as it were, the fear of Isaac with the faith of Abraham. To fear God, will make the weakest of us play the man, and the most cowardly of us become heroes for the Lord our God.

21. Now, inasmuch as this banner is given to those who fear God, if you fear God, it is given to you. I do not know in what capacity you are to bear it, but I do know there is somewhere or other where you have to carry it. Mother, let the banner wave in your household. Merchant, let the banner be fixed on your house of business. Let it be unfurled and fly at your masthead, oh sailor! Bear the banner, oh soldier, in your regiment! Yours is a stern duty, for, alas! the Christian soldier has a path of trial that few men have trodden. May God make you faithful, and may you be honoured as a good soldier of Jesus Christ! Some of you are poor, and work hard in the midst of many artisans who do not fear God. Take your banner with you, and never be ashamed of your colours. You cannot be long in a workshop before your companions will pull their colours out. They will soon begin talking to you about their sinful pleasures, their amusements, perhaps their infidel principles. Take your banner out likewise. Tell them that it is a game two can play at; never allow a man to show his banner without also showing yours. Do not do it ostentatiously; do it humbly, but do it earnestly and sincerely. Remember that your banner is one that you never need be ashamed of; the best of men have fought under it; indeed, he who was God as well as man has his own name written on the escutcheon. {b} Surely, then, you need not be ashamed to wave it anywhere and everywhere. You can think bravely; now be great in act as you have been in thought.

    Presence of mind and courage in distress
    Are more than armies to procure success.

22. IV. This is our last question, FOR WHAT PURPOSE WAS THIS BANNER GIVEN TO US?

23. Our text is very explicit on that point; it was given to us to be “displayed because of the truth.” It is to be displayed. In order to display a banner, you must take it out of its case. Members of this congregation, brethren in the church, please study the Scriptures much. I would not have men attempt to preach unless they have some power. To go out without some study, would be like a man attempting to fight with a gun that had much powder in it and no shot. Unfurl the banner; to this purpose, use your time well. Young men, save your spare hours to study the Bible. Steal them from your sleep if you cannot get them any other way. Sunday School teachers, be diligent in your preparations for your classes. Get your banner out of the case. It is of little use lifting it up in the midst of the ranks without its being unfurled. See that you know the holy art of unfurling it. Practise it; study it; be well acquainted with him who is the wisdom of God and the power of God.

24. And, after the flag is unfurled, it needs to be lifted up. So, in order to display Christ, you must lift him up. Lift him up with a clear voice, as one who has something to say which he would have men hear. Speak of him boldly, as one who is not ashamed of his message. Speak affectionately, speak passionately, speak with your whole soul, let your whole heart be in every word you say, for this is to lift up the banner.

25. But, besides lifting up the banner, you must carry it, for it is the business of the standard-bearer, not merely to hold it in one place, but to bear it here and there if the plan of battle shall change. So, bear Christ to the poor lodging-houses, to the workhouses, to the prisons, if you can get admittance, to the back streets, to the dark slums, to the cellars, to the solitary attic, to the crowded rooms, to the highways and the byways; and you especially who are private Christians; and not preachers, bear it from house to house. We had a complaint, the other day, that some of you had been going from house to house to try and talk to others about their souls; you had trespassed on the parochial bounds of the authorized gamekeeper! Please trespass again. What is my parish? The whole world is my parish; let the whole world be your parish likewise. What does it matter to us if the world is parcelled out among men who probably do little or nothing? Let us do all we can. No man has any right to say to me, “Visit in such and such a district; not here, — this is my ground.” Who gave it to you? Who gave him lordship of the world, or any portion of it? “The earth is the Lord’s, and its fulness.” The earth is your field, and no matter on whose district, territory, or parish you are. Let me encourage you who love the Saviour, you who have the pure gospel, to go and spread it. Let nothing confine you, or limit your labours, except your strength and your time.

26. Still, after all, if we carry the gospel, and lift up the banner, it will never be displayed unless there is wind to blow it. A banner would only hang like a dead flag on the staff if there were no wind. Now, we cannot produce the wind to expand the banner, but we can invoke heavenly aid. Prayer becomes a prophecy when we say, “Awake, oh heavenly wind, and blow, and let this banner be displayed.” The Holy Spirit is that gracious wind who shall make the truth apparent in the hearts of those who hear it. Display the banner, talk about Christ, live Christ, proclaim Christ everywhere. He is given to you for this very purpose. Therefore, do not let your light be hidden under a bushel. “You are the light of the world.” “Let your light so shine before men.” Let the old flag be held up by fresh hands. Go out in new times, with new resolves, and may you have constant renewings as new opportunities open before you!

27. Oh, but are there not some of you who could not bear this banner? Let me invite such to come and take shelter under it. My Master’s banner, wherever it goes, gives liberty. Under the banner of old England, there never breathes a slave. They tread our country, they breathe our air, and their shackles fall off. Beneath the banner of Christ, no slave can live. Only look up to Jesus, relying on his suffering in your place, and bearing your sins in your place and room, and immediately you shall have acceptance in the Beloved, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, shall keep your heart and mind through Jesus Christ. So may God enlist you beneath the banner, for his glory! Amen.

{a} Declamation: A speech of a rhetorical kind expressing strong feeling and addressed to the passions of the hearers; a declamatory speech, a harangue. OED. {b} Escutcheon: Shield containing a coat of arms. OED.

Expositions By C. H. Spurgeon {Ge 32; Ps 119:33-40}

32:1. And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

What an encouragement the visit of these angels must have been to Jacob after the strife which he had had with Laban! But, dear friends, angels often come to meet us, though we do not know it. As in the old classic story, the poor man said, “This is a plain hut, but God has been here,” so we may say of every Christian’s cottage, “Though it is poor, an angel has come here,” for David says, “The angel of the Lord camps all around those who fear him, and delivers them.” Just as the angels of God met Jacob, so I trust that, if you have come here after some stern battle, and trial, and difficulty, you may find the angels of God meeting you here. They do come into the assemblies of the saints. Paul tells us that the woman ought to have her head covered in the assembly “because of the angels,” that is, because they are there to see that all things are done decently and in order.

2. And when Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God’s host”: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

He gave it a name to commemorate God’s having sent the angels, and called it “two camps” or “two hosts.”

3. And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother to the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

He is out of one trouble with Laban; now he is into another with Esau. Well did John Bunyan say. —

    A Christian man is seldom long at ease;
    When one trouble’s gone, another doth him seize.

4, 5. And he commanded them, saying, “Thus you shall speak to my lord Esau; ‘Your servant Jacob says this, "I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now: and I have oxen, and donkeys, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, so that I may find grace in your sight."’ ”

This is very respectful language, and rather obsequious, too; but when a man knows that he has done wrong to another, he ought to be prepared to humble himself to the injured individual; and, though it happened long ago, yet Jacob really had injured his brother Esau, and it was only right that, in meeting him again, he should put himself into a humble position before him. There are some proud people who, when they know that they have done wrong, yet will not admit it, and it is very hard to end a quarrel when one will not yield, and the other feels that he will not either. But there is good hope of things going right when Jacob, who is the better of the two brothers, is also the humbler of the two.

6, 7. And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and also he comes to meet you, and four hundred men with him.” Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed:

And well he might be, for an angry brother, with four hundred fierce followers, must mean mischief.

7, 8. And he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands; and said, “If Esau comes to the one company, and attacks it, then the other company which is left shall escape.”

This is characteristic of Jacob. He was a man of plans and arrangements, a man of considerable craftiness, which some people nowadays call “prudence.” He used means, and he sometimes used them a little too much. Perhaps he did so in this case; but, at the same time, he was a man of faith, and therefore he prayed.

9-12. And Jacob said, “Oh God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country, and to your kindred, and I will deal well with you’: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which you have shown to your servant, for with my staff I passed over the Jordan, and now I am become two bands. Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and attack me, and the mother with the children. And you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your seed as the sand of the seas which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”

A prayer most humble, most direct in its petitions, and also full of faith. That was a grand argument for him to use: “You said, ‘I will surely do you good.’ ” This is one of the mightiest pleas that we can urge in praying to God: “Do as you have said. Remember the word to your servant, on which you have made me to hope.” Oh brethren, if you can remind God of his own promise, you must win the day, for promised mercies are sure mercies.

    As well might he his being quit,
    As break his promise, or forget.

“Has he said, and shall he not do it?” Only for this will he be enquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them; and we must take care that we call his promise to mind, and plead it at the mercy seat.

13-21. And he lodged there that same night; and took from whatever came to his hand a present for Esau his brother: two hundred she-goats, and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, thirty milk camel with their colts, forty cows, and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten foals. And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said to his servants, “Pass over before me, and put some distance between each drove.” And he commanded the foremost, saying “When Esau my brother meets you, and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong and where are you going? And whose are these in front of you?’ Then you shall say, ‘They are your servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent to my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us.’ ” And so he commanded the second, and the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, “In this manner you shall speak to Esau, when you find him. And say moreover, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.’ ” For he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me and afterwards I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” So the present went over ahead of him: and he himself lodged that night in the company.

If Jacob had been true to his faith in God, he would have dispensed with these very prudent preparations; for, after all, the faithfulness of God was Jacob’s best defence; it was from God that his safety came, and not from his own plotting, and planning, and scheming. There are some of you, dear brethren, who have minds that are naturally given to inventions, and devices, and plans, and plots, and I believe that, where this is the case, you have more to battle against than those have who are of a simple mind, and who cast themselves more entirely on the Lord. It is a blessed thing to be such a fool that you do not know anyone to trust in except your God. It is a sweet thing to be so weaned from your wisdom that you fall into the arms of God.

Yet, if you do feel that it is right to make such plans as Jacob made, take care that you do what Jacob also did. Pray as well as plan, and if your plans are numerous, let your prayers be all the more fervent, lest the natural tendency of your constitution should degenerate into reliance on the arm of flesh, and dependence on your own wisdom, instead of absolute reliance on God.

22-24. And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him there until the breaking of the day.

It was the man Christ Jesus assuming the form of manhood before the time when he would actually be incarnate, and the wrestling seems to have been more on his side than on Jacob’s, for it is not said that Jacob wrestled, but that “a man wrestled with him there.” There was something that needed to be taken out of Jacob, — his strength and his craftiness; and this angel came to get it out of him. But, on the other hand, Jacob seeing his opportunity, and, finding the angel wrestling with him, he in his turn began to wrestle with the angel.

25. And when he saw that he did not prevail against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

So that he was made painfully to realize his own weakness while he was exerting all his strength.

26. And he said, “Let me go, for the day breaks.” And he said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.”

Bravely said, oh Jacob! And you sons of Jacob, learn to say the same. You may have whatever you wish if you can speak like this to the covenant angel, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.”

27, 28. And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said “Jacob.” And he said, “Your name shall be called Jacob no more, —

The supplanter, —

28. But Israel: —

A prince of God; —

28, 29. For as a prince you have power with God and with men, and have prevailed.” And Jacob asked him, and said, “Please tell me your name.”

That has often been the request of God’s people; they have wanted to know God’s wonderful name. The Jews superstitiously believe that we have lost the sound of the name of Jehovah, — that the name is unpronounceable now altogether. We do not think so; but, certainly, no man knows the nature of God, and understands him, but he to whom the Son shall reveal him. Perhaps Jacob’s request had something of curiosity in it, so the angel would not grant it.

29. And he said, “Why is it that you ask for my name?” And he blessed him there.

He did not give him what he asked for, but he gave him something better; and, in the same way, if the Lord does not open up a dark doctrine to you, but gives you a bright privilege, that will be better for you.

30-32. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, “For I have seen God face-to-face, and my life is preserved.” And as he passed over Peniel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. Therefore the children of Israel do not eat of the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket to this day: because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the muscle that shrank.

Reading from Psalm 119: —

33. Teach me, oh LORD, the way of your statutes; —

The psalmist is constantly talking about “the way.” We have that expression in the twenty-seventh verse, then in the twenty-ninth, the thirtieth, and the thirty-second; and now again we have it here: “Teach me, oh Lord, the way of your statutes”; —

33, 34. And I shall keep it to the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law; yes, I shall observe it with my whole heart.

That is not true or right understanding which permits us to go into sin; those who are really wise in heart hate evil and love righteousness.

35. Make me to go in the path —

Or, way —

35. Of your commandments; for I delight in them.

“Make me to go.” Not only show me the way, but make me to go, like a nurse goes with a child when she puts her hands under his arms, and strengthens his tottering footsteps. This is a very beautiful expression: “Make me to go.” Lord, we are very weak; we are like little children; make us to go in the path of your commandments, for we delight in them.

36. Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to covetousness.

The heart must love something; it will either love what is good, or what is evil. “Oh Lord,” the psalmist seems to pray, “incline my heart in the right direction. Make it lean towards what is good; cause me to consider your grace better than all the riches of the world.”

37. Turn away my eyes from seeing vanity;

“Do not let me even look at it, for one may look at an ugly thing until the sense of its deformity gradually disappears, and it becomes attractive. Lord, never let me fix my eyes on sin so that, at last, I come to consider it a desirable thing.”

37. And quicken me in your way.

“A man who travels quickly does not have time to stop and look at the things on the road. Lord, let me go so fast to heaven that, when the devil hangs his baubles in his shop window, I may not have time even to stop and look at them: ‘Turn away my eyes from seeing vanity; and quicken me in your way.’ ”

38. Establish your word to your servant, who is devoted to your fear.

That is, “Make your word real and true to me. Put away my natural scepticism, my proneness to question, my tendency to doubt.” “Establish your word.” “Make me to know how firm, how true, how real it is, for I would love it more and more. I do believe it, for I am devoted to your fear, but I long to be even further established in the faith.”

39. Turn away my reproach which I fear:

Are any of you fearing reproach? If so, you may well fear it, for you deserve it; yet, even then, you may ask the Lord to turn it away from you.

39, 40. For your judgments are good. Behold, I have longed after your precepts:

Some people, whom I know, long after the promises, and others long after the doctrines. I hope that they will all get an equal longing for the precepts, for true believers love the precepts as much as they love the promises or the doctrines: “Behold, I have longed after your precepts.”

40. Quicken me in your righteousness.