Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/274

Rh 256

to

yiie

At him

this in a

Book

of Genesis

moment his conduct must have begun to appear new light. And if lie did not, as yet, condemn

himself unqualifiedly, at least he must have had the feeling that even though he

had prospered materially, none the

he had missed the real purpose of his sojourn

in this

less

foreign

and was returning home but little better than when set out. Now he understood that it was not so much that God had prospered him, as his own deceit which had made him rich during the last six years. Nevertheless he land,

he had

could not but realize that even despite his deceit

been with him, as

And

this

He had

realization

God had

promised.

was confirmed when Laban

finally

overtook him, and was prevented from wreaking his wrath

upon him only by the vision of God which had come to him and had bidden him refrain from violence

the previous night, in

his

dealings

with

Jacob.

This,

together

with

Laban's

had proved the superior power of Jacob's God over the gods of Laban, and that He was, at the end of these twenty years, still true to His word that He would be with Jacob and would protect him, and would bring him back to his father's house. The covenant was made with Laban, and they parted in peace and amity, instead of in hatred and strife. Jacob's eyes were opened somewhat and his spirit was chastened. He realized that without God's intervention his own strength would have availed little, and he must surely have perished. It was a humble and thoughtful man who journeyed onward, thankful that he had escaped this danger from Laban, and had parted from him in friendship, and wondering how he should meet the even greater danger, which, he now perceived, must confront him from Esau. Once more he must have prayed in the deep recesses of his heart, as he had prayed twenty years before, "If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go". Truly he had need of God's protection now. And with this prayer something of the spirit of failure

to

find

his

stolen

gods, \n