Jacob, the cheat, the exile, might well have felt that he had forfeited the favour of the

Lord. The idea of meeting God on his journey might well have filled him with terror.

But there is no rebuke, no reproach, no allusion to his failure, but a gift and a blessing.

"The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed" (Gen. 28: 13).

This is still the character of God, and is expressed in His gospel:--

God is One Who "giveth liberally, and upbraideth not" (James 1: 5).

This association of amazing grace and covenant faithfulness is next expressed in a

series of promises made to Jacob.

It will be remembered that the presence of the Lord was included in the revelation

already cited to Isaac in Gen. 26: 24: "I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not,

for I am with thee." When the time came for Jacob to return to his own land, this

essential feature is repeated: "Return unto the land of thy fathers, and thy kindred: and I

will be with thee" (Gen. 31: 3). Moses knew the supreme importance of this blessing:

"My presence shall go with thee . . . . . If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up

hence" (Exod. 33: 14, 15). For ourselves, such a passage as Heb. 13: 5, 6 may well

express the truth to us:--

The Lord will keep his people in "perfect peace" (Isa. 26: 3), while the peace of God

itself shall keep their hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Phil. 4: 7). The Lord will

keep His people as a man tends a vineyard: "I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every

moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day" (Isa. 27: 3).

While thinking of this wondrous "keeping", we do well to remember Who it is that