Jacob: The Experience of a Dying Man (3)

The deathbed of the man we write about is far away from the Promised Land, the land where his forefathers lived and are buried. His deathbed stands in the land of Egypt. We visit the deathbed of a patriarch; his name is Jacob. He is now one hundred forty-seven years old. He came to Egypt when he was one hundred thirty years old. Standing in the presence of Pharaoh, he said, “Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been.” When we are honest, is that the same with us? We have been young and now are old. We look back to see what the journey has been. The things of the world fade away, and one question remains; the way to Above—is that way open for me? Do we have in our heart what Jacob carried in his heart, “I have waited for Thy salvation, O LORD”? What a wonder when having come to the end of life’s journey one may look up, saying, Lord, I am waiting for Thy salvation. Sometimes God’s children may say that, “Lord, I am waiting for Thy salvation to bring me home to the place where I will never sin anymore, a place where I may be with the Lord and thank my Saviour forever and ever.”

Lying on his deathbed, Jacob is far from his earthly home but near to his heavenly home. For one coming near to the end of his earthly journey that is most important—not what we have in the world but what we may have with the Lord. As Jacob lies there, he is near to his eternal home. When he lifts his hungering eyes, he may know in his heart that there is a Saviour who sought and saved him. It was at Bethel where he saw that Saviour. It was at Penial that he held onto that Saviour and felt Him pressed in and unto his heart. Now the time has come for him to leave the world, and the Lord will not put him to shame.

When he looks up, he is filled with a deep wonder; he calls it “Thy salvation,” that is a salvation thought out in the stillness of eternity. There is the Holy Father; He has loved those people with an unending love. He has chosen those people to be a people who may one day love the Father with that same unending love. There is the Son who said, “Father, send Me to obtain that salvation,” and when He came, He deeply humbled Himself; He assumed a human nature so that He could pay the price which would satisfy His Father’s justice. That was the price of blood; in that blood there is a hiding place for a lost and ruined sinner. Then the Holy Spirit could come, by Word and Spirit, to deeply fallen sinners, enemies of God, who may be stopped and brought upon the way where the blood of Christ has been.

Here, a man coming to the end of a troubled life may lift his eyes and see a wonder of God’s grace. Here a dying man may cling to the word of God and say, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The wonder is that in one free, sovereign way these people are sought and saved and brought to these riches. Then, these people mostly become beggars. In every aspect of this new life, the Lord will again and again bring His people back to a beggar’s place. Yet, remember God loves a beggar. That is why David said, “I wait for the LORD.” Dear reader, what a wonder when we may belong to these waiting people. In the end they will not be ashamed, but He their faithful Saviour will bring them home to a place where they may always be with the Lord.

Come, we may stand around the deathbed of a dying child of God. When he was young, the most important day in his life was when the Lord gave him a Bethel. What is the instruction here? It is a great wonder and a great blessing when in our young life we may be converted. See this man as middle aged—how many struggles, how many sorrows were placed as roadblocks along his way. He was a man who could cling to the Lord and say, “Lord, I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me.” What is the instruction here? That this life is full of struggles and sorrows which the Lord places upon our way. May they be roadblocks where we have to stop, where we have to bow, where we must pray, “Oh, Lord, I cannot let Thee go unless I have a blessing for my soul.”

See a man who is old; all of life is now past. This man tells us he is waiting for his Saviour—the eye of faith looks far into the distance, and he tells us that the Lord is on his way to bring him to everlasting glory. You, who are young, seek the Lord while He may be found; then it is possible your deathbed will be one where you may wait for your Saviour. Those of you who are middle aged, how many roadblocks has the Lord already placed upon your way? Soon the end will be here; in the dying hour, may you wait for your Saviour? Those of us who are old, time is fast coming to an end, are we prepared to meet the Lord? Dear children of the Lord, when Paul came to the end of life, he had to say, “For I know that in me…dwelleth no good thing: …O wretched man that I am!” So, it is with us daily, we sin life away but the wonder is that there is blood, the blood of Christ. Lord, one drop of that precious blood is enough to wash all my sins away. Then the Father will say, "I see no spot or wrinkle in My beloved."

(This installment marks the end of this series.)

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