Shining a light on the weekly Bible Lessons published in the Christian Science Quarterly®
Mortals and Immortals
Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not 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.
Jacob’s struggle takes place during his journey back to Beersheba after twenty years in Haran. On the outward trip he was a fugitive, traveling alone and without possessions. But he encountered God at Bethel and received a divine promise of land and descendants—as well as God’s pledge “I . . . will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land” (28:15).
Now Jacob is a successful property owner with a large family. Yet he sends his entourage ahead and is once again alone in the wilderness. In this second spiritual crisis, he is ready to come to terms with the wrongs he has committed—and to embrace a higher nature.
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Resources quoted in this issue
RR: Barnes, Albert. Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible. New York, 1834–85. Also available at biblehub.com/commentaries.
Cit. 3: Dummelow, John Roberts, ed. A Commentary on the Holy Bible by Various Writers. New York: MacMillan, 1936; Davids, Peter H. New International Biblical Commentary—James. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1989.
Cit. 5: Gill, John. Exposition of the Old and New Testaments. London, 1746–63. Also available at biblehub.com/commentaries.
Cit. 15: NLT Study Bible. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2017.
Cit. 16: Keck, Leander E., et al., eds. The New Interpreter’s Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes. Vol. 10, Acts, Introduction to Epistolary Literature, Romans, 1 Corinthians. Nashville: Abingdon, 1996–2001.
Cit. 17: Mounce, William D., ed. The Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament. Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1993.
COPYRIGHT
Scriptural quotations marked GOD’S WORD Translation are taken from GOD’S WORD®, copyright © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of God’s Word Mission Society.
Scriptural quotations marked Holman Christian Standard Bible are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.
Scriptural quotations marked International Children’s Bible are taken from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright © 1986, 1988, 1999 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scriptural quotations marked New Living Translation are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scriptural quotations marked Amplified® Bible Classic are taken from the Amplified® Bible Classic, copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.
Scriptural quotations marked Amplified® Bible are taken from the Amplified® Bible, copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.
© 2021 The Christian Science Publishing Society. The design of the Cross and Crown is a trademark owned by the Christian Science Board of Directors and is used by permission. Bible Lens and Christian Science Quarterly are trademarks owned by The Christian Science Publishing Society. Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptural quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
