Genesis 32:10

I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies - The marginal reading is more consistent with the original: קטנתי מכל החסדים ומכל האמת katonti miccol hachasadim umiccol haemeth, I am less than all the compassions, and than all the faithfulness, which thou hast showed unto thy servant. Probably St Paul had his eye on this passage when he wrote, Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints.

This is the first recorded example of prayer in the Bible. It is short, earnest, and bearing directly on the occasion. The appeal is made to God, as standing in a covenant relation to his family, just as we ought to put our hopes of acceptance with God in Christ.

JACOB'S character was far from faultless, but equally removed from despicable. He possessed great strength of character and force of judgment, but this became somewhat of a snare to him, so that he did not always move through life with the childlike repose of Isaac, or the royal serenity of Abraham, but was, at times, crafty and critical like his relatives on his mother's side. Yet I object to that depreciation of Jacob's character which is so common in certain quarters because he used the means, as well as prayed. Our God is the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob—and, very frequently, He is called the God of Israel—and even the God of Jacob. "He is not ashamed to be called their God." And if He is not ashamed to be called Jacob's God, no fellow Believer has any right to be ashamed of Jacob! With all his imperfections— and he certainly had them—he was a noble man. Some good people are built upon too small a scale to display either good or bad qualities in any high degree—let not such quibble at a great man like Jacob! He has impressed his character upon multitudinous generations and a whole nation bears his lineaments. He was a man full of energy, active, enduring, resolute and, therefore, his infirmities became more conspicuous than they would have been in a quieter and more restful nature. Say what you will of him, he was a master of the art ofprayer—and he that can pray well is a princely man! He that can prevail with God will certainly prevail with men! It seems to me that when once a man is taught of the Lord to pray, he is equal to every emergency that can possibly arise.

JACOB'S character was far from faultless, but equally removed from despicable. He possessed great strength of character and force of judgment, but this became somewhat of a snare to him, so that he did not always move through life with the childlike repose of Isaac, or the royal serenity of Abraham, but was, at times, crafty and critical like his relatives on his mother's side. Yet I object to that depreciation of Jacob's character which is so common in certain quarters because he used the means, as well as prayed.