xxxii. verses 24-31.]

[Illustration: JACOB WRESTLING WITH THE ANGEL
_Berlin Gallery_]

"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. And he said, 'Let me go, for the day breaketh.' And
he said, 'I will not let thee go, except thou bless me,' And he said
unto him, 'What is thy name?' And he said, 'Jacob,' And he said, 'Thy
name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince hast
thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.'... And he
blessed him there.

"And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God
face to face, and my life is preserved. And as he passed over Penuel,
the sun rose upon him and he halted upon his thigh;" that is, he
walked halt, or lame.

The crisis in Jacob's life was passed, for hardly had he set forth on
this morning when he saw his brother whom he had wronged advancing
with four hundred men to meet him. "And Esau ran to meet him, and
embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him: and they wept."

So were the brothers reconciled.

The picture represents Jacob wrestling with his mysterious adversary.
We have seen from his history how determined he was to have his own
way, and how he wrested worldly prosperity even from misfortunes. Now
he is equally determined in this higher and more spiritual conflict.
It is a very real struggle, and Jacob has prevailed only by putting
forth his utmost energy. It is the moment when the grand angel,
pressing one knee into the hollow of Jacob's left thigh and laying
his hand on his right side, looks into his face and grants the
blessing demanded as a condition for release. Strong and tender is his
gaze, and the gift he bestows is a new name, in token of the new
character of brotherly love of which this victory is the beginning.

The story of St. Michael and the Dragon, which Raphael has painted,
stands for the everlasting conflict between good and evil in the
world. There is a like meaning in the story of Jacob's wrestling with
the angel. The struggle is in the human heart between selfish impulses
and higher ideals. The day when one can hold on to the good angel long
enough to win a blessing, is the day which begins a new chapter in a
man's life.

II

ISRAEL BLESSING THE SONS OF JOSEPH

When Jacob wrestled with the angel he rec