he would prevail with men . He no longer feared to encounter his brother ' s anger , for the Lord was his defense .
Satan had accused Jacob before the angels of God , claiming the right to destroy him because of his sin ; he had moved upon Esau to march against him ; and during the patriarch ' s long night of wrestling , Satan endeavoured to force upon him a sense of his guilt in order to discourage him and break his hold upon God . Jacob was driven almost to despair ; but he knew that without help from heaven he must perish . He had sincerely repented of his great sin , and he appealed to the mercy of God . He would not be turned from his purpose , but held fast the Angel and urged his petition with earnest , agonizing cries until he prevailed .
As Satan influenced Esau to march against Jacob , so he will stir up the wicked to destroy God ' s people in the time of trouble . And as he accused Jacob , he will urge his accusations against the people of God . He numbers the world as his subjects ; but the little company who keep the commandments of God are resisting his supremacy . If he could blot them from the earth , his triumph would be complete . He sees that holy angels are guarding them , and he infers that their sins have been pardoned ; but he does not know that their cases have been decided in the sanctuary above . He has an accurate knowledge of the sins which he has tempted them to commit , and he presents these before God in the most exaggerated light , representing this people to be just as deserving as himself of exclusion from the favour of God . He declares that the Lord cannot in justice forgive their sins and yet destroy him and his angels . He claims them as his prey and demands that they be given into his hands to destroy .
As Satan accuses the people of God on account of their sins , the Lord permits him to try them to the uttermost . Their confidence in God , their faith and firmness , will be severely tested . As they review the past , their hopes sink ; for in their whole lives they can see little good . They are fully conscious of their weakness and unworthiness . Satan endeavours to terrify them with the thought that their cases are hopeless , that the stain of their defilement will never be washed away . He hopes so to destroy their faith that they will yield to his temptations and turn from their allegiance to God .
Though God ' s people will be surrounded by enemies who are bent upon their destruction , yet the anguish which they suffer is not a dread of persecution for the truth ' s sake ; they fear that every sin has not been repented of , and that through some fault in themselves they will fail to realize the fulfillment of the Saviour ' s promise : I " will keep thee from the hour of temptation , which shall come upon all the world ." Revelation 3:10 . If they could have the assurance of pardon they would not shrink from torture or death ; but should they prove unworthy , and lose their lives because of their own defects of character , then God ' s holy name would be reproached .
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