Genesis 32 Off to See Esau
Laban is now on the other side of the dividing pillar. The next hurdle for Jacob is his relationship with his brother. Jacob is off to see Esau. To try and repair what he broke.
When Jacob stole Esau’s blessing, Esau promised to kill him. Rebekah saved his life by sending him to her brother Laban. Twenty years have passed. Jacob prays that Esau’s anger has left him. The memory of the wound he inflicted on his brother certainly hasn’t left Jacob.
While Jacob was on his way to Laban, he had an encounter with God. God told him that He would give the land to him and his descendants. Jacob put the condition on making God, HIS God, of bringing him back in peace to his family. God told Jacob before he left Haran that He would be with him. Yet, Jacob still doubts. He is still worried about meeting Esau. He KNOWS he had done wrong and that he needs to apologize. Still, even with God’s assurance to the contrary, Jacob believes Esau will kill him. Let’s join in on this journey with our growing family.
♥ ♦ ♥
Jacob breathes a sigh of relief as Laban disappears in the distance. He knows he will not have to worry about him trying to take from him again. He is secure on the other side of the marker and the promise extracted.
It is time to move forward. Jacob knows what lies ahead. A brother whom he wronged, and who threatened to kill him for it. Jacob has no expectation that Esau has forgotten or forgiven him for this. He remembers the fear in his Ima’s eyes as she told him of Esau’s threat. She believed every word Esau uttered against Jacob.
“What will Esau’s words be when I see him again” Jacob asks himself. In his mind, Jacob is envisioning the worst scenarios possible. “He will kill me and my whole household! Nothing will be left of me but a memory.” Right then, Jacob begins planning how to appease his brother.
Jacob and his company are on the move again the first day of the week. Their Sabbath wasn’t exactly restful, but it was blessed. Jacob is leading his company. Up ahead, Jacob sees many men who have an appearance like no other men. They look like the angels from Jacob’s dream. The one where he saw a ladder reaching into Heaven, with angels moving up and down it. “Surely not” thinks Jacob when the possible comparison leaps to his mind.
But his heart kept telling his head that these men ahead were indeed angels of God. He could no longer deny it when they approached him directly. Jacob shakes his head in wonder. “This is God’s camp!” (verse 2b) exclaimed Jacob. He named the place Mahanaim, meaning ‘two camps’ as this is the second place he has met with so many of God’s ambassadors. Jacob decided to stay here for a little bit.
Jacob decided to prepare Esau for his coming and to ‘test the waters’ of what lay ahead. Jacob greatly desired to send at least one of God’s angels to meet Esau. He took two of his most trusted servants instead and gave them instructions. One of God’s angels chose to accompany them without Jacob even asking.
“Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now. I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord in order that I may find favor in your sight’” (verses4-6).
The three men departed immediately. Jacob would remain here until he received an answer.
To Jacob, it felt like an eternity waiting for the answer to come. In reality, it was five days. Those in Jacob’s company were initially pleased to know that they were going to sit still for a little while. Before the messengers returned though, they had ‘itchy feet’. They were ready to move on so they could find a stable place to pitch their tents.
When the messengers returned, they had news for Jacob. They had no idea how he would take this news, but they were determined to hid nothing from Jacob.
“We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him” (verse 6).
This report made Jacob’s heart drop to the pit of his stomach. He could see those four hundred men descending on his unarmed camp and wiping them out. “This is exactly what I was afraid of” thinks Jacob. But there is NO turning back. He cannot return to Haran after all that has happened.
A plan comes to Jacob’s mind. One that he hopes will at least spare part of what he has gained. “Quickly”, he said to his two servants. “Let’s split the camp in two. Divide the animals evenly between the two camps. The servants also.” Jacob doesn’t tell his servants why he is having them do this. He is thinking that, “If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape” (verse 8).
Jacob has and even better idea. While the servants are busy dividing the camp in to two groups, he prays! “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,’ I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that You shown to Your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. Please deliver me from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children, But You said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude’” (verses 9-12).
Jacob had one more idea. He would send Esau gifts. Gifts of all he had. Maybe these would appease him. Jacob went through all his flocks and herds and picked out the finest of them for Esau. He set these apart in individual groups with two servants assigned to lead them and present them to Esau.
He separated out two hundred female goats and twenty male goats as his first gift. His second gift consisted of two hundred ewes and twenty rams. Following third would be thirty milking camels and their calves. Fourth was forty cows and ten bulls. And last would be twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.
To those who drove these ‘gifts’, Jacob gave these instructions: “Pass on ahead of me and put a space between drove and drove” (verse 16b). As each drove was about to move out, he gave them exactly what to say when they met with Esau. “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, ‘To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you?’ then you shall say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a present sent to my lord Esau. And moreover, he is behind us” (verses 17-18).
It took nearly all day to separate and send out the gifts. Jacob watched as the last of his gift for Esau was driven from the camp. “I may appease him with the present that goes ahead of me, and afterward I shall see his face. Perhaps he will accept me” (verse 20) thinks Jacob.
Before night fell, Jacob took all his wives and children and all that he had left and sent it across the ford of the river. Once they had crossed the larger part of the river, he sent them ahead of him across the stream. Jacob left nothing behind, except himself. He would stay here, alone, this night.
One of the angels of God approached Jacob and the two of them began wrestling. Jacob wasn’t certain why this ‘contest of wills’ started, but he KNEW with ALL his heart that he HAD to be the victor. They wrestled all night, neither giving or gaining an inch.
When the sun began to send its first rays of dawn over the hills, the angel of God decided to end the contest. He touched Jacob’s hip and put it out of joint. Yet, even in excruciating pain, Jacob would not relent. He held him fast.
Finally, the angel told Jacob to LET GO! “Let me go, for the day has broken” (verse 26a).
Through gritted teeth, Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (verse 26b).
The angel is impressed by Jacob’s desire for a blessing. The angel looks intently at Jacob and asks him, “What is your name?” (verse 27a).
Now it is Jacob’s turn to be stunned. This angel wrestled with him all night without knowing his name. Jacob loosens his hold and provides the man with his name. “My name is ‘Jacob’” (verse 27b).
“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed” (verse 28).
Jacob fully releases the man and asks a question of his own. “Please tell me your name” (verse 29a).
The angel felt the answer should be obvious, so he asks Jacob, “Why is it that you ask me my name?” (verse 29b). Before leaving, the angel blessed Jacob who was now Israel.
Jacob stood where he was once the angel had departed. He named the place where they wrestled Peniel. “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered” (verse 30b).
While Jacob stood in wonder, the day fully broke in the sky above him. “It’s time to go” thinks Jacob. He passed on across the stream to where his camp waited, limping with every step. God had blessed him but He also left him with a permanent reminder of this night; more than one in fact.
(to be continued)
Have you ever done something that you are either so ashamed of or so embarrassed by that you can’t put it out of your mind? You replay the events in your mind, remembering that sinking feeling as if it was happening again and Again and AGAIN. Then, if you are brave enough to bring it up with the other person, they have no idea what you are talking about. I know I have. That’s what I believe Jacob was dealing with on his journey towards Esau. They haven’t met yet, in our story, but when they do, MOST of Jacob’s fears will be put to rest.
God blessed Jacob but He did not heal him. He would limp the rest of his life and the people of Israel thought this encounter SO IMPORTANT that they made a strict custom afterwards. “Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s him on the sinew of the thigh” (verse 32). I wonder if that is still observed today. My guess would be, probably.
I have one more ‘question’. Why is Jacob still called Jacob at this point. One day, he will be called Israel, but not yet. Maybe he wasn’t ready yet to wear that title.
Father God, I know I often do just as Jacob did; worry even after I’m sure You have answered. I don’t know if it is because I feel like I should be doing something to help out, or if I’m uncertain I actually heard Your answer. I DON’T want it to EVER be because I don’t have faith in Your promises. I KNOW that You ALWAYS fulfill Your promises. Of that I have NO doubt. I’m just not always certain HOW You are going to work those promises out in my life. But, I trust that YOU know, and that’s about all I need to know.
