GENESIS 32 PREPARING TO MEET ESAU The disciplines needed for a child of God to live for God in the way God intends, do not happen all at once but over the process of time. We learn from both the good and bad things that happen in our lives, that God is still working on us to build and strengthen our character, capability and capacity to fulfill His plans for us. Sometimes a discipline happens quickly as in a crisis time. That may be a short and powerfully impacting experience or moment when God changes us in some way. Other times there is a turning point that may take longer, but the overall direction of our life is changed. Then there are the on-going daily disciplines of living for the Lord by faith each day. we may not even realize how important they are or even know they are happening, but our Gracious Father does as He molds us more and more into the image of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The conflict of our human nature and the grace of God at work in us, is on-going. To the degree we allow God to control and work His will in and through us, His grace will overcome our own self- centered nature. When grace is at work in us daily, we are moved to be walking in the Spirit and not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. These are lessons we can learn from the turning points in the life of Jacob.
The God Connection. In spite of Jacob’s fear, and perhaps because of it, God had arranged to have an escort of angels meet Jacob as he drew near to the time of meeting with Esau. When the angels of God are dispatched to do a work for God, we know something important and out of the ordinary is just ahead. Jacob had his camp of earthly possessions, and now he learned that God has His camp of heavenly hosts there as well. No wonder he called the name of that place where the angels of God met him, “Mahanaim” (Two Camps).
Jacob had lived a more or less peaceful life and soon he was to meet his brother Esau who “lived by the sword [27:40].” Jacob had struggled all his life to prevail over obstacles, but in that place his first recorded prayer since he left Bethel is made so we can read and understand his heart and his fears. When we are earnest and sincere in our prayer as we think of what is before us in life, we too are moved to confess before the Lord, “I am not worthy of the least of all Thy mercies and of all the truth which Thou hast shown Thy servant.”
There will be opposition from various sources when a believer in Christ is set apart for God. Sanctification is not a mere decision we make, but it includes our attitude of heart, our sincere and serious commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ in spite of what others may do or say, and our acts of service for our Lord. Jacob had opposition from Laban and then potential opposition was coming toward him from Esau and four hundred armed men.
Before Jacob met God at Bethel, he didn’t fear or court the favor of Esau. Now he is in dreadful fear because he knows his own weakness. God’s strength is made perfect when we are weak. When we are governed by the power of the flesh, our spirit cannot control it. When we confess and truly admit to our weakness, our spirit is made strong and we learn that in order to have God’s power on our behalf, we must be powerless in our own strength.
When God says, “I will do you good,” do I really believe He means it? Will He do me good without me being in control of the situation? Of course, the answer is “Yes,” but there is a price to pay. To have God’s strength working on our behalf, we must lose our own self-centered strength. Our flesh will resist, but because of perseverance with God, our resistant flesh will be crippled to remind us of our limitations, who we are and who we serve.
Wrestling with God. In this narrative, after all that had gone on before with Jacob, he is left alone with God. As he wrestled with God he could not prevail, but in spite of that he would not let go. God showed Jacob, He could disable him, but Jacob’s persistence led to blessing from God. He was never the same after that in body or soul. His name, “Jacob,” had to do with his dealings with human beings. His new name, “Israel,” had to do with his dealings with God. His life was spared by God and surely if God spared his life, Esau would.
God can change our character as well as our lives when we surrender to Him. We are still the same persons, with the same natural tendencies, but under divine guidance and sincere responses to God’s will, we can develop a new Christian character that allows us to please our Lord. Courtesy and humility go a long way toward reconciliation. Fear can be overcome when we cast our burden upon the Lord. Persistence in faith, develops a strong character to meet the challenges of tough times.
Messengers from God, v.1-2. Jacob had left one area of difficulty when he left Haran and Laban, and then he moved into another when a confrontation with Esau was about to take place. It is assuring as we move through life, to know that God is aware of all that has happened, and all that will happen to us. “The angels of God met him,” and Jacob had proof that what would happen, was under the control of his sovereign God. God had come to him at Bethel, at Haran and now He meets him again.
Angels are “ministering spirits” to the people of God. Our Lord dispatches them to meet the needs of those He loves. Little children, orphans, widows and all who know their helplessness, are not without divine concern for their well-being. We may or may not recognize them or the fact of their ministering service on our behalf, but they are “God’s host.” God’s heavenly hosts are there to protect God’s people in whom He has invested so much. Jacob had his earthly host of possessions that had been given to him by God. At Mahanaim the heavenly hosts were there to preserve the earthly host in a crisis time.
Messengers of men, v.3-6. God’s messengers were there to assure Jacob of God’s promise. For some reason, Jacob had not learned how to trust God when making connections with opposition. He knew peace had to be made between him and Esau, but his groveling humiliation was much different than genuine repentance. We often experience and learn important lessons when we are in God’s presence, and are strengthened and blessed, but when we are facing a crisis, we may forget the assurances we received from the Lord. It is then we are in danger of taking actions that come from our own opinions and natural inclinations. That leads us to think we can and must, face this problem on our own initiative, without God guiding us in the way He chooses.
There was not one word of friendly greeting from Esau who was coming to meet Jacob with four hundred armed men. There was no evidence of a desire for reconciliation on Esau’s part. Twenty years of separation apparently had not changed anything as far as Esau was concerned. Whatever was Esau’s motive to come on without one sign of wanting to reconcile with Jacob, it had the effect of making Jacob fear, so that he again schemed and planned the way he had always done in the past.
God’s grace does not always have the effect of eliminating the negative effects of our old natural self. We have the potential of rising above the fear of man that brings a snare, and the same natural inclination to take matters of concern into our own hands. However, free-will is still a human prerogative and we need to be willing to submit ourselves to the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit when crisis times arise. Also, we need to remember that our Lord speaks to us in His word so that we are not left to speculate on what is the right or wrong way to face an immediate, potential conflict.
Yielding to God, places us in a position of active faith that allows us to simply trust in the Lord and lean not on our own understanding. When that happens, the proofs of God’s assurance of grace given when grace is needed, lays hold of our inner spiritual life and shows itself outwardly in our attitude and actions.
Fear of man, v.7-8. Fear and distress of heart may happen to us as it did to Jacob when he seemed to be convinced of Esau’s hostility and that the past had not been forgotten or overlooked. Casting our care upon the Lord is what is needed, rather than planning our way of dealing with issues. Jacob was not finding his peace and assurance in God, even though God had promised him that good was ahead. He must have forgotten both God and the angels who were with him. What fear we have when all we see is opposition, rather than trust in the living God!
Fear of God, v.9-12. When we call upon the Lord with the attitude of, “Lord, what will You have me to do?” we will find that He has been with us all the time. Jacob’s prayer was real, but his faith was only partial. Still, his faith was clear as far as it went and he was true to God in remembering His promises and commands. We may be consciously aware of God with us, and yet doubt the outcome of a matter because it isn’t what we expect. It is important for us to know that God will fulfill His promises to us and for us to keep His word in our heart. Let us never forget the Lord and put confidence in the flesh.
Humility in prayer and an acknowledgement of our own unworthiness of the least of His mercies, will move us to expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving as God works in our soul and spirit. Earnest entreaty is never out of order when we have fear and long for assurance and deliverance from evil. Jacob had a tender heart toward his family and knew the promise of God that his seed would be as the sand of the sea, and through it the world would be blessed. When God promises something, will He not do it? Often seemingly fruitless years spiritually discourage us, yet God is still working on us to direct, purify and deepen our souls and faith in Him.
Dread of man, v.17-19. Even after praying in which we cast ourselves and our burdens on the Lord, we are sometimes prone to pick them up again. This is when we look on the object of our fear, rather than on the Object of our faith. Jacob took things into his own hands again and inundated Esau with expensive presents, hoping to break down any hostility by doing things his way.
Instead of letting God do what is needed and guiding us into what he intends from us in a matter, to take matters into our own hands will leave us wondering if we have done enough. We will likely be concerned if what we have done or given will even be accepted. When we trust in the Lord, He will lift us up above all the tensions and fears we have, when we reach to “the Rock that is higher than I.” That is where real safety is found and our fears are able to be calmed.
Distrust of God, v.20-23. Careful preparation on our own without the leading of the Lord is unwarranted. It was unwarranted before Esau appeared, and even though Jacob had prayed, he did not trust God to do what needed to be done. To seek God’s wisdom and trust Him for that, is one thing. To ask God’s blessing on our own wisdom is quite another.
Jacob had to come to an end of himself and his own scheme before blessing could be granted. God’s provision comes just when it is needed. The angels came at the right time to the right place. God comes Himself to assure us that when the need is there, He will not forsake us. God’s provision comes just as it is needed. His provision is always timely and appropriate. He knows our needs far more than we do. His grace is always sufficient to suit our need. Whatever the need might be, God knows what it is and how to supply what is needed.
God’s provision should remove the fear of man. Like Jacob, we know God can do what is needed, but when we don’t fully trust Him, we will still have fear. We are to commit our way to Him and we are also to trust wholly in Him. The grace of God can be a reality in our daily lives when we trust Him completely. God’s provision doesn’t need our schemes that may even be sinful. There are things for which we are responsible, but anxiety and doubt are the wrong attitudes for believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. Plans and prayers can go well together when one is trusting in the Lord with real faith. When our hearts and minds are instinctively focused on God, He will reveal our part in the matter. He will give us the courage and power to go forward without fear to fulfill the commitments we make. A calm and restful spirit will demonstrate the reality of our faith. It is then we will experience the fact that God is “all and in all,” not just in a factual way, but in a personal way in our lives.
Human Solitude, v.24. At crisis times in our lives, it is our greatest wisdom to wait on God, rather than work our own willful ways. In the darkness of the night when we are alone with God, things ahead of us can be clarified by spiritual enlightenment and insight, instead of being determined that our plans are what is important in the circumstances that surround us.
Divine Discipline, v.24. It is in times like that when we become most conscious of divine intervention in our lives. When we come to an end of ourselves even as believers, divine grace is able to be experienced and it becomes real to us.
Human Opposition, v.25. At first, we may resist and struggle against what is obvious, but at our extremity, when we cling to the Lord, we will find what we need comes from Him in spite of our initial resistance. When we surrender our will to Him, God doesn’t leave us but blesses us.
Divine Power, v.25. God’s mercy and grace are what we need in times of testing and fear. His love allows us to struggle until we yield to the sweetness and fullness of divine grace. When that happens, divine power does for us what we could never do until we are helplessly weak. God’s touch of power changes us, and it also deals with our need fully.
Human Helplessness, v.26. The futility of human effort us not easy to accept. In spite of ourselves and what we know of our God, we still find it hard to give up the struggle and “let go and let God.” We lose what we struggle for. We gain what we trust God for. Trust God, yield to Him and put Him first.
Divine Blessing, v.27-29. We will be blessed even when our flesh is crippled. There will be given power with men when we receive power from God. Then new understanding comes and God can trust us with new and important experiences in our life and service for Him.
Human Gratitude, v.30. When we meet God in crisis times, learn from Him as to who He really is and what He wants to do through us, then we can meet opposition without fear. We will find we can face emergencies and look beyond them into the future with confidence in God.
Divine Glory, v.31-32. When sunshine enters our soul, God’s love, mercy, patience and wisdom are revealed to us and sometimes in us. God is glorified and He is magnified through our soul and revealed to others. When we please God, our character is changed because of our fellowship with God and the transforming influence of God at work in us. There is also power to live for God each day as we move forward in faith into the unknown events ahead of us. Spiritual blessing enables us to rise above our own resourcefulness, cleverness and ambition to where we become a peaceful, graceful and grateful person. It is then we can enjoy union and communion with the Lord.
Jacob’s hard servitude in Haran had ended, and his homeland with its blessings and hopes was just before him. But there were difficulties in front of him as well. Esau was coming toward him with four hundred armed men. Fear gripped Jacob’s heart and he was humbled before God as he confessed his unworthiness of God’s grace. In meekness and faith, he claimed the gracious promises of God as his only hope.
Then God appeared as a man and a spiritual conflict takes place. Jacob cannot win, but he will not let go. In faith, he held on in supplication and earnest tears. Earnest prayer moves the heart of God and to deny answering such supplication would be to deny His own words of promise. “If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us, and if He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Hm.”
When one’s heart is strong in faith and prayer, hardness of heart goes away. The heart becomes soft and tender as God ministers to us by His marvelous grace that works wonders. “Great is your faith, be it as you will.” However, in such wonderous events of spiritual heights and insights, we are not free from self-exaltation and self-esteem that can quickly lead us into acting in sinful, feeble, fleshly ways. Jacob was blessed and received a new name at Peniel, but that didn’t remove his tendency to “lean on his own understanding.” When we find ourselves on the high ground of fellowship with God, it is then we must openly and deliberately express to the Lord our trust in Him and willingness to do what He desires. Our sinful nature would want to plan a course of action to follow of our own design that we wrongfully think would meet the difficulties lying before us.