JACOB PREPARES TO MEET ESAU

1 Dear Friend, this is a transcript of a sermon preached by Pastor Jeremy Tan from the pulpit of Amazing Grace Baptist Church Singapore. We are committed to expository preaching because we believe it is the most effective way to expose, explain and expound the Holy Scriptures. And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, [Jesus] expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself (Luke 24:27). Through careful systematic and sequential exposition, the preacher is able to declare unto you all the counsel of God (Acts 20:27), and Christians are blessed with a regular, well-balanced diet of God s Word. Expository preaching also helps us to have a high view of Scripture. We wish to extend a warm welcome to you to join us in our church services for a time of uplifting worship and helpful Bible study, which will bring rejoicing and refreshment to your soul. Do visit our church website at www.amazingracebc.org or write to us at amazingracebc@gmail.com. JACOB PREPARES TO MEET ESAU Genesis 32:1 21 The focus of the last three chapters in Genesis 29-31 has been on Jacob and his years living with Laban, but now in Genesis 32-33 we return to the Jacob-Esau cycle of stories. There are four main parts in Genesis 32: Jacob s vision of the camp of God (32:1-2), his sending of gifts to Esau (32:3-21), Jacob s wrestling with the Lord at the Jabbok River (32:22-32); and then in Genesis 33 there is the peaceful reconciliation with Esau, which came only after Jacob was crippled and blessed. It is important to note that the reconciliation of the brothers was the work of God in answer to Jacob s prayer, and not the result of Jacob s attempt to appease his brother with gifts. Further, we note that Jacob s twenty years of exile in Mesopotamia is framed by encounters with angels. His first encounter with the angels occurred at the place called Luz, which he renamed Bethel, or the house of God. At this place, he had the vision of angels going up and down the ladder or stairway between earth and Heaven. Jacob saw God standing at the top of the stairway, who reiterated to him the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant, and Jacob responded with a vow (Genesis 28:20-22). Jacob s second encounter with the angels occurs here in Genesis 32, following his departure from Laban, as he journeyed home to Canaan with his large family, a great number of livestock, and many servants. These two encounters with angels emphasized God s special care for Jacob throughout his sojourn. Jacob had the promises of God to encourage him during his twenty years of misery working for the trickster Laban; and his second meeting with the angels would likewise encourage him on his return to Canaan. In Genesis 32:1-21, we will see Jacob preparing to meet his brother Esau. Instead of trusting God to protect him, Jacob s fear of Esau will drive him to make certain concessions to his brother, which turned out to be unnecessary. There are four main parts, and we begin with

2 I. Jacob Meeting the Angels. Genesis 32:1 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. At Bethel, Jacob had vowed that if he were to leave Mesopotamia in peace, he would return to this place to worship God (Genesis 28:20-22). Now that he had concluded a peace treaty with Laban at the end of Genesis 31, these angels met Jacob to remind him of his vow. The word translated met entails a threatening encounter. Indeed, Jacob would later have an encounter with the angel of God at Peniel (Genesis 32:30) that involved hostility, but both encounters were for his good. Genesis 32:2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim. The name Mahanaim means two camps. This Hebrew word is also translated bands (Genesis 32:7, 10) and company (Genesis 32:8). At this place, the two camps were Jacob s household and God s angels. God s camp of angels is described as a host. This means that Jacob encountered a large number of them. The angels at Mahanaim are similar to the great host of David s army in 1 Chronicles 12:22. David had assembled a great or large army to fight against the Philistines. Thus from the great host of David s army, we know that the host of angels was great in number. There is an eyewitness account of a host of angels from the life story of John Paton (1824-1907) and his wife, who were missionaries to the New Hebrides Islands in the South Pacific, now known as Vanuatu. One night, a hostile band of islanders surrounded the mission headquarters, and threatened to kill the Patons, who were inside. Paton and his wife prayed throughout the night, and when daylight came, their attackers were nowhere to be seen; all of them had left. A year later, Paton met the chief of the tribe who became a Christian, and asked him about the events on that night. The chief replied, Who were all those men you had with you there? Surprised, the missionary explained that there were only himself and his wife, but the chief insisted that there were others. He saw hundreds of big men in shining garments with swords encircling the mission building, and the sight of these warriors struck fear in the natives, so they all left without harming the missionaries. That night in the New Hebrides Islands, there certainly were two camps! (Story from Billy Graham in Angels, God s Secret Agents, p. 3). So with the host of angels beside his camp, Jacob was certainly encouraged that God was watching over him. From this starting point everything is subsequently a matter of two camps (v. 8) or two levels: the divine and the human. This is the key to understanding the meeting between Yaakov and his brother in its entirety: Yaakov will have to deal with God before he can resolve his problem with Esav. (E. Fox, quoted in Genesis: A Commentary, Bruce A. Waltke with Cathi J. Fredricks, p. 438). Just as Jacob s first meeting with the angels at Bethel prepared him to meet Laban, this second encounter would prepare him to meet his brother. His safe passage from meeting the angels at Mahanaim was assurance to him of God s protection. This brings us to the next point, which is

3 II. Jacob Reaching Out to Esau. Genesis 32:3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. Jacob had an unresolved feud with his brother, and the meeting of the brothers was potentially dangerous. Esau had sworn to kill his brother for deceiving him and stealing his birthright, and Jacob well remembered the death threat. Now notice that The narrator describes the destination of the messengers as the land of Seir, the country of Edom. Three of these words, or words similar to them, have been used earlier in Genesis to describe some feature of Esau. The place name Seir (śēʿîr) recalls earlier references to Esau being hairy, both at birth (śēʿar, 25:25), and later in life (śāʿir, 27:11). The reference to the country (ś e ēh) of Edom recalls earlier references to Esau as a man of the field (îš śāḏeh, 25:27) and one who hunted in the field (haśśāḏeh, 25:29). The reference to Edom (ʾĕḏôm) recalls redness earlier associated with Esau, both his appearance at birth (ʾaḏmômî, 25:25) and his attraction to the red stuff (ʾāḏōm, 25:30) that Jacob was preparing. The three words recall three sources of tension between the brothers birth, birthright, and blessing. (Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18 50, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament p. 320). But for Jacob, it was the spiritual necessity of reconciling with his brother that drove him to reach out to Esau. In Matthew 5:23-24, the Lord Jesus Christ said that believers are to be reconciled with an offended brother, before bringing a gift to God. We cannot properly pursue our vertical relationship with God, if our horizontal relationships with others are not right. So Jacob sent his messengers to Esau. The Hebrew word translated messengers is the same as angels in Genesis 32:1. Just as God had sent His angels to give Jacob the message of protection, so Jacob now sends his own messengers to Esau. He sent them as his peace emissaries as well as to gather information about his brother. Was Esau still holding a grudge against him? Was he still harbouring a murderous mood? Genesis 32:4-5 4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now: 5 And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight. The messengers used the customary ancient Near East greeting in their approach to Esau, but the expressions my lord Esau and thy servant Jacob was Jacob s acknowledgment that Esau was still respected as his elder brother. In his message to Esau, Jacob said, I have sojourned with Laban. But why did he have to leave their home in Beersheba to sojourn with Laban? He tactfully avoided the reason. Next, he declared his wealth to Esau, not as a boast but to allay his brother s suspicion about his intention. Jacob was not planning to take anything from his elder brother. The main point of the message is that he sought to find grace with Esau. This is the new attitude of Jacob.

4 Genesis 32:6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. Four hundred men was the standard size of a militia (1 Samuel 22:2; 25:13; 30:10; cf. Genesis 14:14 Abram and his 318 men). Esau was coming to meet Jacob with a sizeable force, and this piece of news alarmed him. Esau was coming for revenge, he thought. Genesis 32:7-8 7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands; 8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape. The expression greatly afraid and distressed is very strong language to describe people in dire straits. Where could Jacob go? He could not turn back to Mesopotamia. If he retreated, he would have crossed the border at Mizpah and violated his covenant with Laban, thus incurring his uncle s wrath. Laban might treat Jacob s return as a violation of their peace treaty, and have the excuse to seize his household and possessions. There was no turning back for Jacob, so he prepared to meet Esau by dividing his household and possessions into two bands. We wonder if he saw the irony of his two bands and the two camps in Mahanaim. God s angels were there to protect him, but Jacob tried to do it himself. He sought to protect his household and possessions from total loss. Should Esau and his men attack the first group, the second company could escape and survive. However, if Esau had evil intentions, he would have killed Jacob s messengers instead of returning them unharmed. Esau could have launched an immediate attack on Jacob s camp. What Jacob did not know at the time is that his brother was approaching with his militia to escort him safely home. We read about Esau s intention toward Jacob in Genesis 33:12 And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee. A schemer is always suspicious of others and their motives, so we are not surprised about Jacob s insecurity as he waited for the arrival of Esau and his men. However, God had protected him during his flight from Laban. God had warned Laban in a dream not to say to Jacob anything good or bad (Genesis 31:29, 42). So with this in mind, Jacob sought the LORD for protection against Esau, which leads us to III. Jacob Praying to God. Jacob s prayer to God (Genesis 32:9-12) is the longest in the book of Genesis. (His vow in Genesis 28:20-22 is not formulated as a prayer). He prayed on the basis of God s covenantal promises to him. There are four parts in the prayer. First, there is the invocation (Genesis 32:9); then, the confession (Genesis 32:10); next, the petition (Genesis 32:11); and finally, Jacob expressed his confidence in God to protect him (Genesis 32:12). Genesis 32:9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: Jacob invoked the name of God, and then he reminded the LORD about the command to return to Canaan, and how that God will deal well with him in the Promised Land. To be

5 reminded of God s promises, we first need to know His Word, and that comes from reading the Bible. How can we recall any of God s promises and pray to Him with conviction, if we have no knowledge of what He has said in His Word? Moreover, it is possible to misinterpret and misapply the promises in the Bible without personal interaction with God s Word. There are promises made to certain individuals and nations which are not universal, and to misapply these promises will lead to disappointment and disillusionment about God and the Bible. After invoking the name of God, Jacob proceeded to his confession and petition. Genesis 32:10-11 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. 11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. Humility is the proper way to approach God, so Jacob acknowledged his own unworthiness before God. Let us be clear that God s mercies are extended to us according to His grace. Grace is God s unmerited favour. We have offended God because of our sins, and as sinners we are in no position to make demands of Him. We have offended God, and we do not deserve anything from Him except His righteous wrath. After the confession, Jacob told God about his fear of Esau and asked God to protect him. Finally, he expressed his confidence in God to do him good. Genesis 32:12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude. By God s sovereign grace, Jacob was the Covenant heir of the promises that God made to Abraham and Isaac. IV. Jacob Preparing to Meet Esau. Genesis 32:13-15 13 And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother; 14 Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, 15 Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals. Jacob prepared five hundred and fifty animals as gifts to Esau. He intended to use his large gift to smother Esau, hoping to soften Esau s attitude toward him. In Proverbs 25, we have the counsel of the wise man that followed the example of Jacob. Proverbs 25:21-22 21 If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: 22 For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee. The apostle Paul gives us the same exhortation in Romans 12:20 about dealing with our adversaries. Jacob arranged his gifts of animals into three groups. Genesis 32:16-18 16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt

6 drove and drove. 17 And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? 18 Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob s; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us. Each group was to be presented to his brother, and the servant leading the cattle was to inform Esau that Jacob was coming up to meet him. But behind one drove came another, and then another, so as to overwhelm Esau with Jacob s desire for reconciliation. Genesis 32:19-20 19 And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him. 20 And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me. The expression accept of me literally means he will lift up my face, with the connotation being forgive me. (Waltke, p. 444). Jacob hoped that Esau s wrath would melt away as he met each drove of cattle. But if the advance parties were not welcomed, then Jacob would know Esau s intention toward him. Genesis 32:21 So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company. Jacob stayed behind to wait for Esau s response to his gifts. But as he lodged that night at the rear of his impressive caravan, he would have a life-changing encounter with another visitor. Conclusion Just as Jacob had the vision of the angels at Bethel when he fled Canaan for Mesopotamia, the angels of God met him again on his return to the Promised Land. God sent the angels to encourage him. After meeting the angels the second time, Jacob turned to the matter of reconciliation with his estranged brother Esau. He expected to meet his brother upon returning to Canaan. But as he prepared to meet his brother, Esau was coming to meet him with an army. Despite the promises of God and his vivid encounter with the angels, Jacob was filled with fear and greatly distressed. He made plans to protect himself, forgetting God s promises to him, and not thinking that the angels of God were more than able to protect him. According to Genesis 32:5, he sought to find grace with his brother. In reality, however, it was not grace that Jacob sought from Esau; rather, he used his gifts to buy off his brother. By giving away a large gift of five hundred and fifty animals, Jacob was giving away God s blessings to him. Moreover, Jacob s address of Esau as my lord Esau and of himself as thy servant Jacob (Genesis 32:4), hinted at his willingness to surrender his God-given leadership of the covenant family. Thus, Jacob was quite ready to surrender his possessions and position because of fear.

7 There are four lessons for believers in Christ. First, believers can take comfort in the presence of the angels of God. According to Hebrews 1:14, angels are ministering spirits to help God s people. Secondly, in the face of threatening and dangerous situations, we must not sacrifice or compromise our faith because of fear; instead, we have to stand firm upon our faith in God. The third lesson is that believers can pray confidently to God for protection. Fourth, believers may be like Jacob, complicating their situations by their own plans, instead of waiting faithfully on the Lord for deliverance. We may misjudge a situation, respond inappropriately to it, and make the problem worse for ourselves. During times of crisis, believers in Christ can be confident that the Almighty God is present with them. In Hebrews 13:5 we read that he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. God is present with His people to fulfill His purpose for their lives. Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Do you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ? If you are a believer in Christ through personal faith in Him as your Lord and Saviour, then you can have confidence that the promises of God for Christians are for you. Permission: We share our materials with you as a blessing from the ministry of our church. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by Amazing Grace Baptist Church. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: Copyright: Amazing Grace Baptist Church Singapore. Website: www.amazingracebc.org. Used by permission as granted on website.