Reading: Genesis chapter 33 verses 1-20.
Ill:
• The Victorian artist James Whistler;
• Showed scant respect for the hierarchy of any profession.
• When his poodle fell ill with a throat infection,
• The artist immediately sent for the country’s leading ear, nose, and throat specialist,
• When Sir Morell Mackenzie was shown his patient, he was not amused!
• But he conducted a thorough examination, wrote out a prescription, and left with his fee.
• The next day Sir Morell Mackenzie sent the artist James Whistler a message;
• In it he asked him to call on him without delay.
• Fearing some development in the poodle’s condition,
• The artist James Whistler hurried to the doctor’s house.
• “So good of you to come, Mr. Whistler,” said Mackenzie as his visitor was shown in.
• “I wanted to see you about having my front door painted.”
• Well Sir Morell Mackenzie got his revenge;
• And made his point effectively!
• Revenge or reconciliation, which one will dominate our Bible passage this evening?
• Hang on in there to find out!
SO FAR IN THESE FEW CHAPTERS OF GENESIS:
• Jacob has been reconciled to Laban (chapter 27 verse 41).
• Laban was twice Jacob’s father-in-law who badly tricked him.
• Jacob has also been reconciled to God (chapter 32 verses 22-32).
• And as a result he had been given a new name; ‘Israel’.
• The question that needs answering in this chapter is;
• Will there be a third reconciling i.e. Jacob and Esau?
• If it isn’t a reconciliation;
• Then as sure as ‘eggs are eggs’ it was going to be a bloodbath?
The background:
• For anyone who might not know, Jacob and Esau are brothers:
• But the last time the two brothers met, they fell out with each other.
• The row was because Jacob tricked his brother older brother Esau,
• The deception meant that he (Jacob the younger) and not Esau, got the family blessing.
• When Esau realised he had been made to look a fool and he had missed the blessing.
• It was too late.
• As a result of this deception Jacob had to quickly leave his home and land.
• Because Esau was determined to kill him.
When we pick up the story in genesis chapter 33:
• Twenty years have passed by;
• And Jacob has been commanded by God (chapter 31 verse 13) to return back to his home.
• That of course prevents Jacob with a big problem;
• The unsettled dispute with his brother Esau who still lives there.
• Jacob may want to be reconciled to his brother Esau.
• But as far as he knows Esau certainly doesn’t want to be reconciled to him?
• And as Esau was both a fighter and a killer,
• Jacob is naturally worried & scared that some fighting & killing might be coming his way!
Ill:
One New Year’s Eve at London’s Garrick Club,
• British dramatist Frederick Lonsdale;
• Was asked by Symour Hicks to reconcile with a fellow member.
• The two had quarrelled in the past and never restored their friendship.
• “You must,” Hicks said to Lonsdale.
• “It is very unkind to be unfriendly at such a time.
• Go over now and wish him a happy New Year.”
• So Lonsdale crossed the room and spoke to his enemy.
• “I wish you a happy New Year,” he said, “but only one.”
• It takes two willing parties for reconciliation to take place;
• Jacob was willing but Esau is an unknown ‘number’ in this equation.
• When we pick up the story in chapter 32 (last week) and chapter 33;
• Jacob is a worried, an anxious man:
Quote: Navy Law:
“If you can keep your head when all about you others are losing theirs,
may be you just don’t understand the situation”.
• Jacob is a worried, an anxious man all he can think of is, “What will Esau do to me?”
• Despite the promises of God (it will be alright) Jacob is a troubled man!
Ill:
There is a story told about a construction worker.
• This construction worker was employed on a high-rise building project,
• Which required him and others to work after dark.
• He was busy on the edge of one of the walls which was many stories high,
• When he suddenly lost his balance and fell.
• As he fell over the edge,
• He managed to grab the edge of the wall with his fingertips.
• Desperately he hung on hoping that somebody would discover his perilous situation.
• He was in total darkness, just about hanging on to the wall, and crying out loud for help,
• Due to the noise and machinery at the construction site.
• No one could hear him, all his screams were in vain.
Very soon his arms begin to grow weak and his grip began to slip:
• He tried praying, but no miracle occurred.
• At last his fingers slipped from the wall and with a cry of horror he fell!
• He fell exactly 3 feet and landed on a scaffold that had been there all the time,
• But because of the darkness, he had not seen it!
This story illustrates some of the situations we sometimes find ourselves in:
• When we face various crises in life.
• Sometimes we feel that we are all alone,
• Desperately doing all we can to save ourselves, crying out for help but feeling unheard,
• Until finally we lose all our own strength and let go.
• It is then that we make the discovery;
• That we were never in any real danger to begin with.
• Oftentimes we give in to fear and discouragement in times of crises
• Because we do not know or see that we are safe in God’s hands.
• We do not see because of the darkness that surrounds us,
• Not literal darkness but the darkness of unbelief.
Jacob very much feels like that construction worker:
• Worried and blinded by unbelief, he thinks he is in great danger.
• He cannot appreciate that with God on his side he is not actually in any danger at all!
(1). The meeting (vs 1-3):
“Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men; so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two maidservants.
2 He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear.
3 He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother”.
Ill:
• The lion was proud of his mastery of the animal kingdom.
• One day he decided to make sure all the other animals knew that he was the king of the jungle.
• He bypassed the smaller animals and went straight to the bear.
• "Who is the king of the jungle?" the lion asked. The bear replied, "Why, you are, of course."
• Next, he asked the tiger, "Who is the king of the jungle?"
• The tiger quickly responded, "Everybody knows that you are, O mighty lion."
Then the lion encountered an elephant:
• But unfortunately, the elephant did not respond the same way to the question.
• The elephant grabbed the lion with his trunk,
• Whirled him around in the air five or six times, and slammed him into a tree.
• Then he pounded him onto the ground several times,
• Dunked him under the water in a nearby lake,
• And finally threw him up on the shore.
• The lion- beaten, bruised, and battered- struggled to his feet.
• He looked at the elephant through sad and bloody eyes and said,
• "Look, just because you don’t know the answer,
• That’s no reason for you to get mean about it."
In this passage: Jacob (the lion) is about to face up to Esau (the elephant):
• He knows his brother is stronger and more powerful than he is;
• And if he wants to he could quite easily destroy him!
• So Jacob has already tried to sweeten his brother up with generous gifts
• Looked at that last week in chapter 32.
• Esau responded to Jacob’s gifts and messengers by bringing 400 men to meet him.
• The Bible does not say why Esau would bring so many men,
• But it seems reasonable to suggest that such a large amount of people;
• Was intended as an army to attack Jacob (or why bring them?)
• So Jacob has a major problem; Esau appears to be preparing for battle;
• And his army greatly outnumbers the tribe of people that belongs to Jacob.
With plan A (chapter 32 gives us the details) seemingly failed, he tries plan B:
• The plan is simple;
• Jacob would go first, he would humble himself (bow down 7 times),
• He hoped this act of humility and subjection would draw kindness from his brother;
• If not then Jacob had hoped to minimize the damage.
• By dividing his family into three groups;
• The logic being, should Esau attack, then maybe one group will escape and be spared!
Notice:
• Even now after encountering God,
• Jacob is still showing his preferences within his family.
• He maybe going to meet Esau first,
• But he still shows favouritism to Rachel by placing her last.
(2). The reconciliation (verses 4-7):
“But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.
5 Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. Who are these with you? he asked. Jacob answered, They are the children God has graciously given your servant.
6 Then the maidservants and their children approached and bowed down.
7 Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down. Last of all came Joseph and Rachel, and they too bowed down”.
ill:
• Reader’s Digest, April, 1995, p. 48
• While I was working as a flight nurse,
• Our helicopter was called to transport an unconscious scuba diver to the hospital.
• During the flight, she came to and began kicking and yelling.
• The rule in such cases is to keep the patient away from the pilot.
• So the paramedic and I struggled to keep her on the stretcher.
• When we arrived at the hospital,
• I removed my flight helmet and tinted face shield so I could make eye contact with the patient.
• She looked at me and gasped,
• “You’re human!”
Jacob is about to discover that Esau is human:
• He may remember him in negative, fearful terms;
• But Esau will appear in this chapter as the ‘good guy’.
Notice verse 4:
“But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.”
• Question: Does that verse remind you of anything?
• Answer: I thought of the prodigal son.
• His brother treats him not as he deserves;
• But in grace!
Ill:
• During the late 1800s;
• English evangelist Henry Moorhouse made several trips to America to preach.
• On one occasion, he was taking a walk through a poor section of the city;
• When he noticed a small boy coming out of a store with a pitcher of milk.
• Just then, the boy slipped and fell,
• Breaking the pitcher and spilling the milk all over the sidewalk.
• Moorhouse rushed to the youngster’s side and found him unhurt but terrified.
• “My mamma’ll whip me!” he cried.
• The preacher suggested that they try to put the pitcher back together,
• But the pieces of glass would not stay together and so the boy kept on crying
• Finally Moorhouse picked up the youngster and carried him to a nearby store;
• Where the preacher purchased a new pitcher.
• Then he returned to the dairy store;
• And had the pitcher washed and filled with milk.
• With that done, he carried both the boy and the pitcher home.
• Putting the youngster down on his front porch,
• Moorhouse handed him the pitcher and asked,
• “Now will your mama whip you?”
• A wide smile spread upon his tear-stained face,
• “Aw, no sir, ‘cause it’s lot better pitcher than we had before.”
Esau would receive his brother in grace:
• Esau offered to Jacob a relationship that was far better than they ever had before;
• The whole picture of Esau is one genuinely happy to see his brother.
Ill:
• Verse 4: Esau embraces his brother.
• Verses 5-7: Esau meets the family.
• There is not even a slight hint of hate.
• In every aspect Esau seems to be genuinely pleased to see Jacob.
(3). The Presents (verse 8-20):
“Esau asked, What do you mean by all these droves I met? To find favour in your eyes, my lord, he said.
9 But Esau said, I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.
10 No, please! said Jacob. If I have found favour in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favourably.
11 Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need. And because Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it.
12 Then Esau said, Let us be on our way; I'll accompany you.
13 But Jacob said to him, My lord knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die.
14 So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the droves before me and that of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.
15 Esau said, Then let me leave some of my men with you. But why do that? Jacob asked. Just let me find favour in the eyes of my lord.
16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir.
17 Jacob, however, went to Succoth, where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Succoth.
18 After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan and camped within sight of the city.
19 For a hundred pieces of silver, he bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, the plot of ground where he pitched his tent.
20 There he set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel”.
• Chapter 32 verses 13-21 inform us that;
• Jacob has sent on ahead more than 500 animals as a gift to Esau.
• Esau’s acceptance of the gift (verse 11);
• Implies that he is willing to drop his vendetta against his brother.
• Strange that neither of the brothers refer explicitly to the events of the past,
• Although those events loom in the background of the story and in their minds.
• In verse 8: Jacob diplomatically refers to Esau as ‘my lord’.
• But in verse 9: Esau genuinely disarms the situation by calling Jacob ‘my brother’.
In fact those words ‘my brother’:
• Dissolve the fear that has followed Jacob for twenty years.
• The previous night Jacob was reconciled to God.
• Chapter 32 verse 30: described it as seeing God ‘face to face’.
• Now he was able to look his brother in the eye;
• Look at how he describes it in verse 10:
• ‘For to see your face is like seeing the face of God,’
ill:
• Frederick the Great, King of Prussia for 46 years,
• Was on one occasion in Potsdam.
• During his time there he encountered one of his generals;
• This general had long been in his disfavour.
• At their meeting the general saluted with the greatest respect,
• But Frederick merely turned his back on the officer.
• The general the spoke a daring but wise remark;
• "I am happy to see that Your Majesty is no longer angry with me,"
• Frederick replied;
• "How so?"
• The general replied;
• "Because Your Majesty has never in his life turned his back on an enemy."
• It was a daring statement,
• But it was reported to have led to a reconciliation!
This chapter finishes with a reconciliation:
• The row that had separated the brothers for over twenty years;
• Has finally been resolved.
• Esau who is so often such a negative example;
• Ironically turns out to be the good guy in this chapter!
(4). The warning
Jacob may have encountered God but there is a lot of work still to be done with him.
• Did you notice that the chapter begins with ‘Jacob’ the old name;
• Not ‘Israel’ the new name?
• I would suggest this might be because Jacob has yet to appreciate;
• The new start, new life he has in God.
• Jacob had encountered the living God:
• He had been given a new name ‘Israel’,
• He had been given a limp, a reminder to ‘walk by faith not by sight’.
• But sadly all that is forgotten here;
I would suggest that Jacob is a warning for us as Christians:
• If we are tempted to slide back into our old ways and lifestyle;
• Then what happened to Jacob will have a parallel in our lives.
• Notice what Jacob lost in this chapter;
• Because he failed to claim his spiritual privileges.
(a). His limp (verse 3).
• The name ‘Jacob’ meant ‘heel-catcher’.
• Where as the name ‘Israel’ means ‘prince with God’.
• Jacob in his wisdom bowed before Esau.
• Instead of choosing to walk (even with a limp) and face Esau man-to-man.
• How tragic when a ‘prince with God’ is in submission to a man of the world.
• Better to limp by faith than bow in self-trust.
• Ill: Proverbs chapter 29 verse 25:
• “The fear of man brings a snare”.
(b). His power (verses 1-2, 8-11):
ill:
• A devout believer in astrology,
• French king Louis XI was deeply impressed by an astrologer;
• Who correctly foretold that a lady of the court would die in eight days’ time.
• Deciding, however, that the too-accurate prophet should be disposed of,
• Louis summoned the man to his apartments,
• He had already told his servants;
• That at a certain signal they were to throw the visitor out of the window.
king Louis told the astrologer:
• “You claim to understand astrology and to know the fate of others,”
• “so tell me at once what your fate will be and how long you have to live.”
• “I shall die just three days before Your Majesty,” answered the astrologer.
• The shaken king quickly cancelled his plans!
Like the astrologer Jacob was very good at self-preservation:
• Despite the fact God had assured him of his power,
• God had promised to see him through.
• All we see in this chapter is Jacob scheming,
• His plan of action to sort out the situation.
• There is no mention of or dependency on God;
• In fact God is totally absent in the first nineteen verses of the chapter.
(c). His testimony (verses 12-17):
• Esau wanted to travel with his brother Jacob;
• But Jacob had other plans.
• In verse 13: Jacob lied to Esau concerning the health of the flocks;
• In verse 17: He deliberately travelled in the opposite direction to Esau.
• In fact the two brothers do not meet up again until they meet at their father’s funeral;
• Which we read about in Genesis chapter 35 verse 29.
• No-doubt Esau asked Jacob what happened to him after they parted;
• And no-doubt Jacob had some nice little story to tell!
• Sadly:
• Jacob the man of God has no testimony before his brother.
• As you read the chapter Esau is the good guy!
• How tragic when a child of God loses their testimony;
Quote:
“The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
Are read by more than a few,
But the one that is most read and commented on
Is the gospel according to you.
You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day
By the things that you do and the words that you say,
Men read what you write, whether faithless or true,
Say, what is the gospel according to you?
Do men read His truth and His love in your life,
Or has yours been too full of malice and strife?
Does your life speak of evil, or does it ring true?
Say, what is the gospel according to you?”
(d). His tent (verse 17).
• Jacob built a house and settled down in Succoth.
• He was called to be a pilgrim, but chose a different lifestyle.
• A pilgrim is someone on the way home!
• They are journeying, they have not yet arrived!
Quote: Hebrews chapter 11 verse 8:
“By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God's call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going. 9By an act of faith he lived in the country promised him, lived as a stranger camping in tents. Isaac and Jacob did the same, living under the same promise. 10Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an unseen city with real, eternal foundations--the City designed and built by God”.
(e). His vision (verse 18).
“After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan and camped within sight of the city.”
Quote: H.E. Fosdick
“He who chooses the beginning of a road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determine the end.”
• When I read that verse I think of ‘Lot’;
• You might remember the choice he made in Genesis chapter 13 verse 12.
“Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom”.
(f). His daughter (chapter 34).
• Once again like Lot,
• Jacob put his family in a place of temptation.
• And when his daughter investigated the city;
• She was violated.
• Quote: Saying is true; ‘No-body sins in a vacuum’.
• Ill: Like a stone dropped in a pond the ripples will affect others.
Jacob the back-slider:
• Insisted on walking by sight not by faith;
• He thought his way was best and as a result reaped the consequences!
Ill:
• Robert Robinson had been saved out of a passionate life of sin;
• Through the preaching of George Whitefield in the 1700’s.
• Shortly after that, at the age of twenty-three,
• Robinson wrote the hymn "Come, Thou Fount."
• Sadly, Robinson wandered far and, like the Prodigal Son,
• Journeyed into the distant country of carnality.
• Until one day he was travelling by stagecoach;
• He was sitting beside a young woman engrossed in her book.
• She ran across a verse she thought was beautiful;
• She turned to him and asked him what he thought of it.
• "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love."
• Bursting into tears, Robinson said,
"Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then."
