Promised to kill him

Jacob with all his camp was now on the east side of the Jordan River on the hill area of Gilead in the land which we today call Jordan. He left “Jegar-sahadutha” that Laban called it or “Galeed” as Jacob called it, both names mean “a heap of witness”. Jacob was now on his way to face what he feared most, his brother Esau who had promised to kill him.

He sent angles

Jacob was in great distress and felt small and helpless, he within a few moments could lose all his family and all what he had obtained with Laban the last 20 years. Jacob considered all this, and it terrified him. The reason he didn’t return to Haran was that God had told him to go home. However, God watched Jacobs’s heart and knew he needed help and sent angles to comfort him.

Two groups

How many angles that met Jacob it is not said, could have been many and Jacob knew that God was there with him and called the place Mahanaim and said this is Gods camp. Mahanaim means two hosts, Jacob divided his camp into two groups, and he might have thought that each group could host the angles that were with him. Now with God’s angles to help him Jacob was ready to influence his brother. Jacob was after his father Isaac had blessed him, the legitimate heir of all that Isaac had, however, now Esau owned everything and was the chief in the area.

Convince Esau

What Jacob wanted to do was to convince Esau that he had enough of all, and all that Esau had was his, with no claim from his brother Jacob. Therefore, he sent messengers to Esau saying, “Your servant Jacob says this, “I have been living temporarily with Laban, and have stayed there until now; ^I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, so that I may find grace and kindness in your sight”. Jacob called Esau lord and himself servant to tell him that in the mind of Jacob he was the leader and Jacob the inferior.

Love is giving

Now Jacob had influenced Esau’s mind and then he wanted to show him his love by giving him gifts to assure him that Jacob wanted a peaceful relationship with him. Jacob had learned that the love of God is giving; God showed Jacob His love and gave him everything he now had.

John 3:16

We also should know that the love of God is giving, John 3:16, “For God so loved and dearly prized the world, that He gave His only begotten Son …

Yes, you can

If you love someone, you should give, not only on big occasions, but also in your daily life, every day. Make it your lifestyle to be like Jesus who gave his life for you. Are you serious? I cannot find something to give to everybody all the time. Yes, you can, you can give of your time showing interest, show that you care, and you can give a helping hand when you are busy with your own thing. Giving is putting someone else first and yourself behind. Giving is also giving God your time, consider and thank Him for what He is doing for you every day.

In big trouble?

And how did Jacob’s tactic work out, humanly it didn’t work at all, “The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him” Jacob was definitely in big trouble. He knew what God had told him to return home and that God’s angles were with him, however Jacob feared Esau, nevertheless, at the same time, He trusted God. Jacob as we, was swaying between God’s promise and what we can experience with our five senses, God is spirit and we are flesh, He is strong and steady, but we are weak and fickle.  

Questions

1. Have you been in big trouble?
2. How did Jacob trust God?
3. Does God tell you to do something?