Genesis 32:1-21

Jacob

Jacob and Esau Plan to Meet Again

 

32:1 Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

 

2 When Jacob saw them, he said, "This is the camp of God!" So he named that place Mahanaim.

 

3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

 

4 He instructed them: "This is what you are to say to my master Esau: 'Your servant Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban and have remained there till now.

 

5 I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, menservants and maidservants. Now I am sending this message to my lord, that I may find favor in your eyes.' "

 

6 When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, "We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him."

 

7 In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, and the flocks and herds and camels as well.

 

8 He thought, "If Esau comes and attacks one group, the group that is left may escape."

 

9 Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, 'Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,'

 

10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant.

 

I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups.

 

11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children.

 

12 But you have said, 'I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.' "

 

13 He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift for his brother Esau:

 

14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,

 

15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.

 

16 He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, "Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds."

 

17 He instructed the one in the lead: "When my brother Esau meets you and asks, 'To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?'

 

18 then you are to say, 'They belong to your servant Jacob.

 

They are a gift sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.' "

 

19 He also instructed the second, the third and all the others who followed the herds: "You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him.

 

20 And be sure to say, 'Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.' " For he thought, "I will pacify him with these gifts I am sending on ahead; later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me."

 

21 So Jacob's gifts went on ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp.

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This is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to change the way that we think, and the way that we live.

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Commentary by Bob Pardue

Jacob prepares to meet Esau and is afraid for his life

Would you be scared? Boy, I would!

Here is a fearsome warrior coming at me with four hundred men and I'm the one who stole his birthright and his blessing. You'd better believe I'd be scared for my life too!

The very last time Jacob and Esau were together his brother had promised to kill him for what was done to him.

The only thing holding Esau back from killing Jacob was their father, who now was dead. The buffer zone was gone and Jacob fully understood the gravity of the situation.

It had been 20 years since Jacob had seen his brother and fear had overcome him. But, do you know what Jacob did after he gathered his thoughts? He prayed.

The next time you find yourself in what you feel is a desperate situation, take the time out to pray to God. He does listen and you'll find that many times things work out for the best if you'll just ask God to step in and take over your problems.

Love in Christ

- Bob

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