| Subject: Genesis 32 vss 1-7 Post 161 |
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Hillbilly
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Date Posted: 17:22:37 10/05/11 Wed
CHAPTER 32
Genesis 32:1-7 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim. 3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom 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. 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. 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;
Two things stand out in the passage. Soon after leaving Laban "the angels of God met him" and "Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom".
In Sir Walter Scott's poem Marmion he penned these famous words: "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practise to deceive!" Jacob has just left his daddy in law in his rear view mirror with the treaty between them that pronounces harm to him if he goes back. He can't pass beyond the pile of rocks that were placed as a boundary to keep him on his side and Laban on his. To the front he finds out from his messengers the brother he so duped and cheated is coming toward him with 400 men. What do you do when you can't go forward and you can't go back?
Forgotten were the promises of God and forgotten was the band of angels that met Jacob after leaving Laban. These angels were surely for Jacob's benefit in that they should have shown him that God's angels were protecting him. Forgotten also was the intervention of God for him when God warned Laban not to harm him or try to persuade him in any way. How shallow was Jacob's faith that he would lose confidence in God so quickly. Jacob's intent in sending his messengers to meet with Esau was to pave the way for peace between them. He did not trust God to do it for him. When the messengers came back telling him that Esau was coming with 400 men all Jacob could think of was the revenge that Esau had sworn to have on Jacob.
It is interesting that Jacob knew where to send his messengers to meet with Esau. . Esau was in Seir in Edom. For Jacob to have known where his brother was shows that Jacob was receiving news from "back home". Probably travelers would come through and update him on what was going on with his people.
His brother had grown mightily in his own right and for him to command 400 men shows his station as an important man. The land of Edom and the Edomites were of Esau. We read in Genesis 36:8 Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom. We also find out in the Book of Deuteronomy that God did not forget Esau even though he sold his birthright and had his blessing stolen by Jacob. Deuteronomy 2:4-5 And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore: 5 Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.
In his fear Jacob decides to divide his family into two groups. The plan is that if Esau strikes one the other will have time to escape and at least some will be saved.
The predicament that Jacob found himself in was one of his own making. It was every bit because he refused to believe and trust in God and what God had promised him. God knew what lay ahead of Jacob and He knew He had already taken care of the matter. Jacob's lack of trust caused him unnecessary terror. How often have we done the same thing? How often have we been willing to put our future in God's hands and leave it there, totally trusting Him for the outcome.
Our promise from God is very much similar to Jacob's. "---I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Heb. 13:5) We can take it to the bank; but will we?
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