In 1963, President John F. Kennedy had a momentous meeting with Ethiopia’s Emperor Haile Selassie. He arrived wearing “a field marshal’s uniform…and [carrying] a long swagger stick.” He and JFK had a series of gatherings over the next few days. The President, who suffered from severe back pain, graciously stood at attention while Selassie spoke.

He said he came to “explore ways and means of strengthening…cooperation” between the US and Ethiopia. He came hoping to receive JFK’s full support in Ethiopia’s dispute with neighboring Somalia. He also invited the President to come and visit Ethiopia personally.

“In [their] meetings, the President spoke simply and directly…even when he knew it might disturb or displease the Emperor…and he promised to give careful consideration to Ethiopia’s request.”

“The undisclosed U.S. strategy was to partially satisfy the Emperor’s request as inexpensively as possible while assuring a…friendly government in Ethiopia.” As to the invitation to visit, JFK “expressed his desire to arrange such a [trip] as soon as his schedule permitted.” Whether that was true or not didn’t matter. The President was killed seven weeks later in Dallas.

In our text tonight, Jacob and Esau have a meeting with many similarities to JFK’s and Selassie’s. Esau, a military leader, stands before his counterpart, Jacob, who is crippled and in pain. Esau hopes this will lead to new cooperation between their peoples and that Jacob would come and visit his homeland. Jacob has no intention of doing so but speaks tactfully so as not to offend his brother. Though he says he’d love to come down to Seir, he never takes Esau up on the invitation.

There’s one more interesting similarity. Haile Selassie’s fuller title was “Emperor of Ethiopia, Elect of God, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and King of Kings.” Of course, Selassie wasn’t God, but during his reign, there were those who really saw him as God.

In verse 10, Jacob says: “I have seen your face, and it is like seeing God’s face.” Was Jacob just being polite? Was he buttering Esau up? When we’re thinking about Bible characters who serve as types of our Lord, we never put Esau on that list. Hebrews describes him as an immoral, irreverent, unrepentant man. We don’t want to emulate Esau.

And yet, there’s something about this encounter that reveals God’s grace through Esau’s actions. Cyril of Alexandria said this scene foreshadowed the reconciliation of Christ with Israel. But it’s not just about God and Israel. We’ll find that the words describing Esau are almost exactly how Jesus describes the Prodigal Son’s father in Luke 15. Gordon Wenham writes, “Though Jacob’s comparison of Esau’s action with God’s sounds too [complimentary] (Wenham’s word is fulsome), it is not inappropriate, for God’s mercy is like this according to Scripture.”

Through this scene, we can revel in the mercy of God through the example of Esau, and then we’ll see the misstep of Jacob, who follows the example of Abraham too closely.

Genesis 33:1-2 – Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two slave women. 2 He put the slaves and their children first, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last.

There are several moments where it may have been helpful to have a window into Jacob’s thought process, but those windows are left closed. We’re left to wonder what he was thinking. We wonder if he was afraid at this moment. Many commentators think he was and that his dividing of the family here was a defensive measure, hoping a few might survive an attack from Esau.

In the last passage we were told plainly when Jacob was afraid, but it’s not said here. This makeshift parade wouldn’t have been much of a strategy. They’re all pretty close together and on foot.

Sadly, what is clear is that Jacob is arranging his family according to how important they are to him. The text doesn’t bother to even name two of the wives or any of the children other than Joseph. Jacob’s heart is being transformed and he is finally starting to walk by faith, but he’s not perfect. He has allowed favoritism to taint the way he relates to his family. This has already been a huge problem for this family and it will continue to be a huge problem in the coming years.

The New Testament reminds us that God shows no partiality and we are not to show partiality. Not in the home, not in the house of the Lord, not in the halls of justice. It is a weed that kills fruit.

Genesis 33:3 – 3 He himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times until he approached his brother.

The Lord has strengthened Jacob, but he doesn’t know exactly what’s going to happen. Unlike before, he faces his brother without fear. He moves in front of his family, bowing as he goes.

There’s an ancient tablet that explains how, in that era, bowing seven times was customary when you met a monarch. It signals Jacob’s absolute surrender and humility. He was emboldened, and the Lord had taken away his fear, but that didn’t make him swagger. He walked humbly. John Goldingay writes, “Release from fear does not mean release from deference and submissiveness.”

Genesis 33:4 – 4 But Esau ran to meet him, hugged him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. Then they wept.

If you were to turn to Luke 15, where Jesus delivers the beloved Parable of the Lost Son, you would read: “…while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.”

This is God’s heart of compassion and care for you! You and I were the prodigals the Father ran to save. He doesn’t hold us at arm’s length – the Lord rushes to embrace us – to fold us into His active, life-changing love. One commentator notes how “whole-heartedly” Esau acts. This meeting which could’ve been defined by anger or bitterness or argument, was instead defined by mercy and joy.

Bruce Waltke points out that while Esau runs, Jacob limps. No matter who we are or what we’ve accomplished, on the spiritual level, we come to God limping. We’re helpless and without hope. But then the Savior swoops in and takes us in His arms, covering us with His love, wiping out all our past wrongs, replacing all of that history with grace and tenderness and plans for a glorious future.

Esau had the right to hate Jacob. Jacob had cheated and wronged him. Even Jacob wouldn’t have blamed Esau for destroying him right then and there, taking everything away from him. But instead of wrath he found warmth. This is an affection these brothers never had for each other. It wasn’t that they used to be close – they weren’t. But despite the wide gulf of guilt between them, all Esau pours out in this scene is love and forgiveness and grace and assistance.

This is how God runs to you! We have a sneaking suspicion that God is fed up with us, don’t we? That He was willing to go to Calvary, but He’s not going to go farther for us. It isn’t true. Esau took a long trip – a hundred miles at his own expense – to embrace his brother. Our Lord crossed heaven and earth, time and eternity, death and the grave out of His love for you. In Jeremiah 31, He says:

Jeremiah 31:3 – I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you.

If your heart is whispering: “I’m a worthless, limping failure. God must be disappointed with me,” then go to Psalm 136 where 26 times in 26 verses we read “His faithful love endures forever.” That hesed we talked about last time. A faithful, repairing, embracing, merciful love that endures forever.

Genesis 33:5-7 – 5 When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he asked, “Who are these with you?” He answered, “The children God has graciously given your servant.” 6 Then the slaves and their children approached him and bowed down. 7 Leah and her children also approached and bowed down, and then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down.

Scholars tell us that Jacob used terms that are the unmistakable language of “submitting oneself…to be a subject.” In fact, we see a foreshadowing here how when the Lord arrives, “every knee will bow.” Jacob, the wives, children, and servants all bend their knees before Esau.

Christ Jesus is our Savior and Friend, but He is also Master and Commander. We owe Him our allegiance, our service, our loyalty, and our strength. He is no taskmaster, but we are to live every day with our knees bowed to the King. Read Ephesians 3 where Paul talks about the power and importance of kneeling before our Lord, Who loves us and enriches us and glorifies us as we kneel.

Genesis 33:8 – 8 So Esau said, “What do you mean by this whole procession I met?” “To find favor with you, my lord,” he answered.

Esau demonstrates how the Lord interacts with us. He speaks to us and invites us to respond to Him. We think of those times Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” Jacob’s answer here was, “Give me grace!” He calls Esau “Adonai.” That’s a term men would use for a master, but most of you know it’s also a term the Bible uses for our Lord. It’s a word that means “owner, master, father,” and it is used of the Messiah in passages like Psalm 110.

So we see that Jacob’s heart is spiritually calibrated just as it should be. What do you want? Grace. As we speak to the Lord, the greatest thing we can ask for is His grace and the great news is that He does not withhold it from us. It overflows in abundance to us.

Genesis 33:9-11 – 9 “I have enough, my brother,” Esau replied. “Keep what you have.” 10 But Jacob said, “No, please! If I have found favor with you, take this gift from me. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing God’s face, since you have accepted me. 11 Please take my present that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have everything I need.” So Jacob urged him until he accepted.

Jacob continues to call himself a servant and Esau his lord, while Esau consistently calls Jacob “my brother.” What an amazing thing God has done, not just sparing our lives, not just giving us entrance into heaven, not just allowing us to become His servants, but doing so much more in His affection toward us. The Lord says, “I’m going to make you citizens of My Kingdom. And I’m calling you friends. And I’m giving you the right to become children of God.”

This is the “acceptance” of God. Jacob said to Esau, “You have accepted me.” The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament tells us this is a term that means “to be favorably received” and “describes God’s pleasure with His servants.” It’s the word God the Father uses in Isaiah 42:1 when He says He delights in Christ, the Son. That delight is what He feels about you, too!

In Psalm 147 we read:

Psalm 147:11 – 11 The Lord values those who fear him…who put their hope in his faithful love.

“Values” there is the same root word we see here as “accepted.” On the authority of God’s Word we know that when we come to Him in faith and receive His free gift of grace, He accepts us, He values us, and He delights in us. Just like Jacob, we don’t deserve it – quite the opposite. The Lord’s acceptance and forgiveness are unmerited, but He extends it all the same. And now, much more than God just meeting us at the crossroads and saying, “Alright, this squares us,” He gives us more than we could ask or imagine. As people who have received the grace of God, we can say like Jacob, “I have everything I need.” Your version may say “I have enough” like Esau said back in verse 9, but in the Hebrew, Jacob is saying something different. He says, “I have everything I need.” Those words remind us of Psalm 23. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I have what I need.”

We can see God’s peace ruling in Jacob’s heart. Where would they live? Where would they go? What about famines or foes? What about his limp? Those are fair questions but in this moment, Jacob has the splendid certainty of faith and can correctly say, “I have everything I need.”

Genesis 33:12 – 12 Then Esau said, “Let’s move on, and I’ll go ahead of you.”

Like all Biblical types, we can’t press too hard otherwise the analogy crumbles. But here we still see a shadow of our Lord’s goodness. Esau says, “Let’s move out together,” or your translation may say, “Let us take our journey.” At the same time, he says, “I will go before you.” What a great statement of how the Lord leads and of His constant presence. He walks with and goes before. He is not some far removed Deity Who will answer one question if we can survive the climb up the mountain to reach His temple. In Deuteronomy we read: “For the Lord your God is the One who will go with you; He will not leave you or abandon you.” Of course, Jesus said the same in Matthew 28.

While this gives us one last, beautiful reminder of the Lord’s care for us, this is the moment when the scene of grace begins to fade, like a dream sequence coming to an end. We find the brothers there on the road and Esau has just made an offer to Jacob. He says, “Why don’t you all come with me, I’ll lead you on down to my territory.”

This is a dangerous offer. Esau’s plan would put an unbeliever in a position of leadership over the family of faith. He would be leading them out of the land of promise and out of the will of God. This is definitely not what God had directed Jacob to do, so how would he answer?

Genesis 33:13-14 – 13 Jacob replied, “My lord knows that the children are weak, and I have nursing flocks and herds. If they are driven hard for one day, the whole herd will die. 14 Let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue on slowly, at a pace suited to the livestock and the children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”

Some criticize Jacob, saying he was lying here – that it was old Jacob back in action. Others point out that the Bible doesn’t call this a lie. Earlier, the Holy Spirit labels Jacob’s actions as deception, but not here. In fact, if we had been there, it would’ve been obvious that he was saying, “I’m not going to go with you. We need to separate.” He’s just doing so in a very polite way. Esau wouldn’t need to travel hard and fast. In fact, now that he had nursing flocks given to him by his brother, he too would have to travel slowly. And we see he gets the message, he leaves that very day.

We’re not given all the details of their talk or their time together. We’ll find in chapter 36 that they figured out they wouldn’t be able to live together, just as Lot and Abraham had discovered. The land couldn’t support them both. So

Genesis 33:15 – 15 Esau said, “Let me leave some of my people with you.” But he replied, “Why do that? Please indulge me, my lord.”

Without Esau’s people to guide, how would Jacob find his brother in Seir? It would be possible, but obviously Jacob is doing what we all sometimes do: “Yeah we should totally get lunch sometime…”

I do see one last echo of the Lord’s grace in Esau’s final word. Our Lord, Who has gone before us, was faithful to leave some of His people with us. The Church is given not just out of convenience or simple tradition. God gives us each other so that we might encourage, support, protect, and guide one another as we are built up together. We’re meant to take the road of faith together.

So, in verses 1 through 15, Jacob enjoys the grace of God through the example of Esau. But this chapter which shined so bright at the start ends with storm clouds gathered on the horizon. Jacob makes a serious mistake. It seems as though, in the aftermath of these incredible events, he sort of sighs a breath of relief and instead of continuing in faithful diligence, he simply imitates the things he heard that Abraham did and calls it good. It starts with a small move.

Genesis 33:16-17 – 16 That day Esau started on his way back to Seir, 17 but Jacob went to Succoth. He built a house for himself and shelters for his livestock; that is why the place was called Succoth.,

Jacob doesn’t go to Hebron to live with Isaac. He moves 4 miles to the north and west of his meeting with Esau and he lives there for a while in a house. We’re not sure how long he’s there, but after some time, he moves on, not to where God led, but simply copying the footsteps of Abraham.

Genesis 33:18-20 – 18 After Jacob came from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely at Shechem in the land of Canaan and camped in front of the city. 19 He purchased a section of the field where he had pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver., 20 And he set up an altar there and called it God, the God of Israel.

We know this was not a good decision because of the disaster that comes in the very next chapter. And after that tragedy, God is going to speak directly to Jacob and say, “Get up! Go to Bethel and settle there.” Now, Bethel was only 20 miles from Shechem. So it seems like Jacob knew he should probably get himself back to Bethel, but once in Shechem thought, “Eh…close enough.”

How is this possible? The truth is, like the song says, our hearts are prone to wander. Walking by faith requires a daily determination to follow God. You don’t eat by accident. You make choices and put those choices into motion. King Joash is a powerful warning about our propensity to wander from the Lord. For 40 years he honored God, for 40 years his life was all about repairing the temple. That was his focus and his passion. But then, after those 40 years, the priest Jehoiada died. Jehoiada had been like a father to Joash. And Joash stopped listening to the truth. He abandoned the temple. He abandoned the Lord. And he even had Jehoiada’s son killed when he tried to direct Joash back to the Lord. Prone to wander, prone to leave the God we love.

Jacob was wandering from where God wanted him. Of course, it was only 20 miles. But what seemed safe to Jacob wasn’t safe at all. R. Kent Hughes calls this faith mixed with partial obedience. Genesis consistently described cities in Canaan as bad places for God’s people to be. But there’s Jacob, camped right outside of Shechem. Why did he do this?

It seems he was trying to mimic what Abraham had done. Abraham came to Shechem, built an altar there, and bought a piece of land as a burial plot. Jacob does the same thing. The land he bought would be used for his burial, according to Joshua 24. But, like Abraham, this time in Shechem was a prelude to disaster. At the same time, we see he wants to worship God. He wants to follow the Lord. Yet, he stops short of complete obedience in his choices. Instead, he mimics what his grandfather did and probably thought, “That’s good enough, right? I did the thing, so I’m good.”

Jacob assumed Laban was going to hurt his family. He assumed Esau was going to hurt his family. Ironically, now he assumes the people in Shechem would be good for his family. The opposite was true, as we’ll see next time.

God’s gracious love does not give us a blank check to do whatever we think is best. The Lord is still the Decider. Jacob’s walk of faith was not just about getting away from Laban or not going with Esau. It was about being where the Lord wanted him to be. And, at this point, that place was Bethel. Not a day’s journey from Bethel.

Jacob wasn’t perfect – he still had a lot to learn, just like we do. At the same time, his failure here did not diminish God’s grace for him. No, the Lord was still faithful to come alongside His limping son and faithfully complete the work He began, just as He will for us. His faithful love endures forever!

Footnotes & references can be found by visiting calvaryhanford.com/atruebeginning

How many different ways could you take home tonight? The farther you live, the more options you have. I live about a mile from here and there are two direct ways we use. If I were trying to go in a roundabout way, say to avoid certain spots, there are all sorts of detours we could take.

God told Jacob to go back to Canaan. He didn’t give him a specific address. We’ll find he doesn’t return to Hebron where Isaac is. He’s got a lot of options. But, as we read, we’ll see he takes the one road that puts him on a collision course with his brother, Esau. That might be a problem because the last Jacob heard, Esau was in a killing mood.

Jacob’s route home is even more conspicuous than we realize. Sartell Prentice writes:

“From Mahanaim there are two roads by which Jacob may enter Palestine. One road turns westward…this is the easy road, the safe road, and the natural one for Jacob to follow. It [would] bring him…into a land of walled towns and fenced cities, where his ancestors lived in alliance and friendship with kings and peoples. The other road runs…to the south…[turning and] plung[ing] down the steep descent of nearly 5,000 feet…This road is difficult and dangerous…Here weakness finds no place of refuge. [For] Jacob the risk is doubly acute, for he cannot travel that Southern route without coming face to face with Esau. When there are two roads running out from Mahanaim, why does [Jacob] reject the easy, safe, and natural path, and choose the one which is full of danger?”

The answer is: While there were many roads he could’ve taken, only one led to Israel. Not Israel the land – Israel the man. A tremendous spiritual journey will take him from Jacob to Israel. There was only one way to get there. It was God’s road of surrender, submission, and reconciliation. Physically, Jacob would be weaker than ever before. But on the spiritual level, he would finally be strong – finally be where he was supposed to be, all thanks to this road and the encounters along the way.

Genesis 32:1-2 – Jacob went on his way, and God’s angels met him. 2 When he saw them, Jacob said, “This is God’s camp.” So he called that place Mahanaim.

We tend to think this was a reassuring rendezvous that reminded Jacob of God’s protection. But that may not be what’s happening. Prentice suggests this wasn’t a friendly meeting at all. One Hebrew scholar translates verse 1: “The messengers of God accosted him.” Other linguists admit that the best sense of the word “met” is to oppose or harm.

Something is going on here. The term Jacob uses for “camp” has a military sense to it. These angels make sense of why Jacob took the dangerous, straight-toward-Esau road to the south out of Mahanaim instead of taking the easy road to the west. Remember: God drove Adam and Eve from Eden, then placed cherubim to bar them from returning to the Garden. And so, Jacob turns south.

Genesis 32:3-5 – 3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the territory of Edom. 4 He commanded them, “You are to say to my lord Esau, ‘This is what your servant Jacob says. I have been staying with Laban and have been delayed until now. 5 I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female slaves. I have sent this message to inform my lord, in order to seek your favor.’ ”

Jacob had no army – no 318 armed men like his grandfather had. His brother, on the other hand, had always been a hunter. Jacob had probably heard that while he was developing livestock, Esau was developing might. So Jacob sends out a diplomatic delegation to assess Esau’s mood.

Our primary focus tonight is on Jacob and how following God means surrendering to Him and allowing Him to direct the course of our lives. But there is a sub-theme about serving the Master that comes from these servants. They provide some exceptional insights for us. Jesus once told His followers that He was sending them out “as lambs among wolves.” Jacob’s servants look like that. They’re sent into hostile territory with a message to share and no certainty they would succeed.

It’s evident that the angels of verse 1 made no promises to Jacob. God did not appear and say, “Don’t worry about it, Esau isn’t going to harm you.” Jacob makes these plans because he is afraid. And he has good reason to be afraid. In this message, he hints to his brother, “Hey, I’ve got a lot of wealth to spread around. If you’re mad about the birthright thing, let’s talk.”

At the same time, we can already see a new Jacob emerging. When had his servants ever seen him speak with this kind of humility? We’ve seen Jacob struggling for twenty years to throw off his last master – Laban. Now he’s talking about being Esau’s servant. Something is going on in his heart that hasn’t happened before.

There’s an application for us: The more truly spiritual a person is, the more they are willing to serve. Jesus was a Servant, and He is the image we’re being conformed into. He didn’t come to be served but to serve. If you want to know if someone is truly spiritual, look to see if they’re serving others.

Genesis 32:6 – 6 When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau; he is coming to meet you—and he has four hundred men with him.”

This would’ve been terrifying news. Esau sends no message back but instead mounts up with 400 men, which was the typical number in a militia or raiding party. Think about it: You don’t get 400 guys together just because. That’s a lot of effort and gear and hassle. Esau is making a statement.

After all these years, after all he had worked for, all he had clawed to make for himself, all he had overcome to get to this point – Jacob is powerless to defend any of it with nowhere to run.

Your life is not your own. You cannot control what today holds, let alone tomorrow. So, in all your efforts, engrave Psalm 127, verse 1 on your heart:

Psalm 127:1 – Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the Lord watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain.

Genesis 32:7-8 – 7 Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; he divided the people with him into two camps, along with the flocks, herds, and camels. 8 He thought, “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, the remaining one can escape.”

Jacob is in panic mode, but he’s also in prudent mode. Some of you are facing very scary situations or dangers of one kind or another. While we trust the Lord and allow His peace to rule in our hearts, making prudent plans is ok. Jacob assumes Esau is coming to kill him, so he puts together a plan hoping that at least some of his family might survive.

Being prudent isn’t a bad thing. Proverbs 14 says, “The sensible [person] watches his steps.” If the Lord has given you direction in life, follow it and don’t turn back. If you’re waiting for His direction or His deliverance, wait in hope, but also use sanctified common sense as you wait.

The walls are closing in. He can’t go west from camp – there are angels there. He can’t go back the way he came – that would violate his treaty with Laban, who also might kill him. Now, not only is he heading toward Esau, he knows Esau is charging toward him. So Jacob pairs prudence with prayer.

Genesis 32:9-12 – 9 Then Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, ‘Go back to your land and to your family, and I will cause you to prosper,’ 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. Indeed, I crossed over the Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two camps. 11 Please rescue me from my brother Esau, for I am afraid of him; otherwise, he may come and attack me, the mothers, and their children. 12 You have said, ‘I will cause you to prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, too numerous to be counted.’ ”

This is Jacob’s first recorded prayer, but it’s a beautiful debut. It’s so different from how he spoke about God back in chapter 28. In this prayer, Jacob acknowledges who he is and Who God is. He recognizes that God has already done many incredible things on his behalf. He presents God as One Who intervenes and is long-suffering, One Who understands and Who speaks and Who gives generously. This is a God Who helps and loves and Who restores and Who forgives and Who approaches and is approachable.

As he prays, Jacob holds firm to the spoken word of God. Jacob moors himself to those promises as if they were true and literal. Jacob also recognizes that he has no hope outside of God’s salvation. He says, “Lord, You have to save me like you have before.” We are watching him pour out his heart to the Lord. He’s completely open and honest. He says, “I’m afraid, I’m helpless, and I’m unworthy.” But in this prayer, we also see God’s tender, loving care. Jacob realizes that this is Who God is. He calls Him Yahweh in verse 9. Not just some powerful Being, but the revealed, personal God of heaven and earth – the God of this family – of Abraham and Isaac and now, finally, of Jacob, too. He prays about the Lord’s kindness and faithfulness. These are key terms in the Old Testament. One of them you might have heard before, it’s the Hebrew word “hesed.” These terms describe when a superior freely acts to help an inferior who is in need, not out of obligation but out of love and loyalty. Scholars tell us that these terms speak of love, action, forgiveness, certainty, and mercy. This is Who God is. And Jacob asks this God to rescue and prosper him.

What does that mean? To us, prosper has such an economic quality to it. It doesn’t help that the “prosperity gospel” is so prevalent in the pseudo-Christian culture around us. Biblical prosperity is more than sheep and goats. The word means “deal well” or “do good,” and it indicates a purpose or result. One source says that verse 12 is literally translated, “You have said, ‘I will do good for you.’” True prosperity is when God accomplishes what He desires in your life to make you spiritually strong and fruitful. It is independent of your physical circumstances. It is independent of your bank account, or your blood work, or your career track. Of course, God may enrich those areas for His glory, but prospering is not about getting. It is about the good-ing of God in your life.

I wish we could spend more time in this prayer. Just one more thought: Jacob clearly believed and yet he was afraid. It is natural for us to be afraid of death, afraid of suffering, afraid of the unknown. But, God doesn’t want us to live in fear. He wants His peace to rule in our hearts and minds. And so, when we are afraid, we can follow Jacob’s example. Call out to the Lord. Remember what He has already done. Remind yourself of the Word God has spoken, and believe those promises. Ask the Lord to save. Remember that He is in covenant with you and will not leave you, but He is a Savior.

Genesis 32:13-21 – 13 He spent the night there and took part of what he had brought with him as a gift for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred ewes, twenty rams, 15 thirty milk camels with their young, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten male donkeys. 16 He entrusted them to his slaves as separate herds and said to them, “Go on ahead of me, and leave some distance between the herds.” 17 And he told the first one, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to? Where are you going? And whose animals are these ahead of you?’ 18 then tell him, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau. And look, he is behind us.’ ” 19 He also told the second one, the third, and everyone who was walking behind the animals, “Say the same thing to Esau when you find him. 20 You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’ ” For he thought, “I want to appease Esau with the gift that is going ahead of me. After that, I can face him, and perhaps he will forgive me.” 21 So the gift was sent on ahead of him while he remained in the camp that night.

Do you remember in Aladdin when Prince Ali comes to town with his “white Persian monkeys” and “purple peacocks” and “world-class menagerie?” Imagine that. There was less singing and dancing, but we’re talking about more than 550 animals moving in herds down the road. This is a huge gift.

Again, the servants are sent out as living sacrifices. This time there is even less hope that they’ll return safely. But I love their faithful obedience. They go, armed only with the message and the gifts that they’ve been assigned. This is an excellent devotion about how to serve the Lord. He assigns which gifts we’ll get. Some had cows, some had bulls, some had goats, some had donkeys. Each would move at its own pace, depending on the type and size of the herd. But, they all had the exact same message. As Jacob sent them out, he said, “I’m entrusting you with this duty, but say this. Not your message, mine, because lives depend on it.” And then the master sent them out in wave after wave to speak to their adversary with humility and generosity and grace.

Was this plan one final fleshly scramble on Jacob’s part? Was he failing to trust God? In the end, this gift was unnecessary – Esau refused it. The Lord was also working on his heart the whole time.

On the other hand, Jacob did take the family blessing by deception. Jacob, it seems, is trying to make things right. I don’t think we can say he was doing a bad thing. It wasn’t a bribe, but it demonstrates that fear often makes us do unnecessary things. Jacob assumed some things about Esau’s heart that were no longer true. But he also owns up to his guilt before his brother and is seeking forgiveness. When he says “appease” there it’s a word used for atonement.

God’s way will always include admitting when we’re wrong. Our culture hates that idea. But real Christianity includes confession and reconciliation. It’s not that we have to keep asking forgiveness from God for the same sin, but that we’re humble enough to admit when we’ve made mistakes. Jesus’ letters to the seven churches are full of pleas that they would admit their failings and turn back to the Lord so they could spiritually prosper. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about settling disputes and how we should reconcile when we have wronged those around us. So, while Jacob’s strategy here wasn’t ultimately necessary, it came from a place of humility and repentance.

Genesis 32:22-23 – 22 During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two slave women, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions.

This decision reveals how frightened Jacob really was. It was a perilous thing to ford waters at night. But it’s a risk he’s willing to take to try to give one last layer of protection to his family. His situation reminds us that we must face God on our own. When you stand before your Creator, it will not be in a crowd or in a family. It will be you and Him. If you are a Christian, then you will stand in your Savior. But no family member can sub for you or shield you. It’s just you.

Genesis 32:24 – 24 Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.

The Jewish rabbinical tradition says that this was Esau’s guardian angel. Some suggest it was a demon. The prophet Hosea tells us precisely Who it was: He declares it was Yahweh Himself. We call this a Theophany – a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament.

It was Jesus who initiated the fight. Jacob had been gearing up for a battle with his brother, then this happened. It reminded me of the scene when Johnny Ringo is waiting to fight Wyatt Earp in Tombstone, but instead Doc Holliday shows up. The difference is that the Lord didn’t want to kill Jacob. Jacob had prayed for rescue, and the Lord was on the job. He was there to save him!

“Lord, this doesn’t feel like salvation…it feels like You’ve got me in a headlock!” Maybe. But this was the rescue Jacob needed. Commentators point out he had been wrestling all his life. Wrestling his brother in the womb – wrestling with him as they grew up. Wrestling with his father and then his father-in-law. Wrestling with wives and with rocks and with herds. Now it’s the title fight. He had admitted his need for God. He had owned up to his guilt. He had willingly followed this road to reckoning. But he still had his own strength. Remember, Jacob had incredible vigor. But if he was going to get to Israel, he could have no self-sufficiency. And so the Lord grabbed him. R. Kent Hughes writes, Jacob “was in the grip of God’s relentless grace.” This fight was his rescue.

Genesis 32:25 – 25 When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob’s hip socket as they wrestled and dislocated his hip.

How is it possible that the Angel of the Lord “could not defeat Jacob?” Obviously, that isn’t true in the most literal sense because, after all, He simply touches Jacob’s hip and cripples him instantly. One linguist says the term is not really “struck” but “to touch” or “to barely touch.”

What we are seeing is a lovely type of Jesus’ future work. Andrew Steinmann writes, “Here God is depicted as…imposing upon Himself the physical limits of a man until the very end of the struggle.” That is what the Lord did to rescue you as well. He emptied Himself, taking on the likeness of humanity and humbled Himself so that those who surrender to Him might be rescued.

Genesis 32:26 – 26 Then he said to Jacob, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

It may have taken hours, but Jacob figured out this is no ordinary man he’s fighting. If you read it thinking Jacob is angry, allow Hosea to change your perspective. There we’re told that, in this moment, Jacob “wept and sought the Lord’s favor.” And so we see the transformation. Jacob isn’t fighting anymore. Now he’s purely clinging. He isn’t holding the Angel down, he’s holding on!

More than once in the Revelation, our Lord says, “Hold on to what you have till I come.” Hold on to God’s grace and His word and His promises. Don’t let them go. Cling to your Savior.

Even in this very difficult circumstance, even though Jacob is exhausted, crippled, and brought to the end of himself, he still counts on God’s kindness and he realizes that personal strength isn’t going to save him. Buying his way out of guilt isn’t going to work. Taking some different road won’t save him. Only by God’s grace will he be able to survive and thrive and lay hold of goodness in life.

Genesis 32:27-28 – 27 “What is your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied. 28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” he said. “It will be Israel because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”

The new name means “contends with God.” But there’s more: When ‘El’ is at the end of a name, it makes God the subject of the verb. The name also means “God will strive” or “God will preserve.”

In this moment, God wipes away Jacob’s past mistakes. 120 years of selfishness and failure gone because of grace. The Lord says, “You’re not Jacob anymore. You’re not defined by your sin or your shortcomings, but by My future for you.” God made him new.

You and I have victory in Christ because He gives it to us when we believe by faith.

Genesis 32:29-30 – 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he answered, “Why do you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. 30 Jacob then named the place Peniel, “For I have seen God face to face,” he said, “yet my life has been spared.”

In the Old Testament, it was assumed that if you saw God, you would die. Gideon and Manoah express this idea in Judges. Jacob is surprised he survived. So, what gives? Don’t we read in Exodus 33, “Humans cannot see Me and live?” We do, and it’s true! Human beings cannot see God the Father and live. We cannot approach God without being destroyed. Because that is true, God made a way to rescue us as He did with Jacob. He sent His Son to put on flesh to come to earth and interface with us so that we could be hidden in Him, redefined by grace, and reconciled to God.

Jacob recognizes that God has already rescued him. He says, “God should’ve killed me, yet my life has been spared.” If you’re an unbeliever here tonight, the Bible declares that you are dead in trespasses and sins, and the fact that you’re not physically dead yet is because of the grace of God. The breath you’re breathing belongs to Him. He allows you to live in hopes that you will surrender to Him, be born again, and become one of His children. It’s a free gift if you’re willing to take it.

Genesis 32:31-32 – 31 The sun shone on him as he passed by Penuel—limping because of his hip. 32 That is why, still today, the Israelites don’t eat the thigh muscle that is at the hip socket: because he struck Jacob’s hip socket at the thigh muscle.

The sun set when Jacob was at Bethel, running for his life out of the Promised Land. Now the sun rises as he returns, limping. Though the text isn’t explicit, most commentators agree that this crippling was permanent. And it’s commemorated in the diet of Jacob’s descendants. No filet mignon for kosher Jews.

God’s road for Jacob led him straight to his brother, with no physical help, not even legs strong enough to run away. That’s the kind of rescue Jacob needed – a crippling. Bruce Waltke writes, “The limp is the posture of the saint.” Hughes says, “His end was his beginning. His defeat wrought victory. His weakness birthed strength. Israel prevailed when [Jacob] came to the end of himself.”

Now Jacob was ready. Now he was safe. Now he had arrived.

Could Jacob have gone another way? Certainly, this is one of those stories where God’s providence looks more heavy-handed than we experience in a day-to-day sense. When we are making life decisions – if you’re choosing between two jobs – I doubt you’ve had a group of angels standing over your shoulder saying, “No, you’re not doing that one.” But even though God’s Providence might not be as forceful, His attentiveness is equally passionate for us as it was for Jacob. God has definite opinions about the direction of your life and the choices you make because His desire is to prosper you – to do good for you and through your life. There are choices He wants you to make and others He doesn’t want you to make. Look at Paul’s missionary journeys to see a New Testament example that mimics the principles we see in Jacob’s story.

So, what is the way forward? What do I choose? Is it south or west? Well, through Jacob and Paul, we see how to navigate these issues. There’s prayer, there’s the Word of God, and there’s the presence of God. Jacob kept returning to what God had said and clung to those specific words. His great transformation began when he finally began to pray. All was made right when he experienced the presence of God. He still faced uncertainty, he went forward limping, but he became strong that night when he surrendered. He became strong as he obeyed God’s directions and submitted to His charge. It wasn’t his physical vigor or his flocks or his schemes that he needed. It was the Lord bringing his heart from Jacob to Israel.

God has set many directives in front of us. We have a lot of markers already in place that show us what God’s heart and opinions are for our lives. It may not always be the easy road, but it’s the only one worth taking.