New Beginning

Outline

Gen 32 Key words Fear a Distress

1. Gen 32:1-21 Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau

a. Gen 32:1-5 Jacob is prepared (by Angels and sends messengers from Mahanaim to Seir)

b. Gen 32:6-8 Jacob receives bad news (Esau May Attack)

c. Gen 32:9-12 Jacob Prays

d. Gen 32:13-21 Jacob Acts with Wisdom from Above

2. Gen 32:22-33 Jacob Wrestles with God

a. Gen 32:22-23 Jacob Pours out (Surrenders (Jabbok) All)

b. Gen 32:24-33 Jacob Prevails in wrestling with God is Re Born to a New Beginning

For A New Beginning you must 1. Prepare in the Spirit 2. Pray in the Spirit and 3. Persevere in the Spirit

When did you last see the sunrise? When did you see the dawn a beginning of a new day? In Jan 2015 I was in my friend’s village called Boraiahna Doddi. It is on the outskirts of the forest. One cannot arrive there by night because of wild elephants. Some villagers have been killed in elephant attacks. We arrived the previous evening and I had got up early in the morning as was my practise and had the pleasure of seeing a new day begin. The rising sun was caught behind a rainforest tree. It looked like the tree was on fire and I was reminded of Moses’ burning bush. The tree was on fire but was not consumed. God in His wisdom allows every dawn to be an opportunity for a new beginning. Today we will meditate on one such new beginning and see three things that we need for a fresh start

God said let there be light and there was light. This was the first beginning and there are many new beginnings in the History of the Bible. Let us read our passage about one such new beginning it is time well invested. Read Genesis 32

For twenty years Jacob had served Laban his mother’s brother Gen 31:41. Laban his uncle had also changed Jacob’s wages 10 times and in the end Jacob flees in this drama Laban catches up with Jacob and they make a treaty they marked out a border and took a pledge that Laban would not cross over to Jacob’s side and Jacob would not cross over to Laban’s side. Jacob moves with his entire company of family servants and livestock which was a lot and comes to Mahanaim which means two camps.

If you remember at Bethel when Jacob had that dream, he prayed to God and made a vow… if God will be with him where he goes and provides for him and brings him back to his father’s house then The LORD will be my God Gen 28:19-20. Yahweh will be my God. God had prospered him and was about to restore him to his father’s land. We pick up the story there where Jacob becomes Israel. From a deceiver and supplanter for that was what his name meant HE was Born again to become Israel a prince of God where he will rule as God (See below)

In A new beginning one must be PREPARED in the Spirit One has to PRAY in the Spirit and One must PERSEVERE in accordance with the Spirit. Then One will contend with God and prevail and be reborn to a New beginning.

A New beginning requires Preparation Prayer and Perseverance

Let us look at Preparation

1. Confront the past 32:1-21

One does not come to a new beginning by sweeping the past under the carpet. We must confront the past The first thing that Jacob did was to meet up to make peace with Esau. A good example is broken relationships. But even in the little day to day hiccups in relationships if you sweep it under the carpet it will fester like a wound

a. Introspect on the voice of God that his messengers may have given 32:1-5

God could speak through messengers he sends.

Jacob was prepared by God’s messengers the angels. One may ask do angels speak to us today. We know Lucifer the arch enemy of Christ and man spoke to Jesus through Peter. Jesus rebuked him…” Get behind me Satan” he did not say get behind me Peter he said Get behind me Satan. Listen carefully to your fellow men, Elders, parents, teachers boss peers in office and see and discern if the voice of god is speaking to you. Listen carefully

b. Do not let the current situation distress you 32:6-8

No matter how bad the situation, God is in control. I call this the Dothan principle. Joseph was in a well in this place called Dothan. His situation was hopeless, but God made him prime minister of Egypt Gen 37ff. At Dothan Elisha was surrounded by the Syrian army and he opened his servant’s eyes to show him the army of the LORD 2Ki 6:8ff. The chariots of fire that were on their side the host of angles protecting them. If you are in a Dothan situation remember this. God is Sovereign and knows those who trust in Him Nahum 1:7. He has angels protecting you