Reading: Genesis chapter 32 verses 1-21:
Ill:
• James Whistler, the Victorian artist,
• Showed scant respect for the hierarchy of any profession.
• When his poodle fell ill with a throat infection,
• The artist sent immediately for the country’s leading ear, nose, and throat specialist,
• Sir Morell Mackenzie was not amused when he was shown his patient,
• But he conducted a thorough examination, wrote out a prescription, and left with his fee.
• The next day Sir Morell Mackenzie sent the artist James Whistler a message;
• In it he asked him to call on him without delay.
• Fearing some development in the poodle’s condition,
• James Whistler hurried to the doctor’s house.
• “So good of you to come, Mr. Whistler,” said Mackenzie as his visitor was shown in.
• “I wanted to see you about having my front door painted.”
• Well Sir Morell Mackenzie got his revenge;
• And made his point effectively!
Now in Genesis 32 the main character is Jacob:
• He is worried that his brother Esau is about to take revenge on him:
• Esau his brother was a fighter and a killer and Jacob was scared to death of him
• Let me remind you that the last time the two brothers met,
• Jacob tricked his brother Esau and he not Esau got the family blessing.
• When Esau realised he had been made to look a fool and he had missed the blessing.
• It was too late.
• As a result of this deception Jacob had to quickly leave his home and land.
• Because Esau wanted to kill him.
• Now 20 years have passed by;
• And Jacob is commanded by God (chapter 31 verse 13) to return back to his home.
When we pick up the story in chapter 32 Jacob is a worried, an anxious man:
Quote: Navy Law:
“If you can keep your head when all about you others are losing theirs,
may be you just don’t understand the situation”.
• Jacob is a worried, an anxious man all he can think of is, “What will Esau do to me?”
• Despite the promises of God Jacob is a troubled man!
Ill:
There is a story told about a construction worker.
• This construction worker was employed on a high-rise building project,
• Which required him and others to work after dark.
• He was busy on the edge of one of the walls which was many stories high,
• When he suddenly lost his balance and fell.
• As he fell over the edge,
• He managed to grab the edge of the wall with his fingertips.
• Desperately he hung on hoping that somebody would discover his perilous situation.
• He was in total darkness, just about hanging on to the wall, and crying out loud for help,
• Due to the noise and machinery at the construction site.
• No one could hear him, all his screams were in vain.
Very soon his arms begin to grow weak and his grip began to slip:
• He tried praying, but no miracle occurred.
• At last his fingers slipped from the wall and with a cry of horror he fell!
• He fell exactly 3 feet and landed on a scaffold that had been there all the time,
• But he had not seen it because of the darkness.
This story illustrates some of the situations we sometimes find ourselves in:
• When we face various crises in life.
• Sometimes we feel that we are all alone,
• Desperately doing all we can to save ourselves, crying out for help but feeling unheard,
• Until finally we lose all our own strength and let go.
It is then that we discover that we were never in any real danger to begin with.
• Oftentimes we give in to fear and discouragement in times of crises
• Because we do not know or see that we are safe in God’s hands.
• We do not see because of the darkness that surrounds us,
• Not literal darkness but the darkness of unbelief.
Jacob very much feels like that construction worker:
• Worried and blinded by unbelief, he thinks he is in great danger.
• He cannot appreciate that with God on his side he is not actually in any danger at all!
I want to divide these 21 verses under 4 headings this morning:
(1). Jacob's Helper (verses 1-2):
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 (ma-han-ian).
• When Jacob left the promised land (chapter 28) he had a vision of angels at Bethel;
• Now, as he approaches Canaan, he is once more met by angels.
As Jacob’s crisis is growing closer, God encourages and reassures him that he is not alone.
• He does this by revealing to Jacob the presence of the angelic beings.
• Notice: that there’s not just one or two angels, but many!
The point of this supernatural appearance:
• Is that God is giving Jacob a sign:
• Is to encourage him that he need not fear his brother or his brothers army.
• Because God is with him;
• And he has a Divine escort back to the Promised Land.
Application one:
“In a time of crisis, remember that God’s people do not face their crisis alone;
they have a divine helper”.
This is true for us today as we face fearful situations.
• We can be at peace because we know that we are not on our own, God is with us.
• We may not have a vision like Jacob.
• We have something even better.
• A promise written down in black & white!
Note:
• A vision is temporary and then gone;
• Next day you might wonder did I dream it or did it happen.
• But with a promise written down in black & white;
• We can constantly look at it as a reminder that God is with us!
Quote:
“How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in his excellent word;
What more can he say than to you he hath said,
You who to Jesus for refuge have fled?”
Ill:
• 3 school boys were asked to write their definition of faith:
• One wrote: “Faith is TAKING hold of God”.
• The second wrote: “Faith is HOLDING onto God”.
• The third wrote: “Faith is NOT letting go!”.
• Each boy was right!
• Jacob would need to take God at his word. Hold on to it and not let Go!
Verse 2:
• Jacob named the place ‘Mahanaim’ (ma-han-I-an) means 'two camps',
• Referring both to Jacob's own camp and 'the camp of God'.
• By this means Jacob is reassured that God has not forgotten his promise to be with him,
• And to bring him back safely (28:15).
Jacob's message (verses 3-6)
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 favour 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.
Ill:
• The lion was proud of his mastery of the animal kingdom.
• One day he decided to make sure all the other animals knew that he was the king of the jungle.
• He bypassed the smaller animals and went straight to the bear.
• "Who is the king of the jungle?" the lion asked. The bear replied, "Why, you are, of course."
• Next, he asked the tiger, "Who is the king of the jungle?"
• The tiger quickly responded, "Everybody knows that you are, O mighty lion."
Then the lion encountered an elephant:
• But unfortunately, the elephant did not respond the same way to the question.
• The elephant grabbed the lion with his trunk,
• Whirled him around in the air five or six times, and slammed him into a tree.
• Then he pounded him onto the ground several times,
• Dunked him under the water in a nearby lake,
• And finally threw him up on the shore.
• The lion- beaten, bruised, and battered- struggled to his feet.
• He looked at the elephant through sad and bloody eyes and said,
"Look, just because you don’t know the answer, that’s no reason for you to get mean about it."
In this passage: Jacob (the lion) is about to face up to Esau (the elephant):
• He knows his brother is stronger and more powerful than he is;
• And if he wants to he could quite easily destroy him!
• Jacob knows that only too well;
• That’s why he displays all the signs of a desperate man:
Jacob does everything within HIS power to resolve this crisis situation with his brother:
PLAN A: IS TO APPEAL TO ESAUS JUDGMENT:
• Verse 4: He sent messengers to inform Esau that he has plenty of material goods,
• This was probably so that Esau would not think that Jacob was coming to claim the inheritance of the firstborn.
• Verse 4: He also refers to Esau as his master,
• While referring to himself as Esau’s servant.
• He is out to show Esau that he is not a threat;
• He wants to flatter Esau and to try to soothe his anger.
In verse 6 it appears that Plan A has failed:
• Esau responded to Jacob’s messengers by bringing 400 men to meet him.
• The Bible does not say why Esau would bring so many men,
• But it seems reasonable to suggest:
• That such a large amount of people was intended as an army to attack Jacob (or why bring them?)
• So Jacob has a major problem; Esau is preparing for battle with Jacob
• And his army greatly outnumbers the people that belongs to Jacob.
PLAN B: IS TO SAVE WHAT HE CAN:
• In verses 7-8: Jacob divides his possessions into two groups;
• He is seeking to minimize the damage.
• Should Esau attack;
• Maybe one group will escape and be spared!
Application 2:
“In a time of crisis, keep your eyes on God
because things may get worse before they get better”.
The point I want you to see is that;
• The crisis for Jacob was now much worse than before.
• He could never have imagined that he would face an army of 400 men.
• That’s the way it often is when God’s people face various crisis.
• Things did not usually get immediately better,
• Whether the crisis is a health problem, financial problem, relational problem;
• Or a ‘whatever’ problem! Things tend to grow worse, before they get better.
Quote William Shakespeare (Hamlet 6:5)
“When sorrows come, they come not as single spies,
But in battalions!”
Quote:
The light at the end of the tunnel may be an oncoming train!”
• If things are getting worse before they get better;
• Don’t give up, look up!
• Jacob had tried his best to remedy a difficult and bad situation;
• Having failed he does what all desperate men and women do, he prays!
Jacob's prayer (verses 7-12)
“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.1”
ill:
• Advert on TV for the ‘A.A.’ calling them the fourth emergency service.
• In their latest TV advert, their slogan is ‘Just aask!”.
Jacob having failed to solve the impending situation HIMSELF:
• Decides to pray;
• This for him is his back up emergency service!
• And then he prays the most agonized prayer of his life
• Under the circumstances it is a very clever little prayer indeed!
Notice how he prays:
(a). Verse 9a:
“Then Jacob prayed, O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac,”
• He addresses God as the God of Abraham and Isaac,
• Implicitly reminding God of his covenant with Abraham and with his descendants.
(b). Verse 9b:
“O LORD, who said to me, 'Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,'”
• He then reminds God that it was his idea for him to make this journey (e.g. 31:3)
• In other words; “Lord you have put me in this situation”
(c). Verse 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.”
• Jacob admits that it was God who gave him success and made him wealthy.
• It certainly was not his scheming.
• Implying; “You’ve blessed me in the past, now do it again”.
(d). Verses 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”.
• He urgently asks God to save him and his family.
• He might be getting his just rewards, but those with him do not deserve to die”.
(e). Verse 12:
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.”
• Once again he appeals to God on the basis of his longer-term promises to the family;
• The phrase “descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted”.
• Is not from God’s promise to him, but from God’s promise to Abraham.
• In other words; “If you changed your mind about blessing me, remember what you promised to others!”
Application 3:
“The best thing we can do in a time of crisis is not try to handle it ourselves,
but to call on God for help.”
Ill:
• A sign that is seen in a textile mill reads,
• "When your thread becomes tangled, call the foreman."
• So this young woman, who was new on the job,
• Found herself with her thread being tangled up and she thought,
• "I’ll just straighten this out myself."
• She tried, but the situation only worsened.
• So finally she called the foreman.
• When the foreman arrived, she said, "I did the best I could."
• The foreman said,
• "No you didn’t. To have done your best, you should have called me."
In situations of concern and anxiety, where we do not know what the outcome maybe:
• This prayer is a good model to follow.
• We cannot always appeal to God on the basis of such direct promises,
• But we can appeal to God on the many universal promises that are contained in his word:
• For example:
• We know that he will be with us (Matthew chapter 28 verse 20),
• And we know that we can; “Cast our cares upon him for he cares for us”.
Ill:
A Pastor working in the Philippines tells this story;
• The driver of a caribou wagon was on his way to market;
• When he overtook an old man carrying a heavy load.
• Taking compassion on him, the driver invited the old man to ride in the wagon.
• Gratefully the old man accepted.
• After a few minutes;
• The driver turned to see how the man was doing.
• To his surprise, he found him still straining under the heavy weight,
• For, he had not taken the burden off his shoulders.
In contrast to that story;
• I’m reminded of the great missionary John Paton;
• Who served God in the New Hebrides as a Presbyterian missionary.
• Three months after arriving on the island of Tanna,
• Paton’s young wife died, followed by their five-week-old son.
• For three more years, Paton laboured alone among the hostile islanders,
• Until one day he had to escape the island before the natives killed him.
• Later on, he returned and spent fifteen years on another island.
• Paton was working one day in his home on the translation of John’s Gospel;
• Puzzling over John’s favourite expression “believe in” or to “trust in”
• “How can I translate it?” Paton wondered.
• The islanders were cannibals; and nobody trusted anybody else.
• There was no word for “trust” in their language.
• One morning his native servant came into the room where Paton was working.
• “What am I doing?” Paton asked him. “Sitting at your desk,” the man replied.
• Paton then raised both feet off the floor and sat back on his chair.
• “What am I doing now?”
• In reply, Paton’s servant used a verb which means “to lean your whole weight upon.”
• “That’s it” replied Paton.
And that’s the phrase Paton used throughout John’s Gospel;
• Whenever he translated the word “believe” or “trust”
• He used the expression: “to lean your whole weight upon.”
In times of crises:
• We can carry on carrying our own burdens;
• Or we can “lean our whole weight upon” God!
Jacob's Mistake (verses 13-21)
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.
Despite his prayer Jacob immediately implements his own plan:
• He may have prayed the right prayer;
• But this is a classic case of actions speaking louder than words!
Ill:
We ought not to be surprised because this is the pattern of his whole life:
1. Jacob tended to rely upon his own abilities, rather than trusting in God.
2. Even though God’s hand was upon him, he always tried to be self-sufficient.
(a). Back in chapter 27:
• Jacob was promised the status of the firstborn son,
• But instead of waiting on God, he sought to obtain this blessing through deceit.
(b). Back in chapter 30: 37-43:
• Jacob was promised material provision for his life,
• But instead of trusting God, he tried to obtain it through manipulation.
(c). Back in chapter 31:
• Jacob was promised protection by God,
• But instead of trusting God, he relied upon deceit and speed to try and outrun Laban,
(d). Here in chapter 32:
• Jacob is facing a crisis with Esau,
• And once again he again turns to his own resources, rather than trusting in God.
• He has already tried to use flattery, which did not work,
• So now he tries bribery to resolve this crisis situation.
Ill:
• Jacob tries to appease Esau with presents.
• He hopes to wear away Esau's anger by giving him one gift after another:
• He sends Esau 580 animals, these are sent out in five groups.
• Each herd contained a proportionate number of males to ensure maximum increase.
Question: Did his plan work?
Answer: Find out in next weeks exiting episode!
Ill:
Batman or Flash Gordon programmes
Final Application:
“In a time of crisis, practice what you preach!”
• Jacob had all the answers;
• But had no peace or confidence that God was in control.
Quote: A.W. Tozer
“Unused truth becomes as useless as an unused muscle”.
Ill:
• Person who lived in a well stocked kitchen,
• Read recipe books in their spare time.
• Loved to watch ‘Ready, steady cook’ etc.
• Yet died of hunger, with their last words being; “I believe in food!”
Quote: Francis bacon:
“It is not what men eat but what they digest that makes them strong;
not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich;
not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned;
not what we preach but what we practice that makes us Christians.”
Summary:
Application one:
“In a time of crisis, remember that God’s people do not face their crisis alone;
they have divine help”.
Application 2:
“In a time of crisis, keep your eyes on God
because things may get worse before they get better”.
Application 3:
“The best thing we can do in a time of crisis is not try to handle it ourselves,
but to call on God for help.”
Final Application:
“In a time of crisis, practice what you preach!”
