When I was in the work force I was in middle management for my employer. An employee of mine was named Eric. Eric was a bad boy. He had the much deserved reputation of being a partier and a womanizer. Some of his stories would even make me uncomfortable. He often got himself in binds at work but I was always able to smooth things over. For all of his shenanigans he was a faithful and hard worker.
Around this same time I met a beautiful lady named Debbie. She swept me off my feet. I had not dated anyone like her in a very long time. Beauty, class, and all that a man was looking for in a wife. I was certain that one day we would be married.
Then came the Christmas party at work. As I escorted her in the door she and Eric locked eyes. Exclaiming each other’s names they flew across the room and embraced each other. My stomach dropped. How could this classy, beautiful lady have ever dated a womanizer like Eric? How could I continue dating her after all the other employees who knew him would now view her?
They came walking toward me arm in arm. “What a small world,” she said. “I never knew that my cousin worked for you.” Cousin! This was the greatest news that I had heard in awhile.
Debbie and I were later married. Eric continued along his path and got into a jam that I could not get him out of. I was in the process of working out a program to help smooth things over when he quit.
After he left I had to cover for him in his position while handling my own. I decided that I had reached a point where management no longer appealed to me. So I stepped down and took the position vacated by Eric.
Years later Debbie’s family had a family reunion at her aunt’s house. It was there that I saw Eric for the first time since he had left the company. I walked up to him and offered my hand to shake. He looked at me with contempt and snorted, “Why should I shake the hand of the guy who got rid of me and took my job?” I was somewhat stunned. I had fought for his job but he quit. Yet some how in his thinking his present situation was my entire fault. The reunion became very uncomfortable for both Debbie and I.
As we continue to look at the life of Jacob we will discover that he has three reunions. One was planned. The other came out of nowhere. And one came from on high.
Last week we discovered that Jacob had been tricked by Laban into marrying both of his daughters. Jacob worked for 14 years to have Rachel’s hand. We learned that his leadership role was very weak as he became victimized by his wives. There was strife, bickering, and jealousy between the two sisters. There were handmaidens given to Jacob by the two sisters. Once he was bartered off for some fruit.
We learned that God had promised to prosper, protect, and return Jacob to his native land. But Jacob chose to rely on his own abilities and began a game of trickery against Laban to become wealthy. This would cause a great deal of tension between Laban and his sons and Jacob. God came to Jacob twice and told him to return home. So he decided to do so. But one of Jacob’s disruptive wives decided to get even with dad.
Genesis 31:19-21 “At the time they left, Laban was some distance away, shearing his sheep. Rachel stole her father’s household idols and took them with her. Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, for they set out secretly and never told Laban they were leaving. So Jacob took all his possessions with him and crossed the Euphrates River, heading for the hill country of Gilead.”
Three days later Laban was told that Jacob, his family, and all there possessions were gone. Also his idols were missing. Laban was furious. He and his relatives set out to find Jacob and possibly destroy him. An unplanned reunion was about to take place.
But remember, God had made Jacob a promise. “I am with you…I will give you…I will keep you…I will bring you home…I will never leave you.” So God intervenes on Jacob’s behalf. Genesis 31:24 “But the previous night God had appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and told him, ‘I’m warning you—leave Jacob alone!’”
When Laban caught up with Jacob seven days later he grilled him on why he snuck away, why he didn’t give him a chance to say goodbye to his daughters and grandchildren. But most importantly why Jacob had taken his gods.
Jacob was unaware of Rachel’s deception. He boldly declared for Laban to seek his camp for the stolen idols and if found the one who took them would be put to death. He searched all the tents and came to Rachel’s last.
Rachel was sitting on the camel’s saddle which held the idols. She told her father that it was her time of the month and she couldn’t stand. So he did not find the idols. The next morning he told his family goodbye and blessed them.
Once again God intervened in spite of Rachel’s deception. She would bare another child named Benjamin, from which one of the tribes of Israel would be created. God is always faithful to his plans.
As he neared the land where Esau lived he began to make plans for a reunion. He sent messengers ahead to Esau. He told them, “Give this message to my master Esau: ‘Humble greetings from your servant Jacob. Until now I have been living with Uncle Laban, and now I own cattle, donkeys, flocks of sheep and goats, and many servants, both men and women. I have sent these messengers to inform my lord of my coming, hoping that you will be friendly to me.’” He wanted Esau to understand that he was not coming home to declare his birthright. He had become wealthy and was simply returning home.
After delivering the message, the messengers returned to Jacob and reported, “We met your brother, Esau, and he is already on his way to meet you—with an army of 400 men!” Jacob was terrified at the news. He divided his household, along with the flocks and herds and camels, into two groups. He thought, “If Esau meets one group and attacks it, perhaps the other group can escape.”
Then Jacob prayed. For the past twenty years there is no record of him praying. But, in a bind, he now prays. How like Jacob we can be. When things are going well we often forget to commune with God. We forget to offer him thanks for a beautiful day filled with no problems. Yet we run to him when some catastrophe over takes us.
So he prays. Let’s look at the components of Jacob’s prayer. First he recognizes God for who He is.
Genesis 32:9 “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac” In recognizing God for who He is, he worships him. Our petitions before God must always begin with worship and praise.
Next, he reminds God of his promises.
Genesis 32: 9 “O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.’”
It’s not that he thinks God has forgotten his promises. It’s not that he is making demands on God to follow through with his promises. It is to show God that Jacob had not forgotten God’s promises. When we make our petitions before God have some promises to stand on. Prayer is much more effective if backed by God’s word.
Next, he thanks God for all the blessings that he has received.
Genesis 32: 10 “I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps!”
Before we begin laying out our needs for him to act upon take time to thank him for the blessings that you have. Take inventory of all that you have. Thank him for your health, your job, your house, your car, your family, whatever you possess. Don’t complain that things are not good enough. Don’t complain to God that your blessings are not good enough. And recognize that all you have is due to his unconditional love for you. None of us have what we have because we earned it.
Next, he lets his petition be known.
Genesis 32: 11 “O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children.”
There is an uncertain future that lies before him as there is for us. We can only ask God to rescue us from whatever our petition is.
We have more confidence if we present it to him based on his promises but we also realize that not every petition is answered to our satisfaction. That will be when our faith and trust in God will be tested.
He ends his prayer with assurance.
Genesis 32: 12 “But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.’”
Jacob is saying I believe you God and your promises. This is the proper ending for a prayer. I have given you my request. I have stood on your promises. Now I leave it with you to handle as you see fit. Give it to God and walk away.
The story continues. Jacob stayed where he was for the night. Then he selected these gifts from his possessions to present to Esau: 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, 30 female camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys. He divided these animals into herds and assigned each to different servants. Then he told his servants, “Go ahead of me with the animals, but keep some distance between the herds.”
He gave these instructions to the men leading the first group: “When my brother, Esau, meets you, he will ask, ‘Whose servants are you? Where are you going? Who owns these animals?’ You must reply, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob, but they are a gift for his master Esau. Look, he is coming right behind us.’”
Jacob gave the same instructions to the second and third herdsmen and to all who followed behind the herds: “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. And be sure to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’”
Jacob thought, “I will try to appease him by sending gifts ahead of me. When I see him in person, perhaps he will be friendly to me.” So the gifts were sent on ahead, while Jacob himself spent that night in the camp.
During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them. After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions. This left Jacob all alone in the camp where he would have his second reunion. This one would come from above.
If you remember Jacob had an encounter with God on his way to Laban’s house. God stood at the top of a stairway that led from heaven to earth. It was there that God made the covenant with Jacob. Now God was about to descend that stairway in the form of a man.
Genesis 32:24-28 “This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. Then the man said, ‘Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!’
But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’
‘What is your name?’ the man asked.
He replied, ‘Jacob.’
‘Your name will no longer be Jacob,’ the man told him. ‘From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.’”
God in human form. Sound familiar? What was the wrestling match all about? Jacob already had God’s blessings. Was it to prove that Jacob was stronger than God? That would be ridiculous. I believe that the wrestling match was prophetic in nature. God changed Jacob’s name that night and the beginning of a new nation was formed. That nation would be Israel.
Israel would be a nation of struggle. They would struggle with men. They would struggle with God. They would limp their way through history, rising and falling under other nations rule. But they would always overcome.
The next morning Jacob was limping. He would limp the rest of his days. It was time to face Esau and have the planned reunion.
Genesis 33:1-3 “Then Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming with his 400 men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and his two servant wives. He put the servant wives and their children at the front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. Then Jacob went on ahead. As he approached his brother, he bowed to the ground seven times before him.”
Jacob feared the worse. He placed the servant wives and his children by them first. Leah and his children by her next. Then Rachel and Joseph last. His hope was that Esau’s desire for blood would have run its course before Rachel and Joseph would be slain. This would be an event that would leave a lasting impression upon Joseph’s brothers. Jacob did not get the results he expected.
Genesis 33:4 “Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.”
After the joyous reunion Jacob would once again fail to do what God had commanded him to do. Rather than go back to the land that was his he settled in Canaan near the city of Shechem. His disobedience would lead to his daughter being raped and all the males of the city being slaughtered by his two sons, Simeon and Levi. Reubun would have sexual relations with Jacob’s concubine. The actions of these three would change the course of the ancestry of Jesus.
Rachel would have one more son, Benjamin, but would die in childbirth. All of these events would finally drive Jacob back into his homeland.
