Esau reconciled with Jacob
We read in Genesis 33:4, “When Esau saw Jacob, he ran to meet him. He put his arms around Jacob, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they both cried.” (ERV)
The above mentioned verse portrays what transpired between Esau and Jacob who were twin brothers, when they met after many long years. In haste Esau ran to meet his brother, put his arms around him, hugged his neck, kissed him and they both cried. In order to comprehend the importance of this meeting, we must go back in time to almost twenty years, when the two brothers parted ways, as a result of adverse circumstances.
It is recorded in Genesis 27:41, “So Esau was full of hate for Jacob because of his father's blessing; and he said in his heart, The days of weeping for my father are near; then I will put my brother Jacob to death.” (BBE)
Esau and Jacob were twin brothers, but instead of love being the cord that bound them, they were separated by hate, the hatred that Esau felt strongly towards his brother Jacob, because Jacob deceived their father Isaac, and deprived Esau of blessings that were rightfully his. Esau therefore schemed that once his father died, which was close at hand, he would then take revenge on Jacob, and put him to death. The key word to note here is hate which implies being at enmity with someone.
When hatred takes control of a person, it will be expressed in various ways. Some people will avoid or stop talking to the person they hate, there are others who will directly confront the person and quarrel with them, while there are those who spread rumors about the person whom they at enmity with. One of the latest ways people handle hatred, is to vent their feelings of animosity through social media, sometimes using WhatsApp status or a Face Book post. Hatred therefore that is concealed in the heart, will certainly disclose itself one way or the other.
Often when someone is hurt by another, instead of choosing to deal with it, and setting things right, they harbor a deep sense of resentment, which manifests itself in diverse ways. We must instead ask the Lord to deal with this, and when aggrieved by someone, we must know how to handle hurt the right way.
The word of God teaches us how to handle hurt, and how to be rid of hatred from our lives. This hatred generally is not with someone who is a stranger, but is something that develops between brothers and sisters.
There are three things we need to understand about hatred.
1. There is a reason for the hatred.
Sometimes the reason for the hurt are valid and justifiable, because a person actually offended us with their words or actions very deliberately. There are however times when there are no authentic reasons, and the hatred is a result of misunderstanding or miscommunication with the other person, who genuinely meant no harm.
In my experience this is a fifty-fifty chance that some hurts are intentional, and others unintentional. For instance, it is possible that sometimes a person may overlook someone on the street inadvertently, while the person who was ignored could take this as a personal insult, and try to avoid them, when they meet the next time. Sadly, sometimes even believers in church bypass fellow believers, failing to realize that all of us are gathering together to fellowship, and one day we will all be in heaven, where there will be no room for such avoidance of anyone.
If we truly desire to inherit the kingdom of God, we must be reminded that the kingdom belongs to the children of the king, and He will not entertain anyone who harbors hatred or bitterness against another. The kingdom of heaven is a place where there is no room for hatred, animosity, bitterness, cursing or un-forgiveness.
The reason for Jacob being hated by Esau was that he obtained their father’s blessings by deception. Jacob pretended to be Esau, and acquired all the blessings that were due to his brother Esau. Esau was therefore angry, bitter and hated his brother Jacob intensely.
These blessings of elders on the younger still holds true today. When anyone in authority, like parents over children, employer over the employee, the pastor over his flock, pronounce a blessing on the ones who are under their authority, it will be established as they have spoken, because the Lord has placed them in that position of authority.
2. The result of hatred
If hatred is not handled as it should be, there will most certainly be ramifications. In Esau’s case he decided that the way he would handle this enmity is wait for an opportune time to murder his brother Jacob. When hatred took over Esau, he even lost his humaneness.
God has given brothers to protect each other, but here the very purpose was lost. God has given siblings so they can be a support to each other, be a companion, and be there for one another in times of need.
Cain hated Abel
We read in 1 John 3:12, “We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.” (ESV)
The reason Cain hated Abel was because God accepted Abel’s sacrifice, and rejected his. Cain could not tolerate the fact that his brother was considered more righteous, and his deeds were deemed evil by God. Cain is referred to as one who was of the evil one, only because hatred and enmity has its source from the devil.
Cain was so filled with hatred that he murdered his brother Abel, and Esau was so filled with hatred towards his brother Jacob that he plotted, and waited to murder him. Cain’s hatred was accompanied with a boldness that prompted him to kill his own brother. Esau on the other hand was conspiring, and waiting for an opportune time to murder his own brother.
One of the predominant reasons for hatred is because someone else is doing better than us in some way. If we harbor hatred in our hearts we must be warned that this finds its origin from the devil, for God has no part in hatred. Many today have such deep hatred towards their brother’s and sister’s, but the only reason they do not murder them, is for fear of the law, and the consequence that they would face for they know that is they were to commit murder or bloodshed, then they would be apprehended by the cops, and thrown in jail.
Therefore many have cleverly schemed to commit murder without bloodshed. If you are wondering what this means, there’s a term that best describes it, the term ‘character assassination.’ All of us know that assassination refers to manslaughter, but for those who are cowards, they indulge in character assassination, which is effortless, and eludes the law as well. Character assassination refers to the malicious and unjustified harming of a person’s good reputation. A person with hatred will spread false reports, and rumors about the person who is the target of their hatred.
The group that rebelled against Moses
As Moses led the children of Israel through the wilderness with countless people in his care, his own brother Aaron and sister Miriam become jealous of him. There was also a group of men led by Korah, who turned against Moses, spread false reports about him, and even questioned his authority.
It was at this time that Moses in his anger said Numbers 16:15, ...I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed one of them." ESV
If someone is at enmity with another, they may not even talk to each other, but strangely when hatred gets a grip of them, their every waking moment is spent thinking about the person whom they despise. The whole time the mind is restless, and is constantly devising plans as to how to get even with that person.
Apostle Paul also faced such hatred
Paul was a mighty man of God, but he too encountered such hatred from men. When falsely accused by those who hated him, this is what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:14-15, “In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision.”
Paul had a principle to work, and earn his own livelihood. He proclaimed the gospel free of cost, and chose to not burden anyone. However, there were those who spread rumors about him just to create trouble, and disrupt his ministry.
In the sight of God, murdering by bloodshed, or character assassinating without bloodshed are both equally abominable. We may have realized how there is so much of false news and reports that are being freely shared through social media. Some of these have been doing their rounds for many long years. If someone brings a bad report about someone else, it is very important that we avoid such persons, and not entertain such gossip or spread those false rumors. There is a rule in the law that someone who is an associate to an assassin, will also be booked by the cops though they may not have been directly involved in the act in any way, but may have only provided the weapons or were part of the plot. The reason for this is that in the eyes of the law confederacy with someone, is as much as crime as the crime itself. Let us never be party to the person who spreads lies or malice about another, for we can be certain that the Lord will punish the character assassin, the same way he would the physical assassin.
There are many who even make fun of servants of God, mimicking them with cinema actors, and thereby maligning their name and ministry, spreading them through social media, which is regrettably viewed by thousands. If we were to analyze the origin of these hate videos, the reason would be the hatred that is deep seated in the heart of one person against the servant of God, who in turn draws thousands into this trap.
Our enemies are not those in a foreign land, but are those from our own families, in our work place, our neighborhood, and in the church groups that meet together. The only thought that is topmost in the mind of someone filled with hatred is to take revenge. Deal with hatred and uproot it from your heart, for it will surely manifest itself in dangerous, and harmful ways.
The best way to deal with hatred is to willingly forgive the person who wronged us from the depths of our heart. Joseph is a fine example of a godly man who chose to forgive his brothers who hated him, were jealous of him, treated him unjustly and even sold him into slavery.
3. There is a restriction for hatred
Esau hesitated to kill his brother Jacob, only because his father Isaac was alive. When Cain decided to kill Abel, the Lord warned him, and told him to beware, to not let sin master him, but he did not heed the warning, but went ahead to murder his own brother.
Many are not taking revenge only for fear of consequences. The restrictions therefore are in a way God given time for us, to repent and change.
The ministry of reconciliation
Our God is a God of reconciliation, and He has entrusted to each one of us the ministry of reconciliation. That is why Jesus said in Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (ESV) The adverse therefore is also true that the ones who destroy peace are cursed, for they are the children of the devil.
Esau and Jacob were reconciled
Genesis 33:4,“When Esau saw Jacob, he ran to meet him. He put his arms around Jacob, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they both cried.” (ERV)
God brought about the reconciliation between Esau and Jacob. When they met that day after many long years, they did not discuss anything of the past, but chose to forgive, and be reconciled to each other.
The prodigal son was reconciled to his father
We read in Luke 15:20, “And he rose up and went to his own father. But while he was yet a long way off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell upon his neck, and covered him with kisses.” (Darby)
There is much similarity between Jacob and Esau incident, and the parable of the lost son as recorded in Luke 15. Esau came running to meet Jacob, while the father came running to meet his wayward son. In the Jewish custom if a son took his father’s property, squandered it in a gentile land, and returned home for whatever reason, there was a custom that was performed by the people of the town called ‘kezazah’. As per this custom, the elders of the town would take a huge mud pot, throw it in front of the delinquent to signify the broken relationship with his family, and would shame him, scorn him, in front of the entire community. This was because he took what rightfully belonged to the Jewish community, and wasted it among gentiles, and would from henceforth have no rights or relationships with people in that community.
The prodigal son procured all the property from his father while he was still alive, and thereby dishonored his father who was living. His father knew that if his son ever returned home and got caught with the people of the town, that he would be disgraced, and so he waited eagerly for his return to prevent this from happening. There was no necessity whatsoever otherwise for the father to stand outside, and wait for his son.
In those days the Jewish men wore long robes that tapered down to even cover their sandals. When the father spotted his son at a distance and ran towards him, he probably had to lift up his robe, expose his legs while running to prevent a fall. It was considered a dishonor for elderly men to expose their legs, but the father did not bother, but ran to save his son to restore him back to his position. When the father hugged his son, showered kisses on him, he protected his son from being debunked by the people of the town, who might have otherwise gathered together to humiliate and expel him. The father brought his son back to his house, and restored back to him his position, honor which his son had scorned and relinquished.
Jesus reconciled us to God the Father
Jesus willingly hung on the cross, stripped, humiliated, despised, rejected, scorned and bruised only because He knew that if we were left in the hands of the enemy, he would humiliate us, devastate us, and take us to hell. God the Father sent His son Jesus to come down to earth and face the death of the cruel cross, and Jesus took our shame by hanging on the cross, so that by His death we can be reconciled to God the Father forever. Salvation is God’s priceless gift to us, and let us not allow hatred to snatch it away from us. By His death on the cross, Jesus bridged the gap of hatred that existed between a holy God, and sinful man. In other words He reconciled us to God the Father.
2 Corinthians 5:18, summarizes it this way: “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;” (ESV)
This is the same ministry of reconciliation that God has entrusted to each one of us which implies that wherever there is hatred we must be those instruments of God who bring peace in those situations.
May God help us to be ministers of peace and reconciliation wherever the Lord has placed us, and never be instruments of discord or division. Let every root of bitterness and hatred be removed from our hearts so we can be reconciled with everyone. As children of God may we be those who are the blessed peace makers wherever we are.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
