SOONER OR LATER WE MUST FACE ESAU!
Verse 1 says: "And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and,behold, ESAU CAME and with him four hundred men."
For 21 years Jacob had avoided a face-to-face encounter with Esau. At the age of 40, Jacob had to leave home unexpectedly to save his life on account of his deceit and trickery, when he stole the blessing of his father, Isaac, from the first-born son, Esau. And because of that,Esau hated Jacob, his brother, and said in his heart that as soon as his father was dead, he would kill Jacob. So, following the advice of his mother, Rebekah, Jacob fled for his life to Padan Aram to live with his uncle Laban, his mother’s brother.
During those 21 years in hiding, Jacob had become a very rich and successful businessman, amassing large herds and flocks of livestock. He had acquired two wives, 11 sons and 2 daughters, along with two handmaids and many men and women servants. For 21 years Jacob had avoided Esau. But now at the age of 61, the CONFRONTATION IS INEVITABLE; because now, with a limp, he is on his Way Home to Beersheba from Padan Aram. And to get to Beersheba, Jacob must Pass Thru Seir, the land of Esau.
And that is significant, because it Might Take 21 Years or 21 Days;BUT SOONER OR LATER, WE MUST FACE ESAU! Its just a matter of time; for one day, We shall Lift Up Our Eyes and See Our Esau Coming, at a distance, To Meet Us. You and I are going to Have to
Face Our Esau. We might have been successful in avoiding him until now; but One Day Soon, WE MUST FACE OUR ESAU!
WHO, THEN, IS ESAU? For Jacob, Esau was his TWIN BROTHER, HIS MIRROR-IMAGE, HIS D-N-A MATCH. So much alike and yet so different. For from the womb the two boys struggled. And Esau won the first match for he came out of the womb first; but Jacob took hold of his heel and followed him.
They were Alike yet Different. Esau was an outdoorsman, a sportsman, a man who enjoyed hunting; a man who enjoyed matching his wits and strength against nature. Esau was a man of the Field, a man of the world. And Isaac Loved Esau. He was a Daddy’s Boy.
While on the other hand, Jacob was a House-Boy, a Home-Boy, a Mamma’s Boy. He stayed at home and cooked, cleaned and helped his mamma around the house. And so, Rebekah Loved Jacob.Esau was stronger physically than Jacob, but Jacob was stronger mentally than Esau. So Jacob always out-thought Esau; he always out smarted Esau to get what he wanted. With his mind, he out
smarted Esau with a bowl of stew. With his mind, he deceived his father into believing he was Esau, and thus, stole the blessing of the first-born. Thus, it was his Intelligence that caused the problem!
And so, I submit that ESAU WAS THE CONSEQUENCE OF HIS CHARACTER. Jacob’s habit was Tricking, Out-Thinking Esau. And Jacob’s trick of stealing the blessing caused Esau’s hatred and desire to kill him. ESAU WAS THE CONSEQUENCE OF JACOB’S CHARACTER!
And that is significant, because as it relates to You and I, OUR ESAU IS OF OUR OWN MAKING; OUR TWIN, OUR MIRROR-IMAGE. OUR ESAU IS THE CONSEQUENCE OF OUR CHARACTER!
THE CONSEQUENCE OF OUR CHARACTER CAN TAKE THE FORM OF A PERSON WHOM WE WRONGED IN THE PAST. A Person we stepped-on on our way up. We misused to get ahead; to get a Job; a Woman/Man; a House, Car or Land.
Or, THE CONSEQUENCE OF OUR CHARACTER CAN TAKE THE FORM OF OUR PAST-LIFE. An Abusive Past. An Alcohol or Drug-Filled Past. A Life of Sexual Infidelity. A Life of Greed, Love of Money. A Lying Past.
Eventually OUR PAST WILL CATCH UP WITH US! "Be sure your sin will find you out." "Whatsover a man soweth, that shall he also reap." "Sow an Act and you reap a Habit. Sow a Habit and you reap a Character. Sow a Character and you reap a Destiny." AND ESAU IS THE CONSEQUENCE OF OUR CHARACTER. AND SOONER OR LATER, WE MUST FACE ESAU!!!
And so the issue is: What do I Do When Confronting the Inevitable? How Do I Confront the Consequence of My Character?
Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked and behold, ESAU CAME! ESAU IS OUT THERE; WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? He’s approaching in the distance. You can hear the noise of his horses. You can see the outline of his company from afar. The question is: WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?
Well, let me offer a few suggestions on HOW TO CONFRONT THE INEVITABLE.
I. FIRST, ACKNOWLEDGE THE REALITY OF EASU’S PRESENCE.
In Verse 1 again, "Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold Esau came ..." He Looked, Recognized and Acknowledged that it Was in fact Esau. He ACKNOWLEDGED THE REALITY OF ESAU’S PRESENCE.
And that is significant, because the most difficult thing for us to do is TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ESAU IS REAL! We would rather deceive ourselves into believing that the Consequence of our Character is just a Figment of our Imagination or a Trick our Eyes are playing, a Mirage in the Distance, or an Imaginary Vision. We subscribe to the theology of the late Pig-Meat Markam, who said: "Don’t you believe your Lying Eyes!" But Esau Is Real. We Must ACKNOWLEDGE THE REALITY OF HIS PRESENCE!
Some of us try to deal with the Reality of Esau’s Presence by RATIONALIZING. We try to rationalize away his presence. Its called "Getting a Second Opinion." "Did you see that?" "Who do you think it is?" But You’ve Looked and Recognized Who It Is!!
Some of us try to deal with the Reality of Esau’s Presence by REPRESSING. We unconsciously try to Forget, Pretending that Esau is not real. We subconsciously Repress the Reality of Esau’s Presence.
Then Thirdly, some of us try to deal with the Reality of Esau’s Presence by SUPPRESSION. We deliberately try to push the thought of Esau’s presence into the back of our minds.
But we can’t Rationalize Away What Is Real; we cannot Repress What Is Present; nor can we Suppress What Is Alive. We are just gonna have to deal with the Reality of Esau’s Presence.
Acknowledge the Reality of Past Sins! Acknowledge the Presence of a Guilty Conscious! Acknowledge the Reality of Esau’s Presence; for all have sinned and come short of God’s glory.
Acknowledge the Reality of your Esau because your sin is always before you. For if you would acknowledge and confess your Esau, God is faithful and just to forgive you your Esau; and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. To say that you have No Esau, to say that your Esau is Not Real, is to Make God a Liar, and His Word is not in you. So, GO ’HEAD LIFT UP YOUR EYES, LOOK AND THEN RECOGNIZE AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE REALITY OF ESAU’S PRESENCE!
In Confronting the Inevitable, let me suggest that:
II. SECOND, DON’T RELY TOTALLY UPON HUMAN
RESOURCES.
That’s the Lesson Jacob Learned when Confronting Esau.
For First of all, He relied upon Intercessory Messengers to Solve his Esau-Problem. We pick this up in Chapter 32:3-5. But his Reliance upon the Human Resource of Messengers Failed; for in 32:7, Jacob became greatly afraid and distressed. So in Verses 7 & 8, he relied on the Human Resource of Human Reasoning. For he reasoned that if he divided up his family, his livestock and his camels into two groups, and if Esau attacked one group and kill them, then the other group would escape. You see, up till now, Jacob had always Relied on His Ability to Think His Way Out of Any Situation. He had, in the past, been able to Out-Think Esau. But the question is: Can he now Rely on His Intelligence Alone? There is much more at stake than just his life. The issue is: Could he now rely totally on his Intelligence when the Lives of his Wives and Children were at stake? The Resource of Human Reasoning is useful in many circumstances, but to Rely Totally on it when the Lives of your Wife and Children are at stake is a Grave Mistake. My friends, Human Reasoning is No Match for the Esau Problem!
So Third, Jacob Relied upon the Human Resource of Money. For in Verses 13-21 of Chapter 32, Jacob tried to deal with his Esau Problem by Giving him a Gift of 200 she goats and 20 he goats, 200 sheep and 20 rams, 30 milk camels with their colts, 40 cows and 10 bulls, and 20 she asses and 10 foals. And he delivered them into the hands of his servants into three droves. And he did this hoping that the present would appease Esau into accepting him in peace.
But, my friends, YOU CANNOT BUY-OFF THE ESAU PROBLEM. That is exactly what is happening now in our society. For corporations companies, businesses, medical, educational, social, governmental and even religious institutions are settling law-suits out of courts with large sums of money just so they don’t have to admit any guilt or wrong-doing! BUT A PRESENT WITHOUT REPENTANCE WILL NOT DEAL WITH THE ESAU-PROBLEM!
Compensatory Justice has its place. After one has repented of one’s sins, then the process of correcting past injury, dispossession, exploitation or violation of rights is in order. Making restitution, offering reparation, seeking to restore a person to wholeness comes after Confession of Sin and Repentance, and not Before it.That was the practice of Zacchaeus, the rich tax collector. For after his encounter with Jesus, he stood and said to the Lord: "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." So,DON’T RELY TOTALLY UPON HUMAN RESOURCES.
But in Confronting the Inevitable, let me suggest that:
III. THIRD, YOU USE THE POWER OF PRAYER.
That is what Jacob did in 32:9-12.
1) He Prayed to the God of his fathers: "O God of myfather Abraham, and God of my father Isaac."
2) He called on the Lord with whom he had Encountered:"the Lord(Yehvah) which said to me, Return unto your country and to your kinfolk, and I will deal well with you."
3) He Confessed His Unworthiness - Verse 10
4) He Asked for Deliverance - Verse 11
5) He Pleaded the Promise - Verse 12
If you’re going to Confront the Inevitable, then let me suggest that:
IV. FOURTH, DON’T RESIST GOD!
That was Jacob’s Mistake as recorded in 32:24-
30.
Verse 24:"q;-Abaq, Dusted"; to throw down to the ground; hence, to wrestle to the ground, or to cause dust to fly while struggling.
The story of Jacob’s life was one of Wrestling.
a) Wrestling in the Womb - Genesis 25:22-23
b) in Grabbing Esau"s Heel as he emerged from the Womb - Genesis 25:26
c) Striving with Esau for his birthright and blessing: Genesis 25:29-34
d) His multiple Contendings with Laban his uncle.
Verse 25: "Prevailed not against him." The angel was not able to Influence Jacob; or he had no Power to Persuade Jacob by Arguments to give up his position.
"He touched the hollow of his thigh." He touched the "Soft or Weak Spot," the place where Jacob was most vulnerable, capable of being Physically Wounded: the Hollow of his thigh.
Verse 26: "Let me go ...." All Jacob can do now is to Cling to him, to Hold onto Him. "I will not let thee go": Jacob no longer relies on His own Resources; but on the Grace of God.
Verse 28:"Jacob-to seize by the hell in order to circumvent by tripping; or to restrain by holding up the heel." Another cognate root "Aqob" means "Fraudulent; he who Tracks; Crooked, Decietful; a Trickster." These were reminders of his Nature, his Past, his Past Dealings; how he got past blessings circumventing (going around) Esau, deceiving his father Isaac, and tricking his uncle Laban.
His name would no longer be called Jacob but Yisrael from the root meaning "Head, Governor, Director,Ruler." Jacob would now be called, "He whom God Directs, Commands, Governs, Rules." No longer shall Jacob direct or rule his own life thru deceit to get what he wanted; but would be Directed and Ruled by God in receiving blessings as a Prince.
Verse 31: The Consequence of Resisting God is GOING THRU LIFE WITH A LIMP; WALKING WITH A LIMP!!!.
V. FIFTH, HUMBLE YOURSELF: VERSES 4-5.
