Your Personal Esau

YOUR PERSONAL ESAU

"Now Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and there, Esau was coming, and with him were four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants." Genesis 33:1.

Genesis chapter 32 ends with a remarkable image from the life of Jacob. The text says in verse 31, “And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.” The sun was shining on Jacob, and a new day had dawned in his life. He had wrestled with God and his life has now taken a entirely new turn. Jacob is no longer the manipulator but Israel a prince.

God had given him a new beginning, a new name and a new identity. But there was something left undone. Twenty years before, Jacob had fled from his father’s house in order to escape the rage of Esau, the brother he had cheated out of the family blessings. He had not sought forgiveness. Jacob wanted to make things right. He had stolen the birthright and all the inheritance that goes with it.

During the years in exile, Jacob built a strong home and large family. He matured in character. But there’s one thing Jacob couldn't do: erasing a guilty conscience. The past is finally catching up with him. As soon as daybreak comes, Jacob sees Esau coming. What will happen when Jacob meets him after all these years? Has Esau’s anger waned? Has he forgiven what Jacob did to him?

The four hundred men coming with Esau didn’t sound like a welcoming party. Esau was not in a joyful mood; he was approaching Jacob with a battalion. In the military, a battalion is a force of at least 400 soldiers. Recognizing that all he had was a lot of livestock, some women and his children, verse 7 says, “Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed…” Terror filled his heart. Jacob shook with fear at the thought of what his brother might do to him and his family.

NEW BEGINNINGS:

“Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:18-19. Every end is a new beginning!

A new beginning is an opportunity to start over. It is a fresh start. For some people, it may be a second chance. A new beginning is a clean slate. It is the start of something new. A new beginning is the start of a new season. It is going down a new path. A new beginning is to let go of the old. It is a new possibilities and blessings. New beginnings are new openings! God is the only One who can and will consistently give us the chance to start over, and over again. He's a God of new beginnings! You, too, can have a new beginning. Regardless of your past, your life can still be rebooted. The story of your life is not over! There may be a comma, colon or semi-colon but there is no full stop. So if men see an end for you, its nothing but a bend. If people see an end to your story, there's a new beginning. If others are seeing setback its only a comeback. No matter how many times you fall, stumble, rebel, or make wrong choices, God’s grace gives a fresh start, a new beginning.

FACING THE PAST:

As Jacob was stepping into a new beginning, Esau was waiting. There's no one without a past! The past, whether we like it or not, is part of us. We wouldn't be where we are today if it weren't for what happened yesterday. The past affects the present and the future. Proverbs 22:8 confirm that it is what you sow in the past that you reap in the present. We're a product of the decisions we made yesterday. Every action that we take is influenced by the experiences we had in the past. The past holds a lot of memories for each of us. Some of these memories will be good and pleasant to remember; some of them painful and frightening. We often allow the things we’ve been through to stop us from making progress.

Are you silently hurting because you’re living with a secret from your past? Are you haunted because of the past? Sadly, there are many people today, who are living with constant nightmare, ugly thoughts and dreams of the past. They cannot seem to be able to forget the past and move on. We allow the past to stop us from taking new opportunities. Many allow the feelings of guilt, regrets, rejections, pain, depression, betrayals, bereavement, and self pity to overwhelm them to the extent that it becomes difficult to move on. Living in the past is a sure way to ruin the present and destroy the future. There is no need to walk around carrying guilt and condemnation about our past when God has already released us from that burden.