Genesis 31 - Jacob Flees From Laban to Canaan
Verses 1-2 tells us contention with Laban’s sons causes Laban to look differently at Jacob.
“Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has acquired all this wealth.” And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before.”
Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s: It wasn’t that Jacob had taken ANYTHING belonging to Laban. Rather, it was that JACOB’S WEALTH was increasing in proportion to Laban’s wealth.
SO WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM?
THE GREEN-EYED MONSTER…CALLED ENVY had reared its head.
The problem wasn’t that Jacob stole, it was that Laban’s sons were filled with envy.
Envy will distort the truth. Jacob had not taken anything of Laban’s, but envy will lie.
And consider this truth, for 20+ years JACOB had basically worked for Laban for FREE. And Laban’s sons could sit back and reap the blessings of Jacob’s due diligence. Laban and his sons were getting wealthier and wealthier…without doing much of anything…now for the past 6+ years, Jacob’s sheep & goats & camels are reproducing…we could say at a MIRACULOUS rate…and Jacob’s flocks are pure, perfect, stronger, and healthier than Laban’s.
WHY?
First and foremost, Jacob had THE FAVOR OF ALMIGHTY GOD, AND secondly, ALMIGHTY GOD’S PROMISE TO BLESS AND INCREASE THE WORK OF HIS HANDS AND HIS FLOCKS.
SO NOW…it is VERY APPARENT TO LABAN’S SONS, THE PEOPLE AROUND THEM, JACOB AND HIS FAMILY, AND TO LABAN HIMSELF…that the tables have been turned, AMEN?
Laban’s flocks are not dying, or decreasing, but they are NOT MULTIPLYING ANY WHERE NEAR AS FAST AS JACOB’S.
SO SILENTLY PROVES TO LABAN’S SONS and to LABAN himself…that he and his sons HAVE BEEN VERY LAZY & HAVE NOT BEEN WORKING HARD…SO INSTEAD OF ADMITTING THEIR LAZINESS AND LACK OF HARD WORK AND DUE DILIGENCE OVER THEIR FATHER LABAN’S FLOCKS…they decide to TRY AND CAST THE BLAME for their puny flocks on Jacob stealing/switching THEIR FLOCKS, AND PUTTING his weak and puny sheep and goats in their flocks, and TAKING THEIR STRONGER SHEEP AND GOATS.
WHEN WE CONSIDER THAT JACOB moved HIS FLOCKS three days AWAY from LABAN’S FLOCKS…and HIS FLOCKS were only producing what he TOLD LABAN they would…it makes this ACCUSATION all the more ridiculous.
The countenance of Laban . . . was not favorable toward him: The envy of Laban’s sons poisoned Laban’s heart against Jacob. Before, he was entirely pleased with the agreement. Laban WAS PLEASED when HE AND HE ALONE was profiting from Jacob’s labor and reaping ALL THE benefits…but now that JACOB’S HARD WORK IS PAYING OFF…miraculously…LABAN is NO LONGER HAPPY.
Envy is bad not only on its own, but also for the company it keeps: for you are still carnal.
1 Corinthians 3:3 reminds us… “For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?”
James 3:16 warns us, “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”
1 Corinthians 13:4 counsels us…“Instead, Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy.”
Titus 3:3 tells us God wants to deliver us from envy. “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.”
SOME HAVE ASKED…Is envy a small sin?
Matthew 27:18 tells us THAT ENVY put Jesus on the cross. “For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.”
SO ENVY IS A VERY DANGEROUS SIN, AMEN?
Verse 3 tells us God tells Jacob to go back home.
“Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.”
Even if Jacob never knew it, God prepared him for this time. First, God gave him the desire to go back home in Genesis 30:25. Then his present circumstances became unbearable. Finally, the Lord gave personal direction to Jacob. God often leads us in the same pattern.
And I will be with you…This confirmed the direction of God in Jacob’s life.
Verses 4-13 tells us Jacob explains the situation and his plan to his wives.
“So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock, and said to them, “I see your father’s countenance, that it is not favorable toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me. And you know that with all my might I have served your father. Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me. If he said thus: ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: ‘The streaked shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked. So God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted. Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.’ And He said, ‘Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.’ “
Even though Laban TRIED to cheat Jacob, God protected him all the time. We don’t have to fear what man can do to us when God is on our side, AMEN?
Psalm 118:6 reminds us of this as well, when David says, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
You know that with all my might I have served your father….This shows Jacob knew his wives were aware of his righteous conduct and Laban’s unfair treatment of him.
I am the God of Bethel…God told Jacob to go back to Bethel, back to the place where he first encountered the Lord in a personal way.
This is a way of RETURNING to one’s first love and first works as Jesus encouraged and warned HIS CHURCHES in Revelation 2:4-5.
I am the God of Bethel…it is good for us to remember times and places where the Lord did great works for us, and met us in wonderful ways. As we remember them, God reminds us He is still the same God Who met our needs then and wants to meet our needs now, AMEN?
DID YOU CATCH THAT?
THE ANGEL OF GOD spoke to me in a dream: Significantly, there is much more to what the Lord said to Jacob than what was reported in Genesis 31:3. Genesis 31:3 is completely true, but there was more to it than this simple bare word from the Lord.
Not A ANGEL, OR ANGELS, BUT THE ANGEL OF GOD, CAN ONLY BE JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF.
Verses 14-16 tells us Leah and Rachel support Jacob in his desire to move back to Canaan.
“Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? Are we not considered strangers by him? For he has sold us, and also completely consumed our money. For all these riches which God has taken from our father are really ours and our children’s; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.”
Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house?
LEAH AND RACHEL’S UNITED SUPPORT IS THE FIRST KNOWN TIME THEY BOTH AGREE AND SUPPORT…ANYTHING.
AND JACOB NEEDED THEIR SUPPORT…because this is a huge undertaking, moving such a massive family so far. If not for the support of his wives, Jacob perhaps would not have done what the Lord had told him to do.
Whatever God has said to you, do it: This may be the first time in quite a while when the sisters Leah and Rachel agreed on anything, BUT THEY CAN AGREE IN UNITING AGAINST A COMMON LONG TIME FOE…their father Laban.
Verses 17-21 tells us Jacob leaves without saying goodbye.
“Then Jacob rose and set his sons and his wives on camels. And he carried away all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gained, his acquired livestock which he had gained in Padan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father’s. And Jacob stole away, unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee. So he fled with all that he had. He arose and crossed the river, and headed toward the mountains of Gilead.”
STOLE AWAY…means JACOB SNEAKED AWAY FROM LABAN.
God has already TOLD JACOB to go and PROMISED him safe passage. Jacob is clearly acting in the flesh, because has no need to be afraid of Laban or to sneak away, AMEN?
FEAR AND LACK OF FAITH IN JUST WHO ALMIGHTY GOD IS AND WHAT ALMIGHTY GOD CAN DO…made it impossible for JACOB TO LEARN AND REAP the full measure of blessing ALMIGHTY GOD WANTED FOR HIM…SO JACOB sneaked away instead of departing OPENLY TRUSTING AND BELIEVING THAT ALMIGHTY GOD WOULD BE WITH HIM AND WOULD PROTECT HIM.
Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father’s:
Rachel took her father’s household idols (teraphim). She may have wanted them because perhaps she worshipped these idols and did not want to be without them. Perhaps she did not want her father to inquire of them, using them as tools of divination to catch them (as he may have previously done, Genesis 30:27). Or perhaps it was because such idols were often used as deeds to property and she thought this she was taking her “inheritance.”
TERAPHIM were human carvings in form and cut off at the waist as were sculpted figures, yet these were used as protections, blessings, and said to commune with “gods” to show them the future and to make decisions. Much like those cults who use a scryching mirror or a crystal ball to SEE what their SPIRIT GUIDES show and tell them.
Perhaps Rachel stole the teraphim simply to get back at her father, whom she felt had mistreated her, her husband, and her whole family. Jewish traditions say Rachel took the teraphim because she wanted to keep her father Laban from idolatry.
WHATEVER THE REASON…Rachel did not TRUST AND REALLY KNOW ALMIGHTY GOD yet either…Amen?
It was nearly 300 miles from Haran to the mountains of Gilead, but the journey was longer and tougher psychologically for Jacob than anything else. He is leaving the place of safety, where he has lived in a comfortable servitude, to go to a place where God has called him, but dangerous enemies abound (like his brother Esau, who swore to kill him).
Verses 22-24 tells us Laban pursues and catches Jacob.
“And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. Then he took his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead. But God had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, “Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.”
God had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night: God’s speaking to Laban in a dream shows he had evil intention towards Jacob. God is protecting Jacob. And this ALSO tells us something else here, the lost, the disbelieving, and the rejecting STILL KNOW WITHOUT DOUBT…WHEN ALMIGHTY GOD VISITS THEM AND SPEAKS TO THEM, AMEN?
Verses 25-29 tells us Laban meets and confronts Jacob.
“So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead. And Laban said to Jacob: “What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword? Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp? And you did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters. Now you have done foolishly in so doing. It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.”
Why did you flee away secretly?
FIRST Laban TRIES to shame Jacob with kindness (“We wanted to throw you a party!”). When that didn’t work (we can only imagine the stony faces answering him), he did what most bullies do - he boasted of his ability to harm Jacob.
DO YOU SEE SATAN HAVING A LARGE TIME TWISTING LABAN AND HIS SONS AND USING THEM TO TRY TO HURT AND SHAME JACOB’S HEART, IF NOT DESTROY HIS NAME AND REPUTATION WITHIN HIS OWN PEOPLE?
Verses 30-35 Laban accuses Jacob of stealing his teraphim and searches for them.
“And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?” Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I said, ‘Perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force.’ With whomever you find your gods, do not let him live. In the presence of our brethren, identify what I have of yours and take it with you.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, into Leah’s tent, and into the two maids’ tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent. Now Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find them. And she said to her father, “Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is with me.” And he searched but did not find the household idols.”
Why did you steal my gods? Jacob, not knowing his beloved wife Rachel stole the household idols, proclaimed his innocence and pronounced a harsh curse on the thief, not knowing actually put a curse on his own wife.
And you notice, as I did, that LABAN TOO FAVORED RACHEL OVER LEAH…He was quick to toss LEAH AND HER MAIDS AND HER CHILDREN’S TENTS FIRST…and only after HIS IDOLS were NOT FOUND ANYWHERE…that LABAN half-heartedly searched RACHEL’S THINGS.
Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them: Rachel learned the ways of deception well from her father. She succeeded in deceiving her father about the idols.
AND RACHEL SAYING… “THE MANNER OF WOMEN IS WITH ME”…insured that LABAN would not touch her or go near her…WHY?
In that day, women were considered UNCLEAN & EVIL CONTAGIOUS during their menstrual cycle…and WERE MOST TIMES RELEGATED TO A SEPARATE “RED TENT” SET APART FROM EVERYONE ELSE…AND SET ASIDE FOR WOMEN DURING THEIR MONTHLY CYCLE, AS WELL RIGHT AFTER GIVING BIRTH.
KNOWING THIS, Rachel used HER FATHER AND HER PEOPLE’S SUPERSTITION AGAINST THEM TO INSURE THAT THEY DID NOT MAKE HER GET DOWN FROM HER CAMEL TO BOW BEFORE HER FATHER, NOR DID LABAN, HIS SONS, NOR ANY OF HIS MEN GO NEAR HER.
Verses 36-42 tells us Jacob rebukes his father-in-law Laban.
“Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban: “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued me? Although you have searched all my things, what part of your household things have you found? Set it here before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us both! These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock. That which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. You required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.”
Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban:
IN OTHER WORDS, JACOB GAVE LABAN AND HIS SONS A LONG HELD BACK SPEW-FEST OVER ALL THAT HE HAD DEALT WITH.
It isn’t hard to see these words building up in Jacob for 20 years. He has practiced this speech over and over again in his mind.
HOW MANY OF US HAVE EVER SAID, IF NOT THOUGHT, MAN OHHHHHH MANNNNNNN, ONE OF THESE DAYS I AM GOING TO TELL MY BOSS, NEIGHBOR, FAMILY MEMBER, OR FRIEND…EXACTLY WHAT I REALLLLLLLLLY THINK ABOUT THEM?
What is my trespass?
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH….IN THAT DAY, IT WAS THE CUSTOM that a shepherd could bring the torn carcass of a sheep to his owner, as evidence that he was brave enough to not let the wolf devour it or take it away, and thus the shepherd would be excused. But Jacob says he didn’t even do this, and every animal that was attacked, he made good out of his own flock.
Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me.
THE GOOD NEWS….Jacob RIGHTLY saw God’s place & CONTROL in all this.
THE BAD NEWS…YOU NOTICE NO WHERE AND AT NO TIME DOES JACOB CALL ALMIGHTY GOD….MY GOD.
Verses 43-50 tells us Jacob and Laban make a covenant.
“And Laban answered and said to Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and this flock is my flock; all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne? Now therefore, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.” So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. Then Jacob said to his brethren, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap. Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. And Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore its name was called Galeed, also Mizpah, because he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from another. If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us; see, God is witness between you and me!”
All that you see is mine: Laban ARROGANTLY STILL TRIES TO LAY CLAIM to all this that is already out of his hand. He says, “It is mine, but Jacob, out of the generosity of my heart, I’ll let you have it.”
May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from another:
IN THIS WORLDLY MAN-MADE COVENANT…NOT AN ALMIGHTY GOD MADE AND APPROVED COVENANT… Laban expresses how suspicious he is of Jacob. The idea of Mizpah (“watch” OR “look out” ) is “If you do wrong, God will see it and may He punish!”
In effect, the pillar of Mizpah meant, ‘If you come over on my side of this line, the pact is void and I will kill you.’ The covenant breaker would need God (this depends on who and which god that person trusted and believed in and worshipped of course) to take care of him, because the other would shoot to kill.”
Down through the ages, Mizpah was NEVER meant to be a nice sentiment - despite what THE PAST AND PRESENT “Mizpah coin” and the “MIZPAH BLESSING” might say….or now CLAIM IT AS A TOKEN OF REMEMBRANCE, BLESSING AND FAVOR.
ALMIGHTY GOD IS TELLING US RIGHT HERE…A MIZPAH IS BASICALLY A THREAT AND A CURSE.
Verses 51-55 tells us a pillar of separation and a parting of their ways.
Then Laban said to Jacob, “Here is this heap and here is this pillar, which I have placed between you and me. This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they ate bread and stayed all night on the mountain. And early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.”
I will not pass beyond this heap to you: The best solution for Jacob’s in-law problems is for him to separate from Laban. In fact, they erect a pillar to be a barrier between them.
Right here what LABAN intended as a curse, a slam, a shaming, and a threat….Almighty God USED to KEEP LABAN, who was basically swearing an oath and a promise of threat upon his occult idols….upon JACOB…to insure that LABAN STAYED AWAY FROM JACOB for the rest of his life….AND LABAN DID.
There is wisdom in having some separation from in-laws. The Bible does say, AND REMIND US in Genesis 2:24, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.”
Though the separation in Jacob’s case is indeed extreme!
Then Laban departed and returned to his place: After a proper good-bye, Laban sees his daughters and grandchildren for the last time.
AND THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT THIS IS THE LAST TIME WE HEAR OF Laban in the Bible, and it is good that this is the end of him. Laban is of the world, and Jacob needed to be freed from this world in order to live wholeheartedly for the God of his fathers.
LABAN’S ENTIRE LIFE is a WARNING TO THOSE who ARE MORE WORLDLY, SELFISH AND SELF-SERVING, THAN LEANING IN ON, TRUSTING, AND BELIEVING IN OUR TRIUNE GOD FOR ALL THINGS…such resentment and envy of Jacob’s Triune God and the BLESSINGS he received, rather than seeking out HIS TRUE GOD AND FOLLOWING IN ALMIGHTY GOD’S COMMANDS…will only in the end…destroy.
AND THE BIBLE TELL US THAT Rachel and Leah were wrong to look to their father Laban for their portion or inheritance once they were married to Jacob. He now was their portion and inheritance.
Genesis 32 - Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau
Verses 1-2 tells us Jacob hears of Esau’s approach & meets the angels of God at Mahanaim. He realizes God is with him and he has angelic protection.
“So Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God’s camp.” And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.”
This is God’s camp: Literally, Jacob observed he was in a double camp. He was not alone; God had a camp of angels with him at Mahanaim.
AND WE NEED TO REMEMBER SOMETHING PRECIOUS AND SPECIAL HERE…It was not as if God’s angels just SUDDENLY SHOWED UP AND JOINED Jacob. They were with him the ENTIRE time. BUT ALMIGHTY GOD ALLOWED JACOB TO SEEEEEEE THEM NOW…SO THAT Jacob WOULD KNOW God’s angels WERE with him and it provided great encouragement.
Hebrews 1:14 tells us of Angels, “Though “higher” beings than us, are ordained by God to be our servants.”
Matthew 4:11 tells us, “They minister to us even as they ministered to Jesus.”
In 2 Kings 6:15-17 tells us Elisha’s servant had his eyes opened to see the tremendous angelic host surrounding them.
But you say…SURE OLD TESTAMENT, EARLY TESTAMENT, BUT FAITH THAT WAS THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO…it does NOT happen today, right?
Well BILLY GRAHAM RELATES THE TESTIMONY OF John Paton, a missionary to the New Hebrides Islands, told of how one night hostile natives surrounded his missions headquarters, intent on burning the Patons out and killing them. He and his wife prayed through the entire night, and when daylight finally came, their attackers all left. A year later, the chief of the tribe became a Christian, and Paton asked the man about that night. The chief replied, “Who were all those men you had with you there?” The missionary explained only he and his wife were there. The chief insisted he had seen hundreds of big men with shining garments and swords circling the mission headquarters, so the natives were afraid to attack. That night in the New Hebrides Islands, there certainly was a “double camp”!
The angels of God met him: This wonderful revelation of God’s presence and care came after Jacob finally separated from Laban, the worldly man. Separation from the world brings greater insight to the believer.
AND YOU NOTICE THE WORDING HERE….“THE ANGELS OF GOD” …THAT MEANS MANY, THAT MEANS UNNAMED, HEAVENLY SOLDIERS/MESSENGERS OF ALMIGHTY GOD..NOT THE ANGEL OF GOD…WHICH COULD ONLY BE JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF…AMEN?
Verses 3-6 tells us Jacob’s message to Esau.
“Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, “Speak thus to my lord Esau, ‘Thus your servant Jacob says: “I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now. I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.” ‘ “ Then the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”
Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother: Jacob, seeking to reconcile with his brother (who 20 years before swore to kill him), first began by humbling himself and sending the message, “your servant Jacob.”
I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants: Jacob isn’t bragging. He wants Esau TO KNOW that he is a man of wealth and that he HAS NOT come to take anything from Esau. We see Jacob trying to get inside Esau’s head and answer Esau’s concerns BEFORE he sees him face to face.
He also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him: When the messengers return, Jacob heard news that made his blood run cold. Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men. Because Jacob could not bring himself to think the best of Esau (for understandable reasons), he was convinced the 400 men are an army intending to destroy him and his family.
Verses 7-8 tells us Jacob’s fear and carnal preparation.
“So Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies. And he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the other company which is left will escape.”
THIS IS ANOTHER….GUESS WHO HAS COMING CALL…AND THE ANSWER IS HELLOOOOOOOOO SATAN AND HIS WHISPERING LYING, DECEIVING, AND FEAR BRINGING HORDE.
HOW MANY OF US HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN…WE ARE GOING HOME…GOING TO A CLASS REUNION…AN ALUM CELEBRATION…WE ARE AT FIRST EXCITED AND NERVOUS, WANTING TO MAKE THE BEST IMPRESSION AND LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING FAMILY AND FRIENDS….THEN SUDDENLY OUT OF NO WHERE….THAT NASTY-TWISTED VOICE WHISPERS THROUGH OUR HEART AND MIND….REMINDING US OF LONG-FORGOTTEN SLIGHTS, HURTS, FIGHTS, CHALLENGES, AND UNSETTLED ISSUES…OR WHAT WE THINK ARE UNSETTLED PAST MISTAKES AND ISSUES…THEN THE JOY IS GONE…AND IT IS REPLACED BY FEAR, WORRY, AND DOUBT!
THIS SHOWS US THAT NO MATTER THE CHANGES IN THIS WORLD…MAN AND YET BET SATAN AND HIS SCHEMES AND TECHNIQUES HAVE NOT CHANGED ONE BIT!
SO JACOB IS GREATLY afraid and distressed…When Laban confronted Jacob with a hostile militia Jacob boldly stood up to him and spoke his mind Genesis 31:36-42.
But NOW with Esau, Jacob was afraid to meet him.
WHY?
Jacob KNEW he was in the RIGHT with Laban, but JACOB KNEW he was in the WRONG with Esau.
In THE SAME WAY TODAY, MANY CHRISTIANS, AS WELL THE LOST, ALLOW THEMSELVES TO BE CRIPPLED, COWARDLY, & AFRAID OVER THEIR PASTS.
PAST SINS HAUNT US and WE HAVE difficulty believing that Jesus REALLY settled it all and that He wants us to move on and trust in Him, AMEN.
AND WE REMEMBER TOO….before Jacob left home, after his brother swore to kill him, Rebekah told Jacob until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send and bring you from there in Genesis 27:45.
We KNOW Rebekah NEVER SENT FOR Jacob and therefore he had every reason to believe 20+ years had not diminished his brother’s anger.
But Jacob also had every reason to believe God would protect him.
I MEAN, THINK ABOUT IT, JACOB HAS SEEN THESE MIGHTY WARRIOR ANGELS OF GOD SURROUNDING HIS CAMP. HE SHOULD KNOW THAT NOTHING AND NO ONE CAN TOUCH HIM OR HARM HE OR HIS FAMILY.
I WOULD HOPE, HAD I BEEN IN THE SAME SITUATION, HAVING ALREADY SPOKEN FACE TO FACE WITH ALMIGHTY GOD AT BETHEL, HAVING HAD A DREAM WHERE JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF TOLD ME WHAT TO DO, NOT TO FEAR, AND THAT HE WAS WITH ME,…AND NOW HAVING SEEN MIGHTY WARRIOR ANGELS SURROUNDING MY CAMP TOO….I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN WORRIED OR AFRAID.
BUT JACOB, LIKE PETER, WHO GOT OUT OF THE BOAT, WAS WALKING ON THE WATER TO JESUS, AND AS LONG AS HE KEPT HIS EYES ON JESUS…HE DID THE IMPOSSIBLE…BUT THE INSTANT HE LOOKED AT THE HURRICANE WINDS SWIRLING, AND THE LEAPING HIGH WAVES ROLLING, AND TOOK HIS EYES OFF OF JESUS…HE BEGAN TO SINK…AND FEARED DROWING, RIGHT?
AND WHAT DID JESUS SAY TO PETER THEN,…WHY DID YOU DOUBT?
SO JACOB TOOK HIS EYES OFF THE WARRIOR ANGELS, OFF THE PROMISES AND ASSURANCES OF ALMIGHTY GOD AND LOOKED AT HIS PAST…HIS CIRCUMSTANCES…AND THE INSTANT HE DID….SATAN AND HIS DEMONS SWOOPED IN WHISPERING ALL MANNER OF DARKNESS AND DOOM INTO HIS HEART AND MIND, AMEN?
WE NEED TO REMEMBER….JESUS TELLS US 365 TIMES IN THE BIBLE….FEAR NOT! FEAR NOT! FEAR NOT! I AM WITH YOU, I WILL KEEP YOU….I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU…AMEN?
SO WHAT SHOULD JACOB AND WE OURSELVES DO IN SITUATIONS LIKE THIS?
PRAY IT UP…FACE IT…AND THEN MOVE ON…STEP OUT.
Jacob should have said, “I don’t know if Esau is coming to me in peace or in war. I hope for peace, but if it is war, I trust God will protect me.”
He divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies…In splitting his company, Jacob used MAN’S BEST ODDS TACTICAL WISDOM to prepare for Esau’s coming. He should have trusted God could protect all he had. Jacob forgot about God’s “two camps” and tried to make his own “two camps.”
Verses 9-12 tells us Jacob’s prayer.
“Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies. Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children. For You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ “
After FIRST reacting in fear and unbelief, Jacob did the right thing. He went to the Lord and prayed a good prayer, full of faith, thanksgiving, and God’s Word.
The Lord who said to me, “Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will deal well with you”: Jacob’s prayer had God’s word (what God said in Genesis 31:3). He also quoted God’s promise “I will surely treat you well . . . “ (remembering what God said in Genesis 28:13-15).
THIS IS HOW WE SHOULD PRAY OVER WORRISOME AND FEARFUL CIRCUMSTANCES…instead MANY of our prayers fall short because there is none of God’s Word within them. Often there is none of God’s Word in them because there is little of God’s Word in us. Jacob remembered what the Lord had said to him.
I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies…His prayer had thanksgiving. Jacob understood he was not worthy of what God did for him or what he was asking God to do, but he relied on what God promised and not upon his own worthiness.
Deliver me, I pray…His prayer had faith. He boldly asked God to do something, and gave humble grounds for why the Lord should fulfill His word.
George Mueller, a great man of faith and prayer, was once asked what was the MOST IMPORTANT part of prayer. He replied: “The 15 minutes after I have said, ‘Amen.’ “
No matter how great Jacob’s prayer was, his faith will be seen in what he does after his prayer.
Verses 13-21 tells us Jacob sends many gifts to Esau.
“So he lodged there that same night, and took what came to his hand as a present for Esau his brother: two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals. Then he delivered them to the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass over before me, and put some distance between successive droves.” And he commanded the first one, saying, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going? Whose are these in front of you?’ then you shall say, ‘They are your servant Jacob’s. It is a present sent to my lord Esau; and behold, he also is behind us.’ “ So he commanded the second, the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, “In this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him; and also say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.’ “ For he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” So the present went on over before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp.”
Jacob sent such an impressive gift because he wanted to make it completely clear to Esau that he did not need or want anything from him. It also could have been a carnal attempt to buy his brother’s good favor as well.
In all likelihood, Jacob is a perfect example of the principle “when all else fails, pray.” But unfortunately….minutes AFTER PRAYING SUCH A PRECIOUS & POWERFUL PRAYER…Jacob went back to doing things his OWN WAY.
WHY DO YOU SAY THIS….THINK ABOUT IT, IF Jacob really trusted God, he would be at the head of the procession to meet Esau, not the tail.
Jacob hoped, “perhaps he will accept me,” but in Jacob’s mind, perhaps not. Jacob also thought, “Perhaps he will kill me just like he said he would.”
JACOB DID NOT THINK ABOUT HIS FACE TO FACE AND HIS WORDS STRAIGHT FROM ALMIGHTY GOD’S LIPS, DID HE?
So the present went on over BEFORE him…This gift is a good example of the way we trust in OUR OWN ability/limited mental strategies to do things and make things happen apart from trusting God. We like to sing the song:
All to Jesus, I surrender, all to Him I freely give;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.
JACOB’S VERSION OF THAT SONG WOULD BE….
“I surrender all the goats. If that isn’t enough, I surrender all the sheep. If that isn’t enough, I surrender all the camels . . .”
GOD DID NOT WANT JACOB’S GOATS, SHEEP, OR HIS FAMILY….ALMIGHTY GOD IS PATIENTLY TELLING, SHOWING, AND TEACHING JACOB….I WANT YOU. I WANT YOU TO SURRENDER YOURSELF TO ME.
JACOB DOES NOT WANT TO DO THAT YET…
Verses 22-23 tells Jacob sends all his possessions over the river & then spends a night wrestling with God.
“And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had.”
He took them, sent them over the brook: This is a demonstration of his faith, because Jacob left himself no retreat. If Esau wanted to attack his group, they would quickly be backed up against the river.
Sent over what he had: Jacob spends the night alone. This is his last night on the EAST SIDE of the Jordan, and he probably spent the night in prayer.
TO WHAT PURPOSE….God NEEDED AND HAD TO GET Jacob alone before He dealt with him. While all the hustle and bustle of the huge entourage was with Jacob, he could busy himself with a thousand different tasks. But once he was alone, God could command his attention...WITHOUT DISTRACTIONS.
Think of all Jacob had to pray about: thanking God, remembering all the Lord did for him, wondering how God would fulfill His work in him. This was a significant turning point in Jacob’s life and he knew it.
Verses 24-25 tells us A MAN wrestles with Jacob.
“Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.”
A Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day:
DID YOU CATCH THAT?
Jacob didn’t JUMP AND WRESTLE with the Man.
Instead, a Man wrestled WITH JACOB.
Jacob didn’t start out wanting anything from God.
God WANTED something FROM JACOB.
God WANTED ALL of Jacob’s proud self-reliance and fleshly scheming and came to take it, by force if necessary.
A Man wrestled with him: As the following verses show, this was no mere man. This is another “special appearance” of Jesus in the Old Testament before His incarnation in Bethlehem. This was God in human form.
JACOB WAS WRESTLING WITH JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF.
Until the breaking of the day: We can only imagine what this scene looked like. Perhaps sometimes it looked like a barroom brawl, and perhaps at other times it looked like an intense wrestling match.
Many have ASKED….HOW IS IT POSSIBLE that JACOB a mere man COULD HAVE LASTED TWO SECONDS MUCH LESS AN ENTIRE NIGHT AGAINST JESUS CHRIST?
THE BIBLE DOES NOT TELL US, BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW, IS JACOB WAS DETERMINED TO HANG IN THERE, WIN OUT OVER GOD…EVEN THOUGH YOU AND I KNOW WE CAN NEVER WIN OUT AGAINST JESUS CHRIST AMEN?
He saw that He did not prevail against him: As the fight progressed, it seemed Jacob was pretty evenly matched againt the Man. But the match was only even in appearance. The Man could have won easily at any time, using JUST A BLINK OF HIS TRUE POWER.
SOMETIMES WE DECEIVE OURSELVES INTO BELIEVING eel man really can contend with God.
SOMETIMES IT “SEEMS” FOR A TIME….that men or women in rebellion against JESUS CHRIST might seem to do pretty well. The “match” is even in appearance only. God can turn the tide at any moment, and allows the “match” to go own for His own purposes.
It isn’t hard to imagine Jacob working so hard and feeling he is getting the best of his “opponent,” until finally the Man turns the tide in an instant. Jacob must have felt very defeated.
Verse 26 tells us Jacob’s plea to the Man.
“And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he (JACOB) said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”
Let Me go, for the day breaks…Why did Jesus say this, and what did Jesus mean by this?
Our TRIUNE GOD let Jacob know this won’t go on forever. Even though Jacob clung to him desperately, Jacob has lost. A better, greater Man defeated Jacob.
This is an invaluable place for everyone to come to: where God conquers us. There is something to be said for every man doing his “wrestling” with God, and then acknowledging God’s greatness after having been defeated. We must know we serve a God who is greater than us, and we cannot conquer much of anything until He conquers us, AMEN?
I will not let You go unless You bless me…This wasn’t Jacob dictating terms to God as he did on previous occasions. God did overcome Jacob here, and we know from Hosea 12:3-5 makes it clear:
“He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and in his strength he struggled with God. Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; he wept, and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, and there He spoke to us; that is, the Lord God of hosts. The Lord is His memorable name. Jacob sought this blessing with weeping. He knew he was defeated, yet desperately wanted a blessing from this Greater One.”
Unless You bless me…According to his past, Jacob was always clever and sneaky enough so he never felt the need to trust in God alone. Now he can only rely on the blessing of God.
Jacob has been reduced to the place where all he can do is hold on to the Lord with everything he has. Jacob can’t fight anymore, but he can hold on. Not a bad place to be, AMEN?
Even when we do NOT UNDERSTAND ANYTHING GOING ON AROUND US, EVEN WHEN we do NOT APPRECIATE THE WILDERNESS, THE TRIALS, THE TRIBULATIONS THAT JUMP US…WE NEED TO REMEMBER…WE DO NOT NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE HOW, WHY, WHEN, OR WHERE…BECAUSE OUR JESUS, THE GOD WHO SEES ALL, KNOWS ALL, CONTROLS US….DOES, AMEN?
AND RIGHT HERE, God is answering Jacob’s prayer in Genesis 32:9-12. But before Jacob could be delivered from the hand of his brother, he had to be delivered from his own self-will and self-reliance.
Jacob THOUGHT the real enemy was outside of him, namely being LABAN AND NOW ESAU. ALMIGHTY GOD WANTED JACOB TO KNOW WHO HIS REAL ENEMY WAS….AND THAT WAS his own carnal, fleshly nature, which had not been conquered by God.
Verses 27-29 tells Jacob’s name is changed, and he is a blessed man.
“So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there.”
What is your name? Jacob must have felt a sense of shame, admitting his name was “Jacob,” meaning “con-man, sneaky, cheater.” Yet, this was who he was, and Jacob had to admit to it.
And he did.
We all want to name ourselves favorably. God wouldn’t allow Jacob to cover up his name. And Jacob CONFESSED JUST WHO AND WHAT HE WAS. HIS BALD HONESTY…PLEASED JESUS.
Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel…DID YOU KNOW….The name Israel is a compound of two words: sarah (meaning, “fight,” “struggle,” or “rule”) and el (meaning, “God”).
Some WRONGLY take the name Israel to mean, “He who struggles with God” or “He who rules with God.” But in Hebrew names, sometimes God is not the object of the verb but the subject.
A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THIS IS THE NAME Daniel which means “God judges” not “he judges God.” So this principle shows us Israel means, “God rules.” HOW COOL IS THAT?
From this point on, he will be called Jacob twice as often as he is called Israel. Apparently, there was still plenty of the “old man” left in Jacob.
For you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed…
WHAT DID JESUS MEAN BY THIS?
Jacob prevailed in the sense that he endured through his struggle until God thoroughly conquered him. When you battle with God, you only win by losing and by not giving up until you know you have lost. This is how Jacob prevailed.
Why is it that you ask about My name?…JESUS WAS AND STILL IS A POLITE GENTLEMAN, AMEN?
I MEAN, JACOB IS STANDING THERE FACE TO FACE WITH ALMIGHTY GOD, JESUS CHRIST IN HUMAN FORM, AND JESUS DOES NOT SAY….WELL DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHH JACOB…HE SIMPLY refused to tell Jacob His name because He figured Jacob should already know it, and it turned out that Jacob did know exactly who this was.
And He blessed him there….Surely, this was the blessing of being defeated by God. It was the blessing of the passing of the old (Jacob) life, and the coming of a new (Israel) life. It may also have had to do with the great idea of the blessing of Abraham, and meeting Jacob’s immediate needs for security in the midst of fear. Whatever Jacob needed, God’s blessing provided at the moment.
Verses 30-32 tells us the memorials of this event.
“And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the muscle that shrank.”
Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: The first memorial is a name. Jacob named the place Peniel (“Face of God”), because he did know the name of the Man who wrestled with him. He was the same One who wrestled with Jacob all his life…JESUS CHRIST…
Jacob also understood it was only by God’s grace and mercy he escaped from this episode with his life. No man should be allowed to wrestle with God and live, but once again, we see ALMIGHTY GOD AS PATIENT, LONG-SUFFERING FATHER…WHO DOES NOT GIVE US WHAT WE DESERVE…BUT LOVES AND IS GRACIOUS.
He limped on his hip…The second memorial was a perpetual limp. Jacob would remember his being conquered by God with every step he took for the REST OF HIS LIFE. This was a small price to pay for such a great gift.
GENESIS 31 & 32 GIVE US INSIGHT INTO OUR TRIUNE GOD'S THOUGHTS...HIS WAYS...HIS DESIRES...AND HIS EXPECTATIONS FOR AND FROM US.
HE WANTS US TO TRUST HIM...AND HIM ALONE.
HE WANTS US TO BELIEVE THAT HE EVEN KNOWS, SEES, & RULES THE SATANIC AND THE EVIL AMONG US.
HE WANTS US TO REMEMBER THAT HE CAN AND WILL TURN THE EVIL INTENTS OF MAN AND SATAN AND THE WORLD INTO GOOD FOR US.
HE WANTS US TO KNOW THAT HE WANTS US BADLY ENOUGH, DILIGENTLY ENOUGH TO COME AFTER US, GET US ALONE, WRESTLE US UNTIL WE BECOME HIS AND HIS ALONE.
AND AS ALWAYS...ALMIGHTY GOD IS A PATIENT, YET DETERMINED FATHER...WHO DOES NOT GIVE UP ON US...