Thursday Night Bible Study

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Genesis 32-Genesis 33 

"Homecoming" • 6.10.10 • Thursday Night Bible Study

Intro.

- Jacob has been called by God to return to his Father's house. He had been gone for 20 years, slaving under the yoke of Laban.

- That relationship began with mutual respect and ended under mutual threat: "Don't come back this way again!"

- Laban and Jacob back away from one another. Jacob cannot go back. He must go forward. After 20 years, there is still one thing to be concerned about: Esau!

- When last he saw Esau, he saw a man that wanted desperately to kill him. This puts his travel plans in persepective as Esau is directly in his path. Jacob knows this and acts accordingly.

Text

• Genesis 32:1-5 : "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. 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.'" : He is heading back toward the land, when some angels meet with him. They are special messengers of the Lord, and special confirmation from the Lord, that He is with Jacob.

- He called that place "Band Of Angels." It's wonderful to see God confirming your way.

- Jacob thinks, "this is a good time to send word to Esau." His message is "This is where I was, this is what I have and this is what I want." He is respectful and desires to find favor with Esau.

• Genesis 32:6 : "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.'" : You can almost see Jacob's face go from smile, to excitement, to utter dread! Four hundred men!? Gulp!

• Genesis 32:7,8 : "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.'" : Jacob was literally bound in terror!

- Could it be that Esau was still intent on murdering his brother? Could it be that his desire for revenge had lasted these 20 years? Jacob is not going to take any chances.

- He divides his group into two companies, perhaps taking his cue from the angels who were two camps of angels. He figures on losing at least one company, but the other will survive.

- Jacob is operating in fear and may I add, operating without remembering God's promise and His angelic protection. He instinctively puts his plan into action.

• Genesis 32:9-12 : "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.’" : Jacob gets smart pretty quick. He goes to prayer.

- You know, he could have gone to prayer first! He could have made his petitions to the Lord at the first sight of fear. We need to remind ourselves of that as well.

- Jacob's prayer is interesting. Jacob sounds like he is saying, "You said for me to return to my country right? You said that you'd deal with me well, right!?"

- We can learn from Jacob's prayer. He recalls to mind and reminds the Lord of His Word. "God, you have said this." is something we all must learn to operate in.

- Of course, if we are not listening, we'll never hear what His Word is for us! Jacob stands on God's Word to Him.

- Second, he humbles himself before the Lord. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and all the truth which You hav shown Your servant.

- For Jacob, this might have been forced humility, which counts for nothing before God. This may have been another of his bargaining chips.

- For us, it's a wonderful reminder of just how fortunate we are! We are not worthy of anything that the Lord has shown us! Yet, in His benevolence, we are well graced beyond what we deserve.

- Third, Jacob asks for deliverance. He admits his fear ("I fear him"), he is specific in what he is afraid to lose (his life and the mother and children).

- We can take a lesson from Jacob in this regard. How vague are we with our prayers? Let's be honest and specific with the Lord, not for His information, but in order to commit our cares to Him.

- At the end of his prayer, just as with the beginning, he reminds the Lord of His promises to Him. I can't tell you how comforting this practice is!

- Saying, "Lord, you called me to this" or "You promised this." is one of the most effective tools that God has given us against the problem of fear.

• Genesis 32:13-21 : "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 cannot just sit on his hands and rest in the Lord's protection. He still has to send a bribe over to Esau. Each group, called a drove, would be out in front of the other.

- The design was that every few hours, Esau would receive another group of animals. As Esau and the group inspected the animals, the question would come up, "Where is Jacob?"

- The herdsmen would respond, "He's coming." By doing this, Jacob was buttering Esau up, and giving himself time to deal with the inevitable meeting.

• Genesis 32:22,23 : "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." : As a final precaution, Jacob split his family from him. He took them over the river Jabbok.

- Today, it is known as the Zarqa river, which is a tributary that runs into the Jordan river.

- The word "Jabbok" means "Emptying" which is what it was literally doing! The water was emptying into the Jordan river, but it was also a place where Jacob was being emptied before God!

- What we are supposed to understand is that Jacob is frantically trying to save all that he has. He is scheming, trying his best to stay one step ahead of his enemy.

- He cannot sit still and rest. He figures that he has to cover every possible base.

- He has the 3 sets of gifts that are passing before Esau, he has split his company in two, and now he separates from his family.

- He has prayed and he has covered every base that he can. He still cannot rest. His mind is on overload with great stress and fear.

• Genesis 32:24-26 : "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. And He said, 'Let Me go, for the day breaks.' But he said, 'I will not let You go unless You bless me!'" : Jacob was all by himself and this Man comes to wrestle with him?

- Who was this Man, where did He come from and why was He there? This just happens abruptly with no immediate explanation.

- We see that they wrestled all night, until day break, with Jacob succeeding in not accepting defeat. He kept struggling against the odds and against his own fear and anxiety.

- It's likely that he was so amped for his potential fight against Esau, that he struggled well.

- Then, with a simple touch, the Man touched the socket of his hip. Even with his hip joint out, Jacob continued to wrestle Him. He said, "I won't let you go unless you bless me."

- Jacob was holding on, not to win, but to be assured of a heavenly blessing.

- The picture is not of Jacob in control, but of a man who is giving in, tapping out, giving up.

- Hosea comments on this in Hosea 12:4 saying, " 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-- "

- Jacob is holding on for dear life, asking the Man to bless him.

• Genesis 32:27-30 : "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. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: ^'For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.'" : We all understand that this Man has no need of information.

- He does not ask what Jacob's name is for His sake. He asks for Jacob's sake!

- In order to understand the nature of the question, we have to understand that the people in the Old Testament named their children after they had exhibited some character traits.

- We have noted often that Jacob means "heel catcher" and we have also noted that he lived up to his name on several occasions, including up to the present moments.

- He has acted every bit his name! When he said "Jacob," it was more than identification. It was a confession! "I am a swindler! I'm a con-man!"

- This is when the Man, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, tells Jacob that his name will now be conformed to new standards. He names him Israel.

- The name "Israel" has carried a lot of interpretive difficulty. It seems to mean "God has prevailed" which has led to the interpretation "Governed by God."

- For once, I think that I like the KJV's take on this verse:

• Genesis 32:28 : "And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed."

- The sense is that as a prince of God, Jacob was given God's power and was thus able to overcome.

- Jacob asked the name of the Man, who would not answer, but instead, acted out who He was because He blessed Jacob. He immediately recognized this as God in human flesh.

- Jacob does a little renaming of his own. He names that place that had been "Emptying" to the "Face of God." He stood there face to face with God and survived.

• Genesis 32:31,32 : "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 bore the residual pain in his body. He limped around because of this encounter with the Lord.

- In memory of this, Moses explains that the people did not eat this part of any animal.

- It's intersting to note that God touched the area of Jacob's body that he relied upon since his flight from Esau's presence. He would not be doing any running any more.

- Interesting again, note that the muscle shrank. God did not remove the muscle. He just rendered it inoperable. Jacob would not be leaning on his last resort any longer.

• Genesis 33:1-3 : "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. And he put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children behind, and Rachel and Joseph last. Then he crossed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother." : It's early, Jacob has been up all night and is limping noticeably. Esau, along with his four hundred men are close enough to see.

- He put the family in order: The maidservants in front, then Leah and finally Rachel in the back. He came out in front of them all and showed as great an amount of respect as any man can.

- He went face down not once, but seven times. The picture is that he did this, then walked a few more feet, where he did it again. Everyone must have looked with great curiosity at the scene.

• Genesis 33:4-11 : "But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. And he lifted his eyes and saw the women and children, and said, 'Who are these with you?' So he said, 'The children whom God has graciously given your servant.' Then the maidservants came near, they and their children, and bowed down. And Leah also came near with her children, and they bowed down. Afterward Joseph and Rachel came near, and they bowed down. Then Esau said, 'What do you mean by all this company which I met?' And he said, 'These are to find favor in the sight of my lord.' But Esau said, 'I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.' And Jacob said, 'No, please, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, inasmuch as I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God, and you were pleased with me. Please, take my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.' So he urged him, and he took it." : Esau just surprises all of us! Instead of charging him, he ran to him. Instead of cutting off his neck, he fell on it, ie., he hugged him!

- Instead of killing him, he kissed him! What!? The introductions are made and Esau asks, "Why did you send all these companies to me?" He was confused by Jacob's actions.

- Esau had moved on. He grew up! Remember, these 90 year old men at this time. Esau was no longer mad.

- Esau questioned Jacob's gift and even said, "I have enough!" But Jacob insisted and Esau gave in. What a beautiful passage.

• Genesis 33:12-17 : "Then Esau said, 'Let us take our journey; let us go, and I will go before you.' But Jacob said to him, 'My lord knows that the children are weak, and the flocks and herds which are nursing are with me. And if the men should drive them hard one day, all the flock will die. Please let my lord go on ahead before his servant. I will lead on slowly at a pace which the livestock that go before me, and the children, are able to endure, until I come to my lord in Seir.' And Esau said, 'Now let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.' But he said, 'What need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.' So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, built himself a house, and made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth." : Esau is excited for Jacob to see how his life has turned out. Jacob's company however could not take another step.

- Jacob and his group made a temporary village there in that area, which he called "Succoth" meaning "Booths."

- Interestingly, Jacob still did not trust Esau. Even after all that had happened, his sneaky ways have not left him. He tells Esau that he will meet him in Seir.

- But then, he ends up going in the exact opposite way! Jacob is still acting like Jacob.

• Genesis 33:18-20 : "Then Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram; and he pitched his tent before the city. And he bought the parcel of land, where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money. Then he erected an altar there and called it El Elohe Israel." : Jacob came to live near Shechem. Now, this is quite a distance from Padan Aram.

- It would be similar to going 99 percent of the way. He obeyed God to 99 percent, as Shechem was just a little jaunt to Hebron. Instead, he stops at Shechem.

- We'll learn more about this city and their acts and practices next week. He buys a parcel of land and begins a relationship with Shechem.

- He is beginning to be rooted and his stay will be difficult.

- Jacob, thinking that all was well, constructs an altar that he calls "The God Of Israel."

- Jacob has not yet learned that to obey is better than sacrifice.

Conclusion

- Jacob has grown tremendously and we would be wise to not pass judgment too quickly. God has given us the record to remind us of what is important and to warn us about potential pitfalls.

- Jacob teaches us that our fears can bind us, but prayer can free us!

- Jacob teaches us that our nature can follow us, but Jesus can define us!

- Jacob teaches us that our walk can take us close, but obedience takes us all the way!