Jacob Meets Esau

Story: Jacob Meets Esau

Passage: Genesis 33

Characters: Jacob, Esau, Rachel, Leah, 11 kids

Summary: Jacob saw Esau coming. He set up his group with Rachel and Joseph in the back. He bowed low seven times as he approached Esau, but Esau embraced and kissed him and tried to return the gifts. Jacob sent Esau home saying he would follow at a slower pace, but he did not follow and settled in Shechem.

Notes: Jacob was very humble and distrustful of Esau. He put those he loved in the very back of the group. He did not hide his favoritism. Interestingly, he associated the servants’ children with the servants and seems to have not seen them as children of his wives, which was the intention of Rachel and Leah. Esau showed no signs of resentment. He had cooled off over twenty years and had apparently built up some wealth of his own. Since he seems to have dwelt in the present rather than looking to the future his whole life, his current wealth was good enough. He saw no need for the birthright or blessing anymore. As a descendant of Abraham, he was probably partly under Abraham’s blessing regardless as Ishmael was. Jacob still didn’t trust him though and he did not follow Esau home. Esau possibly didn’t trust Jacob either for we see he brought four hundred men with him to meet Jacob. Jacob settled in Shechem and built an altar called God of Israel in Hebrew. This is very significant! He used his new name of Israel and acknowledged that God was his god. He kept his promise! God had brought him back to his land safely against all odds, and Jacob made God his god. This is the conclusion of Jacob’s journey of growth. From his dream in bethel until now, he had been basically testing God and God came through! Jacob saw God’s hand in all that had happened and he officially and publicly put his trust in God. The God of Jacob and Fear of Isaac had become the God of Israel! I see this as a pivotal moment in the redemptive history of the world, yet it only receives one sentence.

Questions: Why was Esau so happy to see Jacob? Did Esau trust Jacob? What did Esau think of Jacob not following him home? Did that affect his trust of Jacob? Did God want Jacob to settle in Shechem or was that Jacob’s own thing?

Lessons: God will come through on His promises. If we make the effort to trust Him even when it doesn’t make sense, He will prove Himself worthy of being our God.