Genesis 33

In Genesis 32, Jacob learned that his older brother, Esau, was coming his way with four hundred men. Jacob did not look forward to the encounter. The brothers had been estranged due to Jacob’s trickery that led to Esau giving away his birthright and losing his father’s blessing. Esau had been furious with Jacob and intent on ending Jacob’s life. Now, two decades later, Jacob had no idea if that’s what Esau was coming to do. Jacob sent a series of gifts to Esau to appease him. And he prayed. God answered his prayer with a wrestling match, changed Jacob’s name to Israel, and gave him a permanent limp to remind him that with each step he took, Jacob was dependent on the One who would fight for him. Now Jacob, with a new name, a new direction, and new confidence, went to meet Esau. Well, Jacob had new confidence, sort of….

Genesis 33:1-4
And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two female servants. ² And he put the servants with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. ³ He himself went on before them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

Jacob’s homecoming with Esau was filled with caution and fear. Jacob lined up his children in order of importance to him, with Rachel and Joseph in the most secure position. I wonder how that made the other siblings feel? As they approached each other, Jacob paused seven times to bow before his brother. But while Jacob was cautiously approaching Esau, his brother “ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept” (Gen. 33:4).

The night before, in their wrestling match, God had promised Jacob that he would fight for him. Now Jacob is experiencing God’s work firsthand. Only God could turn Esau’s heart. Jacob told Esau that God had been gracious to him and introduced his family. He then pressed Esau to accept the gifts totaling five hundred and fifty animals (Gen. 33:9-11). Jacob is clear that God has blessed him and now he wanted Esau to know his desire to share the blessings.

Genesis 33:10
Jacob said, “No, please, if I have found favor in your sight, then accept my present from my hand. For I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me.

Jacob is alluding to what happened to him the night before (Gen. 32:22-31). He had seen God’s face, and now his prayer for protection was tangibly answered. Experiencing Esau’s acceptance of him was a reminder that God keeps his promises.

One commentator makes the point that Jacob’s reconciliation with Esau shows his moral transformation. Jacob acknowledged that all he had was a gracious gift from God. His gifts to Esau exhibited repentance. And he kept showing his submission to his older brother by calling Esau “my lord” (Gen. 33:8, 13-15). This commentator says that Jacob’s “remorse over his actions indicated that the man had changed his moral condition.”^[1]

While I agree that the wrestling match with God was a turning point for Jacob, there is still some of the old Jacob left in this encounter. Esau desires to journey together with his brother. Jacob says that, with his children and nursing livestock, he will not be able to keep up with Esau and his warriors. He tells Esau to go ahead and promises to meet him in Seir, where Esau resides. However, Jacob never intended to keep going south to Seir. Instead, he headed west back toward Canaan. While it was true that his children and nursing livestock could not keep up with Esau and his men, there is no doubt that Jacob did not fully trust his brother. “Jacob is still not able to deal truthfully, probably because of fear of Esau.”^[2]  The friendliness of their first conversation could change, and he would lose everything.

I don’t know about you, but I can relate to Jacob. He had a personal experience with God, and there was a change in his life. He knows that God will fight for him; that promise is in his new name, Israel. And yet, when push comes to shove, when real life hits, when he meets Esau face to face, there is still some doubt and fear. Jacob’s response here reminds us that our sinful nature is never eliminated from our hearts. And the story reminds us that we must trust God with the encounters of every new day.

God did tell Jacob to return to his own country, so Jacob takes his family back to the promised land. After traveling for some time, they stopped at Succoth, on the east side of the Jordan River and then crossed the Jordan into Canaan and arrived at Shechem. Jacob bought land there. The text says he paid “a hundred pieces of money.” The Hebrew word (qesitah) refers to a unit of money, but the value is unknown. He “pitched his tent” on the land, meaning that he settled there.

Think about where Jacob has been. He left Canaan running for his life and then spent twenty years in Paddan-aram. He left with nothing but a walking stick and returned blessed with children and wealth. For two decades, that inevitable meeting with his brother was on his mind, but now it is over, and God blessed the reunion. Now Jacob’s name has been changed from what meant “deceiver,” to Israel, meaning that God will fight for him even as he struggles at times with God.

Buying land and settling in Shechem was momentous. Back in Genesis 12, Abraham was in Shechem when God appeared to him and gave him this promise, “To your offspring I will give this land” (Gen. 12:7). Abraham built an altar to mark the event. Now, Abraham’s grandson had returned to Shechem and purchased land. Like Abraham, Jacob built an altar there. He called it “El-Elohe-Israel.” The Hebrew name can be translated two ways. It could mean, “The God of Israel is God” or “The God of Israel is strong or mighty.”^[3]  It was a long journey for Jacob, but God has led him all the way back home.

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read Genesis 33. As you read this chapter, think of Jacob’s emotions as Esau runs to him and hugs him. What a sense of relief! He knew that God was at work.

Talking to God
Talk to God about some future meeting or situation you are dreading, an important event that you don’t know the outcome. Ask God to calm your fears and go before you. He is the One in charge.

Have Questions?
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^[1] K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 561–562.

^[2] Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Biblical Studies Press, 2006), Gen 33:17.

^[3] Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Biblical Studies Press, 2006), Gen 33:20.