Genesis 33:12-20
Long before Jacob left home, long before he arrived at his
uncle’s house and married Laban’s two daughters, he had schemed to obtain what
was his brother’s. Now he has
returned back home to a brother, who not only has forgiven him, but runs to
meet him and embraced him with kisses.
Picking up the story in verse twelve; “Then
Esau said, “Let us journey on our way, and I will go ahead of you.” But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows
that the children are frail, and that the nursing flocks and herds are a care
to me. If they are driven hard for
one day, all the flock will die.
Let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will lead on slowly, at
the pace of the livestock that are ahead of me and at the pace of the children,
until I come to my lord in Seir.”
Now I’m sure it seemed the right thing to Esau, to offer
some of his men to help, but Jacob said, “What need
is there?” This may
come across as a little ungrateful or even cold, but that is not what I believe
he is saying. I believe Jacob is
making sure that Esau understands he is a new person, with a new name given to
him by the God of Abraham, and Isaac their father, and that he is not coming
home to take from Esau, but to be the brother he had not been up to this point.
Often when we return after months or years, those closest to
us refuse to see change; we should learn from Jacob’s example with Esau, to go
slow, to trust God and to establish our home and let them see that God is doing
a work in our life.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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