The Story through the Bible Gen 33
The Story through the Bible • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Grace Greater than Fear
Grace Greater than Fear
1. Expecting Vengance, Receiving Grace
1. Expecting Vengance, Receiving Grace
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. And he put the servants with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. He himself went on before them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
What is Jacob doing here?
He sees Esau and the 400 men. Then puts the family in order from least to most important. If Esau is going to go crazy and slaughter them all who has the best chance of getting away? The ones in the back…
Jacob however stops being a coward and goes himself to the front. So, what is Jacob still expecting? Vengance maybe.
But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.
What happens instead? Grace
And when Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” Then the servants drew near, they and their children, and bowed down. Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed down. And last Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down. Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company that I met?” Jacob answered, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.” But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.” 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. Please accept my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” Thus he urged him, and he took it.
In here we have a phrase that should take us immediately back to last chapter, what is it?
Well there is all the company he sent ahead last chapter yes, what else?
“the face of God” that’s what Jacob called the place from the previous night.
Genesis 32:30 “So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.””
Here he sees his brother Esau face to face and while expecting to lose his life he is delivered.
In the previous chapter Jacob feared for his life and wrestled and lived but here fearing for his life he’s embraced by his brother and lives. The word wrestled is abaq while embrace is chabaq The extremely similar sounding words in Hebrew are not coincidences, remember coincidence isn’t a kosher word. It’s intended to remind you of the other event and bring the two together.
Today I had a scheduled meeting between the company and the union. We had a big problem, a manager lied on an audit and it caused some problems for a technician. The manager didn’t do it maliciously he was trying to get a different problem resolved and just didn’t have the tools to do it the right way. Usually if something like this happens in the other direction the technician is reprimanded and in pretty big trouble with a recorded discipline that stays on you for 5 years. I had a page full of questions. This meeting was escalated up to the top skipping the first and second steps so we could all address things. I was ready with my questions that would draw out the lie and show that it was never an acceptable option. I was ready for strife… what happened instead was life. The head of labor started off with an apology on behalf of the company and stated right away they were fixing the audit on the technician. We spent most of the meeting not arguing at all but expressing concerns about processes and how different actions are perceived by the workgroup. It was a productive meeting where the manager involved expressed his remorse for the trouble it temporarily caused the technician and they made it right.
Jacob’s story is now showing us this change from strife to life that God has shifted his fear to somewhere he receives grace.
2. Changed man still struggles
2. Changed man still struggles
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 flocks 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.”
So Esau said, “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.
Even though Jacob has come through all of these moments and has been changed, he’s not perfect. It might be prudent but it’s also still clearly a bit of fear instead of faith that has him holding back and hesitating from just joining up with his brother. Sanctification is a lifelong process. What is sanctification? that’s one of our catechism questions with the boys. The answer is “God making man holy in heart and conduct.” We will all hold back at some point or another from giving out grace to others but our lives should be marked by a change that God works in us toward more holiness inside and out.
3. Worship and Witness
3. Worship and Witness
But Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built himself a house and made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram, and he camped before the city. And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, he bought for a hundred pieces of money the piece of land on which he had pitched his tent. There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.
Jacob is settling down in the promised land, he even buys some of it. We end with the name of the place. El-Elohe-Israel which means “God, the God of the one who struggles with God.”
Being a Christian does not mean we don’t struggle or that we’re perfect. It does mean we have been redeemed and that God has begun a work in us.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
