The God Who Brings You to the End of Yourself

Introduction

As we saw with Carson a few weeks ago Jacob and all his family and possessions has fled from Laban and they are now split. He is on his way to the homeland. If you remember back to chapter 28 God has promised to give him the land and he says that if God will bring him back to the land he will be his God. It is happening right here and now. There is only one problem, the reason he left in the first place. He told his dad that it was to find a wife but what was the actual reason for him leaving? It was his brothers desire to kill him.

Tonight we are going to see the leadup to Jacob meeting his brother. Jacob could avoid his brother and make it back to the land where his father is but he knows that he needs to make amends. Jacob has his plan for safety but more than anything we see that Jacob is brought to the end of his own strength and this instance forces him to rely on God and not his own schemes.

So lets now read Genesis 32.1-21

Genesis 32:1–21 ESV

Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them he said, “This is God’s camp!” So he called the name of that place Mahanaim. And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, instructing them, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now. I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.’ ” And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him.” Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps, thinking, “If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape.” And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,’ I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ” So he stayed there that night, and from what he had with him he took a present for his brother Esau, two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milking camels and their calves, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. These he handed over to his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on ahead of me and put a space between drove and drove.” He instructed the first, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, ‘To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you?’ then you shall say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a present sent to my lord Esau. And moreover, he is behind us.’ ” He likewise instructed the second and the third and all who followed the droves, “You shall say the same thing to Esau when you find him, and you shall say, ‘Moreover, your servant Jacob is behind us.’ ” For he thought, “I may appease him with the present that goes ahead of me, and afterward I shall see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.” So the present passed on ahead of him, and he himself stayed that night in the camp.

The section starts out with Jacob seeing the angels of God around him. This shows the protection that he has from God. Psalm 34.7 gives us some information on what is going on here and some foreshadowing of what is going to happen in the story. The key to understanding his is the change that we have seen in the life of Jacob.

Jacob then sends messengers out to meet Esau with hopes of finding favor in his sight but they come back saying that he wants to meet them and he has 400 men with him. This is a scary moment for Jacob because it is unknown how Esau feels about him at this moment. Remember too that Abraham had less men and defeated multiple kings to save Lot.

This fear gets Jacob to split up his people so that they do not all have to be punished for what he did to his brother and then he is driven to prayer. The words of this prayer are some of the most beautiful words that we have recorded from Jacob.

Jacob then begins to send his people out before him with him waiting in the back hoping to find favor in the sight of his brother.

God reminds Jacob of his presence

In verses 1-2 we see that God reminds Jacob of his presence. These angels are reassuring Jacob that God is there watching over him. They have always been there but Jacob has the blessing of God letting him see them.

Even when fears arise God surrounds his people with protection. Those who fear God will be delivered from their circumstances by him.

When we are brought to the end of ourselves we do not have the luxury that Jacob had of literally seeing the presence of God around us through his angels. We can still know that his presence is there. We can know that we are not alone. Truly when we are brought to the end of ourselves there is no other hope except for the presence of God.

For the sinner that has not been forgiven if they are brought to the end of themself, if they have come to see the seriousness of their sin there is nothing to turn to. Some will try but nothing can fix the problem that you have. But here is the thing, Gods presence is not far from us.

Fear exposes Jacobs old patterns

Next in verses 3-8 we see just how fearful Jacob is. There is a sense of panic because of his old ways. Jacob remembers all that he has done to Esau and realizes just how bad it is.

Often times our sin is far worse when we look back on it. I look back on sinful times in my life and realize that there was a sense of pride that I had in my sin. Until I came to true repentance this gave me more anxiety than I can even begin to describe to you. You may understand this feeling. You may see your sins and be fearful to God for them.

The thing about our past actions and old patterns is that they should bring fear to us but they should drive us to something deeper. Psalm 56.3

God brings Jacob to humble dependence

I wan to actually re-read Jacobs prayer here in Genesis 32.9-12

Genesis 32:9–12 ESV

And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,’ I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”

It is here that we see a profound turning point in Jacob’s life. For the first time in Genesis, he prays not as a schemer but as a humble servant, confessing his unworthiness of all the steadfast love and faithfulness God has shown him. His prayer reflects the posture later commanded in James 4.6.

Jacob is no longer depending on his ingenuity and schemes like he has so many times before. He is at the end of himself and only has one option, he must humbly depend on God. This is exactly what he does.

When we come to the end of ourselves, when we realize just how serious sin is, we also see that there is nothing we can do. We cannot save ourselves we cannot get ourselves out of this, we do not have that power. We have received the sentence of death for our sins, but look at what it says in 2 Corinthians 1.9. We must rely on the God who raises the dead.

Grace moves Jacob toward reconciliation

So now in verses 13-21 Jacob begins to move towards reconciliation with his brother. Jacob is a changed man and he seeks peace, as he obeys God protects him. There is a renewed sense of humility in Jacob and he sends long processions of gifts to Esau hoping to communicate that he is serious about reconciliation.

When we come to the end of ourselves and turn to Christ in humble dependence, which we could also call faith, he will reconcile us to himself. Full forgiveness for all of our sins and restoration to him.

Conclusion

Through this moment, Jacob is deliberately brought to the end of his own strength so that he must depend wholly on the God who keeps covenant. His fear, helplessness, and humble prayer reveal a man being transformed, prepared by grace for reconciliation he could never secure through manipulation. The passage quietly anticipates the gospel itself, showing that God meets sinners in weakness, dismantles pride, and grants the peace that only His initiative can accomplish.