Genesis: El-Elohe-Israel

Main Point

God is faithful in the midst of human doubt, sin, and strife; he is able to reconcile, redeem, and turn the hearts of men any way he wills.

Introduction

As we read this climactic event to the narrative of Jacob and Esau, it would do us well to remember the sinfulness of these men so that we can best reflect on the amazing restoration and the faithfulness of God to Jacob.

The depth of the sin of Esau is probably more plane to us.

He sought to murder his brother.

The depth of the sin of Jacob might be a bit more tricky for us to wrap our heads around.

We know that his trickery was wrong, but the scripture teaches us that it is far worse in the sight of God than we would like to think.

Read Deuteronomy 25:15-16

Deuteronomy 25:15–16 ESV

A full and fair weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the Lord your God.

Abomination is not a word used lightly.

We will not see the fullness of the grace of God towards us if we do not also see the true evil that is our sin before him.

Quote: “Sensual men feed upon sensual things, spiritual men upon spiritual things; as your food is, so are you.” -John Flavel

Jacob Humbles Himself

He puts himself between Esau and his family

As opposed to before when he put everyone in front of him as human shields

The order he puts them all in is significant

He Approached Esau, Bowing Himself to the Ground Seven Times As He Went

Humility, which has not been Jacob’s style, is seen here

Jacob & Esau Reconcile

Esau runs to meet Jacob, embraced him and fell on his neck, kissed him, and they cried together.

Imagery similar to the father running to meet the prodigal

Though not even close to the same surrounding circumstances, the theme is the same; reconciliation.

App: God is able to change the hearts of men, but are we willing to pray for him to do so? (Genesis 32:11)

Do we trust that he can do so?

Prayer is not about God changing our situation, but about us showing our dependance on him.

But that doesn’t mean it is wrong to pray that God would change our situation and most importantly that he can’t do it.

How patronizing and foolish it is to treat God either of these ways; 1.) He must change our circumstances or 2.) He probably won’t because we have decided how he is going to act before we even ask.

Esau Meets Jacob’s Family, he asks “who are these with you?”

Jacob’s response: the children that God has given me

This admission is significant and connected to the humility of Jacob is this narrative.

Esau Refuses and then Accepts Jacob’s Gifts

This is probably cultural politeness more than it is an actual refusal

Though God did uphold the part of the anti-blessing Esau received, namely, that he did break Jacob’s yoke from his neck in that he was becoming a nation of his own.

Jacob’s reason he gives to Esau for the gifts is that he is seeking to find favor (grace) in his sight.

Seeing Esau is like seeing the face of God, whom he had just seen the night before.

Jacob Boasts in the Favor of God Alone as the reason for his abundance.

Esau accepted the gift, thus conferring to Jacob that he had indeed found favor in his sight (vs. 9).

*App: How easy is it for us to forget that all we have is from God.

We may say it out loud sometimes, but has it really sunken in.

In this moment of tension and crisis, Jacob readily admits that nothing is his by his own hand.

Esau could have killed them all and took everything, and Jacob certainly knew this.

Don’t wait for a crisis to attribute everything to God!

The Parting of Brothers

Esau asked for them to journey together

Jacob, using the children and the livestock as an excuse, politely refuses

He was traveling with a big caravan of stuff, which is how Laban so easy overtook him before.

Jacob says he will meet him at Seir, but has no intention of going there.

Esau wants to leave men with Jacob

This seems a bit sketchy, but apparently it was a kindness

Jacob again refuses, asking Esau for favor and to leave him in peace, and he did.

Jacob Travels To Succoth and Shechem

He builds a house and booths for his livestock at Succoth

Succoth literally means “booths”

He comes safely to the city of Shechem

Safely is a word emphasized to show that God had done all that he said he would.

He purchased land, like Abraham did before him, and lived there

Jacob built an altar and called it El-Elohoe-Israel, which means God, the God of Israel.

Jacob, upon knowing and experiencing the undeserved favor of God, now surrenders to him and calls him his own God, and uses the new name he was given for himself.

*App: All this time we have seen the flaws of Jacob from a high up vantage point.

We see how rotten he is in his dealings with people

We see how he is hesitant with a God who has been nothing but faithful to him

But have we seen ourselves in this light as well?

How patient has God been with us when we try to foolishly make deals with him, giving him the terms of our surrender to him?

How sinful are we? And yet he relentlessly pursues us (as he did Jacob) with his grace that we did nothing to earn or deserve?

Closing

Main Point: God is faithful in the midst of human doubt, sin, and strife; he is able to reconcile, redeem, and turn the hearts of men any way he wills.

The reconciliation between Jacob and Esau was nothing short of a miracle, but it was not the main point.

The reconciliation of a righteous, holy God to a sinner like Jacob is a far greater miracle.

And notice who has been doing the pursuing the whole time. It wasn’t Jacob! It was God!

This points us ahead to the work of Christ for all sinners that God has set his favorable gaze on.

Romans 5:6–11 ESV

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.