FORGIVING JACOB
Opening Prayer
God of Grace and Glory, I praise You for the Holy Spirit, who enables me to live in confidence and joy.
Read Genesis 33
Jacob Meets Esau
33 Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men; so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants. 2 He put the female servants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear. 3 He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.
4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept. 5 Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. “Who are these with you?” he asked.
Jacob answered, “They are the children God has graciously given your servant.”
6 Then the female servants and their children approached and bowed down. 7 Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down. Last of all came Joseph and Rachel, and they too bowed down.
8 Esau asked, “What’s the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met?”
“To find favor in your eyes, my lord,” he said.
9 But Esau said, “I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.”
10 “No, please!” said Jacob. “If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably. 11 Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.” And because Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it.
12 Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way; I’ll accompany you.”
13 But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die. 14 So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the flocks and herds before me and the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.”
15 Esau said, “Then let me leave some of my men with you.”
“But why do that?” Jacob asked. “Just let me find favor in the eyes of my lord.”
16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir. 17 Jacob, however, went to Sukkoth, where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Sukkoth.[a]
18 After Jacob came from Paddan Aram,[b] he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan and camped within sight of the city. 19 For a hundred pieces of silver,[c] he bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, the plot of ground where he pitched his tent. 20 There he set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel.[d]
Footnotes
- Genesis 33:17 Sukkoth means shelters.
- Genesis 33:18 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
- Genesis 33:19 Hebrew hundred kesitahs; a kesitah was a unit of money of unknown weight and value.
- Genesis 33:20 El Elohe Israel can mean El is the God of Israel or mighty is the God of Israel.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Have you ever had to forgive someone for something major? What influenced your decision to forgive?As soon as Esau heard that Jacob was on his way home, he set out to meet him with an army of men (32:6). However, when he finally comes face-to-face with his brother, he runs to meet him and embraces him (4). Had he intended to attack Jacob? Had Jacob’s peace offerings brought about a change of heart? Jacob is obviously so relieved and overwhelmed that he weeps and likens Esau’s forgiveness to that of God (10).
Choosing to forgive someone is an act of the will, and sometimes it needs to be a repeated choice. We forgive, but then the hurt wells up again and we must choose to forgive again. In Peter’s conversation with Jesus in Matthew 18, the numbers seem to refer to the number of ‘forgivenesses’ rather than the number of sins. In this passage, Esau seems to very genuinely have forgiven Jacob, but Jacob seems to be unsure whether that forgiveness will last. He insists that Esau accept his gift, he resists Esau’s offer to accompany him, and he settles in a different area within Canaan.
Apply
Is there anyone you need to forgive? Could you choose to do that? Do you need forgiveness? What can you do to bring about reconciliation?
Closing prayer
Gracious Father, my heart’s desire is to cooperate with You in Your will for my life. I long for spiritual growth, be it immediate or gradual.
Book and Author Intros
Extras
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.