Authenticity
Opening Prayer
Almighty God, I am assured that You know what is ahead of me today and will provide exactly what I need.
Read GENESIS 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.
18 After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan and camped within sight of the city. 19 For a hundred pieces of silver, 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.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
“We… are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from our Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18). Give thanks for this truth and the hope it gives.
Jacob’s fears proved groundless. Having attempted to find favor with Esau with lavish gifts, he approached him, bowing deeply seven times as a symbol of total submission. Esau, however, wasn’t interested in any of this. Did Jesus have this reconciliation in mind when he (Luke 15:20) told of the father’s welcome for the lost son? Totally different from crafty Jacob, who needed to be in control all the time, Esau threw all caution to the wind and ran to Jacob, hugging him, weeping with joy at seeing him again. Unlike his brother, Esau was a man content with what he had (cf. 1 Tim. 6:6; Phil. 4:12), and he initially refused Jacob’s gifts—yet his subsequent partaking of the blessing Jacob had received (11) pictures the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:3).
Esau’s generous open behavior wasn’t reciprocated and Jacob once again deceived him, remaining the same Jacob that Esau had known years earlier. This man is such a curious mix—living by his wits, manipulating others, lying his way out of difficult situations and yet sometimes acknowledging God’s role in his life.
There is a story about a family at the meal table with a disruptive small child who is standing on his chair. Father wields his authority and the boy reluctantly sits down, muttering under his breath. When asked what he’s saying, he replies, “I may be sitting down on the outside but on the inside, I’m still standing up!” Playing a part or asking what we really think, in order to be acceptable or to smooth the way with others so we get what we want, is common behavior, but it can have significant consequences. What the world needs are Christians who are authentic, with consistent words, actions and motives.
Apply
When is it easier to forgive others? When is it harder to forgive others? What do your answers reveal about your fears? Your faith? Your Lord?
Closing prayer
Lord, sometimes I feel like I am playing a part. Help me to be authentic, with my outer life a true reflection of my inner life in You.
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