Genesis 32:3-32
Dear RTB’ers,
This switch to Daylight Savings Time makes it hard to get up in the morning!!
Today, Jacob prepares to meet Esau… Jacob praying, “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…” (Gen 32:10) Here is one of the few (only?) times that we see true humility in Jacob. We’ve seen him as devious, arrogant, demanding, entrepreneurial…, but not humble. You’ll notice that I left that sentence unfinished. In our Bible translations the next word is typically “staff”. That would be Jacob’s statement. But we can also put ourselves into that sentence, going back many years to where we were, comparing that time to where we are now – how little we had then and how much we have now. These Bible passages are not just history, information for our minds; they are also truths in our lives to be explored. Putting ourselves into every passage, every story, every character… Then we begin to know God better.
I can clearly put myself into this story. I have a (step)brother with whom I was never very close. He had chosen to separate himself from our family – no one had seen or heard from him in ten or more years. We didn’t have a phone number or e-mail address. We had a Florida mailing address, but Christmas cards came back undelivered. In April 2021 Carol and I knocked on his door, not knowing what to expect. We had brought McDonald’s lunch for the three of us, like Jacob a small “present”, if you will. It was COVID time, so Carol and I were both wearing masks. He welcomed us to his front porch, but didn’t recognize us. We chatted a bit, then as we sat down to eat he finally asked me, “I’m sorry; who are you?”
I’ll leave it there for today, just like we leave Jacob wrestling with God and anticipating his meeting with Esau. Tomorrow…
Blessings!
See also: January 11 (2023) / Genesis 31-33