Genesis 33
Dear RTB’ers,
Jacob meets Esau. Put yourself in Jacob’s place. He deceived his father and stole Esau’s blessing, then fled to Haran for twenty years, and now is returning to Canaan with great wealth. He has sent messengers on ahead to Esau announcing his arrival and learns that Esau and his 400 men are coming to meet him (Genesis 32:3-6). Certainly he is afraid, but he does have one piece of security – God’s promise to him that He will protect him: “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:15) So Jacob moves forward, confident but fearful. Esau’s reception is much more forgiving than Jacob could ever have imagined! But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. (Gen 33:4) What a reunion!!
Our meeting with my brother, Ron, was also a blessing. We had lunch together, chatted for more than an hour, then exchanged e-mail addresses and have stayed in touch, conversing every couple of weeks. A return trip to Florida brought more time together in 2023 and 2024, including his meeting most of our kids and grandkids last August when we had a family gathering in Daytona. We have both been blessed by our reunion and have grown closer than we ever had been in growing up together.
So back to Jacob… Is he still a deceiver? He tells Esau that Seir is his destination, “Let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will lead on slowly, …, until I come to my lord in Seir.” (Gen 33:14) But he never gets to Seir, nor does he return to his parents in Bethel, instead settling further north: He bought the plot of land where he had pitched his tent from the hand of the sons of Hamor… (Gen 33:19a). And we close today’s passage with Jacob remembering His God: Then he erected there an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel (Gen 33:20), which means “God, the God of Israel”.
Blessings!