Read Gen. 32:1-25
Jacob leaves Laban - one battle down - only to face a new battle. To strengthen him, the angels of God meet him in great number. Now we’ll see what kind of man Jacob has become. The first person he wants to see is Esau. He and his brother were never really close, but before he even sees his mother that he was very close to, he wants to make things right with Esau. He sends messengers ahead to let him know he is coming. Instead of returning the greeting, Esau heads out to Jacob with 400 men with him. Now we’ll see what kind of man Esau has become. Jacob is “greatly afraid and distressed”. He guesses that Esau is still mad and coming out to battle. So Jacob comes up with a plan. He puts his people in groups so that if Esau attacks the first group, at least the others can flee. Then he starts praying
reminding God that it was his idea that he came back so he’s hoping God is prepared. How funny that seems, but we do it all the time. God calls us to do something and when we face opposition, we wonder if God has abandoned us. He decides to stay right there to think and comes up with the idea of a present to appease his brother’s anger: 200 goats, 20 he goats., 200 ewes, and 20 rams, 30 milch camels with their colts, 40 kine, and 10 bulls, 20 she asses, and 10 foals. That’s over 500 animals! He made the first group drive the animals so that when they met Esau and he asked them whose they were, they could tell him that they were a present to him from his brother.
Lord, remind us that the enemy will always come to steal our promise. But, through you we can run through a troop and leap over a wall!
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