Jacob and Esau meet face to face after a 20-year silence.
“Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men… He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.” (1a,3-4)
Esau, despite being conned by Jacob on more than one occasion, doesn’t seem to be holding the grudge Jacob had feared – he runs up with a bear hug and kisses his brother. This is the approach of someone who has genuinely forgiven – rushing in, arms wide open for a hug. Esau also doesn’t understand what all of the herds were for – he declines the gifts until Jacob insists he keep them. He then wants to travel alongside Jacob until they reach their destination. All of these factors would indicate Esau has truly forgiven his brother Jacob, and the forgiveness wasn’t because he was appeased by Jacob’s generous gifts.
“Then Esau said, ‘Let us be on our way; I’ll accompany you.’ But Jacob said to him, ‘…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.’ So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir. Jacob, however, went to Sukkoth, where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock.” (v12-17)
Despite Esau’s goodwill toward him, Jacob seemingly can’t help but lie to his brother again – “You go on ahead, I’ll catch up. (But I actually don’t intend to follow you…)” We don’t know what’s going through Jacob’s head and why he misled Esau again – did he not trust that Esau’s forgiveness was genuine? Did he not want to be neighbors with his brother and was too cowardly to tell him up front? Was Jacob embarrassed that Esau let go of the past that Jacob couldn’t? Did he fear for the safety of his wives and children? We just don’t know. All we know is Jacob flees Esau yet again.
No matter what his reason for deceiving his brother once more, it’s clear that Jacob has a problem. This sin of deceitfulness has become such a root in Jacob, that it is now part of who he is – it seems that he expels lies like he expels carbon dioxide – it happens naturally. He deceives everyone – his father, his brother, his uncles, his wives, probably even his children (this last one is a logical leap based on the next chapter). As I mentioned a few chapters ago, this generational sin of deception has become so powerful in this family (it eventually even rises up generations later in King David [remember the Bathsheba and Uriah cover-up?]).
One of the worst side affects of the ingrained deception is that Jacob himself became distrusting of others and thinks people are out to get him (eg. Esau). In order to avoid Esau he buys some land back in Canaan, which turns out to be a bad idea (we’ll find out why in the next chapter). There really isn’t any good side to this sinful habit of deception that Jacob’s family line is caught up in.
Father God, please search my heart for any habits of sin that exist there. Father reveal to me any strongholds that need to be destroyed, and please (gently) guide me through tearing down those strongholds. Clearly Jacob could not tear down his stronghold without you, and neither can I. Father please cleanse me from any unrighteousness, for I long to be a light in this world, and strongholds cast a long shadow, limiting the ability of that light to reach people. Remake me into the man you have created me to be, one who is free of any encumbrances.
~ Conqueror in Training