Jacob Returns to Canaan

Answers Bible Curriculum Second Edition Unit 5 Lesson 44

This week in Sunday school, we take one more look at the life of Jacob and witness Jacob’s return to Canaan. This event is one of the peaks of the narrative of Genesis but also leads us to several important questions: How had Jacob changed since fleeing from Esau? What is the significance of Jacob wrestling with God and of God changing Jacob’s name? And what caused Esau to reconcile with Jacob? As we explore the answer to these questions, we’ll learn more about our God’s covenant love and why we should trust Him.

Our main text for the lesson is Genesis 32:1-33:20.

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good to see you again good morning welcome to Sunday school today we have our last lesson focusing on the life of Jacob Jacob now returns to Canaan and we’re gonna see in our lesson today some of the same themes that we’ve been looking at but God does not want us to miss as we move through in Genesis that we can trust him that he is the faithful God and he proves his faithfulness again and again and again we’re going to see that today in a special way in the life of Jacob with his return to Canaan but let’s pray and then we’ll see how all that unfolds let’s pray a great God thank you for this opportunity to look more into your word and I prayed she’d help me to be able to explain this word God as we look at it today Lord we know that you have wonderful things in your law precious truths that we need to grab hold of so I pray that you would enable us to do that today even use me God in Jesus name Amen all right now we’re gonna start by bridging the gap between where we were last time and where we’re going to be with our main time today so please open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 30 Genesis 30 we’ll be picking it up at verse 25 in summary fashion I’m not going to be reading through this text but as I’m talking you can kind of glance the text and generally see how I’m moving along what happened to Jacob and his family after he had all those kids and he worked the extra seven years that he had to work for Laban remember he did seven years for Leah and then it was required to do another seven years for Rachel well Jess Genesis 30 verse 25 we see Jacob courteously asked permission to return to Canaan says to Laban hey you know I gotta get back there genka doesn’t really have much wealth of his own at this point but at least he has his wives and his kids but Laban is loving how the Lord has been blessing Laban in laymen’s household as long as Jacob has not working for him and he wants him to keep working for him so it cuts another deal with Jacob he this deal involves certain irregularly colored animals or rather the offspring of those animals irregularly colored animals are gonna belong to Jacob from now on and that’s gonna be a new source a wage for Jacob to acquire wealth and because he’s getting these animals Jacob will continue to work for Laban now what plays out after this it’s very interesting it’s a little bit debated as to what precisely occurs but in my view what ends up playing out is a battle of the tricksters you have Laban really trying to cheat Jacob and Jacob trying to counter Laban and also trying to cheat Laban and this starts with the deal Laban thinks he’s pulled another one over on Jacob he’s got him for a very easy wage a very non costly wage for Laban but what Jacob does is that he tries to manipulate the breeding process of these animals so that he gets more animals of his color and what’s interesting is that Jacobs scheme actually works the animals of Laban start producing all these are regularly colored animals Laban sees this and he’s like alright we need to change your wages instead of all the regularly colored animals just one just the speckled animal or just a spotted animal it changes they said these are the offspring that’ll belong to you from now on but once Laban does this well an interesting thing happens all the animals start producing that color at least all the strong animals the ones that Jacob actually wants their offspring they start producing that color Laban is like oh I don’t I don’t like this oh it’s gonna be a different color now it’s gonna be the ones that are brown or a different different irregularity but then the end will start producing that color and over time what happens is that Jacobs flock continues to increase they regularly colored animals keep getting added to his group but the flock of Laban continues to diminish so Jacob is really becoming a wealthy man and member wealth owes in terms of animals during those days they not yet in the term of money or other things Jacob’s continuing to become a wealthy man at Layton’s expense and he’s acquiring donkeys and camels and male and female servants and more but how precisely is this happening I mentioned Jacob is scheming really he’s trying to manipulate the breeding process but it’s just turning out well because Jacob is a better schemer than Laban well even if Jacob is being crafty I don’t think and if you read through this passage I think you’ll come to the same conclusion I don’t think there’s a scientific or human explanation for this success a Jacob it had to come from another source and that is it came from God if you have again if you look at it it’s really kind of interesting Jacob does this kind of funny thing with sticks it’s sticking them in water and animals come out certain color as far as we know there’s no scientific way that’s possible but God allowed that – God allowed Jacob to do that but God was the one who was actually making the animals produce what they did they were all in his control and so God granted Jacob success and Jacob himself realizes this in Genesis 31 when he’s talking to his wives he says it was God who gave me Laban as well and it was God who protected me from Laban schemes so he recognizes God was the one who’s really doing it but how do you think all this made Laban and his family feel toward Jacob not very happy with him right very jealous Jacob notice notice this is this – and then God speaks to Jacob this is six years after he started working under this new deal so then God speaks to Jacob and he says go back to Kenya it’s time for you to return to Canaan and I’ll be with you I’ll be with you as you return but this brings up a new problem for Jacob well Laban actually let Jacob leave Jacob doesn’t like her Laban doesn’t like take him so much right now and if Jacob tries to leave Laban might try to take back his daughters maybe even take Jacob well by force afraid of this Jacob decides to pull another trick when Levens away at a sheep-shearing festival jacob gathers his family his possessions and he flees secretly back ward Kane doesn’t let Laban know he’s going and he’s able to get away there’s something Jacob doesn’t know Jacob doesn’t know that his wife Rachel has her own trick before she leaves she steals Levens household gods now we do not know why she did that she obviously thought there was some benefit to that we don’t know precisely but she takes these idols and in part due to this theft Laban gather some men and he comes chasing after Jacobs group and this could be a disaster for Jacob the very thing he feared might come to pass it might be that Jacob does take his daughters back and does plunder Jacob wealth but he prevents Laban from doing this once again it’s God when they before they meet before Jacob and Laban meet God appears to Laban in a dream and basically says him don’t you mess with Jacob say to anything anything to him that would divert him from his course so when they they do meet there’s a better argument between the two but Laban doesn’t prevent Jacob from leaving he also looks for his household gods but Rachel is able to hide them it’s a little tense between the two for a while but eventually they decide to drop their grievances against each other and make a covenant of peace which is what they do they set up a little memorial and they they have a ritual meal together and then the two part Laban going back to her ran and Jacob going on his way to Canaan now this is very success is very significant because Jacob’s next stratagem this fleeing in secret from Laban it succeeds but again we have asked why did it succeed it almost didn’t succeed Rachel’s little subterfuge almost broke the whole plant but why did Jacob escape without loss again it’s because God caused him to succeed God was the one who brought Jacob success and this isn’t this theme that we’ve been seeing all along God has been with Jacob Jacob has all these different schemes but it’s the one who but it’s God who’s the one granting success and this brings us up to our main text today dealing with Laban that was difficult but that’s small potatoes compared to the really big issue of what about Esau well Esau accept Jacob’s return to Canaan so now look at Genesis chapter 32 Genesis 32 and we’re gonna actually unisys 32 and 33 okay it’s a kind of text so we’re gonna do in a couple different sections starting with Genesis 32 1 to 21 I’m gonna read Genesis 32 1 to 21 and along with me as I read says now as Jacob went on his way the angels of God met him Jacob said when he saw them this is God’s cabin they named that place my name then Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land Isaiah the country of Edom he also commanded them saying thus you shall say to my lord Esau thus says your servant Jacob I have sojourn with Laban and stayed until now I have oxen and donkeys and flocks and male and female servants I have sent to tell my Lord and I may find favor in your sight messages returned to Jacob saying we came to your brother Esau and furthermore he’s coming to meet you and 400 men are with him and Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed and he divided the people who were with him and the flocks and herds and the camels into two companies for he said if Esau comes to one company and attacks it then the penny which is left will escape Jacob said oh god of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac oh Lord where that is Oh Yahweh who said to me return to your country and to your relatives and I will prosper you I am unworthy of all the loving kindness of all the faithfulness which you have shown to your servant or with my staff only I cross the Jordan and now I have become few companies deliver me I pray from the hand of my brother from the head of East or I fear him that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children or you said I will surely prosper you and make your descendants as the sand of the sea which is too great to be numbered so he spent the night there then he selected from what he had with him a present for his brother Esau two hundred female goats and twenty male goats two hundred ewes in twenty Rams thirty milking camel and their Colts forty cows and ten Bulls 20 female donkeys and ten male donkeys delivered them into the hands of his servants every drove by itself and said to his servants pass off before me put a space between droves the one in front saying my brother Esau meets you and asks you saying to whom do you belong where are you going and to whom to these animals in front of you belong then you shall say these belong to your servant Jacob is a present sent to my lord Esau behold he also is behind us any command that also the second and the third and all those who followed the droves saying after this manner it shall speak to Esau when you find him you shall say behold your search a camp is behind it or he said I will appease him with the present that goes before me and afterward I will see his face perhaps he will accept me so the present passed on before him while he himself spent that night and came all right well let’s start our analysis this passage with basic observations let’s think about how old Jacob is at this point seventy seven we saw before he was 77 when he left Canaan and she spent 20 years in her ah seven years each wife and in six years with this extra deal how old is Jacob now 77 plus 20 97 years old 97 years old now remember 97 back then is not quite like 97 today they did live longer even in Jacob’s time and certainly we’re going to see even though he’s gotten older he is still a strong man there was some other reassurance from God right at the beginning of this passage in verse 1 it says that God sends angels to meet Jacob multiple angels we don’t know what they said or did but they were there so Jacob names the place my name which means double camp it’s the place where God and Jacob both camp in the same place that’s that’s what he was thinking now notice Jacob’s first attempt to reconcile which would Esau verses 3 to 5 his first step since messengers to Esau in the area in which he saw is living the region of zaire also called Edom Edom is enough named for Esau his descendants this would have been southeast of the Dead Sea southeast corner of Canaan so he sends his messengers to Esau and notice what he tells them he tells these managers are to tell he sawed it or where Jacob has been and how Jacob has prospered but more importantly notice the way he addresses Esau and these messages he calls him my lord he first himself as he saw servant he also expresses his desire to find favor in Esau his eyes but notice the report that the Masters bring back through Jacob they say uh Esau is coming but he’s bringing four hundred men now in verse 7 we see Jacob’s response to this says he was greatly afraid and distressed that’s a pretty heavy just that’s pretty emphatic why is Jacob afraid you can go ahead and answer that what does he think will happen that’s right it you saw will kill him or will attack him and we see that immediately following universe age why would he be bringing 400 men I mean it’s not like these guys are just all coming to say hi maybe this is an attack force and Jacob he has acquired serpents and he has his family but he can’t handle 400 men and so that’s why he comes up with his little pup his plan to mitigate losses in verse 8 he divides his possessions and people in the two companies so if one is attack the other way now I think maybe you can feel something if makeups anxiety at this news notice in verse 9 praise to God verses 9 to 12 he prays this is very interesting prayer notice in this prayer how he addresses God he says you are the God of Abraham you are the god of Isaac you are Galway and notice what he confesses to God in verse 10 he said he says I am unworthy of all the loving-kindness and faithfulness that you have shown now the word for loving-kindness in the new American Standard translation that I’m using that’s that Hebrew word has said that’s a very important Hebrew word and if you remember I think we might have talked about it before Cosette means covenant love faithful love translated as loving kindness in the new American Standard Jacob is noticing just how much covenant love he’s seen from God toward him and notice the example that Jacob cites of this love he said I crossed out of Canaan with just a staff I had nothing but I’m coming back now as two old companies have this great family I have all this wealth Jacob acknowledges you did it for me God I didn’t really do this for myself you did this and I’m not worthy of you doing that for me now notice Jacob’s requests in verse 11 he rehearses all this with God but then he prays deliver me please from my brother Esau he’s very honest with God about this he says I’m afraid of him I fear him I fear that he will attack me you know attack my family so God please deliver me and as part of his appeal Jacob cites two promises that God made to Jacob in the past verse 9 he says you told me to return to Canaan and he told me that you would prosper me you said he’d be with me and verse 12 he says you promised that you would multiply my descendants and prosper me so God keep your promises deliver me from Esau now interestingly after this prayer in verse 13 in following Jacob decides to send a series of gifts to Esau to try and appease Esau we won’t go through all the details there but in verse 20 do note that Jacob doesn’t know if this plan will work yes after he says I’m gonna try and ease Esau with this he says perhaps he will accept me maybe HAP’s now let’s pause a moment and ask a few interpretation questions for Jacob to confess that he is unworthy of God’s covenant love what is Jacob realized about his past life what do you think this is kind of a new thing from Jacob he hasn’t really said something like this before so what does he realize about himself yeah and in that scheming and manipulation I think you’re totally right what did he do what does he confess that he did if he’s unworthy and not as he has not lived up to the standard to which a person being blessed by God ought to in other words he recognizes his sin he recognizes his sin he recognizes his foolishness and yet he recognizes how God loved him and blessed him sir says God I am not worthy I’m not worthy of all the loving kindness and faithfulness that you have shown to me I think you’re totally right Ken this is part of his showing maturity really Jacob has changed a lot since he left Canaan in these 20 years God not only has prospered him and kept promises to him but Jacob has to some degree become humbled he realizes at least in part that it was God who is making all these things happen not Jacob Jacob had his plans he had two schemes he had his tricks but it was God who was granting Jacob success and Jacob realizes that now and it’s part of the reason why he importance God now in this moment but what about this plan for appeasing is Jacob’s plan with these at peace and gifts a sign of lack of faith is it kind of like God please help me but in case you don’t know I’m gonna try and do this maybe that is one way we could interpret it but I’m inclined to give Jacob the benefit of the doubt just because you believe in God’s provision and just because you rely on God doesn’t mean that you just sit back and do nothing it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to act wisely in fact when we go to the Book of Proverbs it will talk about how useful a gift can be sometimes proverbs 18 16 says a man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men and isn’t that exactly what Jacobs trying to do right now with Esau God is a God who uses means and God has called his people including us to act wisely and in faith those things are not mutually exclusive you can act wisely and still be acting in faith Jake it may have thought to himself maybe God will use these gifts to move Esau’s heart favorably toward me but ultimately and I think Jacob realized this Esau’s response was in God’s hands not jacob’s these gifts could be ineffective or they could be effective it would be God who would make that happen I think Jacob is beginning to realize this so I’m not I’m inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt in terms of whether this indicates faith or not but now Jacobs has to spend another night he’s probably not in matinee many more he’s in a new place and imagine what that night must have been like as you approach this unknown this great uncertainty that could result in your death and the death and dispersion of all that you’ve accomplished all that you’ve gained how would you feel sure it’d be a time where he’s tempted to great anxiety a time of great tension and Moses our writer of Genesis he has masterfully crafted this narrative so that we feel Jacobs tension we know Esau is coming but we gotta wait I gotta wait to see what happens we gotta wait for the night to pass just like Jacob does the hours drag on the question hangs in the air what will I saw do but then something very mysterious happens and this is our next section Genesis 32 verses 22 to 32 let’s read what happens on our spot here 22 now he arose that same night and took his two wives and his two maids and his eleven children and crossed the Ford of the Javik he took them and sent them across the stream and he sent across whatever he had then Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with until daybreak when he saw that he had not prevailed against him he touched the socket of its thigh so the sock of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him then he said let me go but a dawn is breaking but he said I will not let you go unless you bless me so he said to him what is your name and he said Jacob he said your name shall no longer be Jacob but is for you for you have striven with God and with men have prevailed then Jacob asked him and said please tell me your name but he said why is it that you ask my name and he blessed him there so Jacob named the place place penny out where he said I have seen God face to face yet my life has been preserved now the Sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel and he was limping on his thigh effort to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh because he touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip now wow what just happened here let’s make some observations notice that Jacob isolates himself in verses 22 to 23 by sending all his family across the jab extreme Jacob is now alone but he suddenly finds himself wrestling with a man how did this start where did this man come from we don’t know I’m not even sure Jacob knew but notice how long the wrestling match lasts through the night until daybreak that’s a long time do you think you could wrestle someone for that long and Jacobs not tapping out he’s 97 right but notice in verse 25 who’s winning the match you can answer well Jacobs not losing it says that Oh we’ll see that in just a second but he hasn’t overcome his opponent either neither of them are winning actually which is very interesting and do note verse 25 when it says when he saw that he had not prevailed against him which person is this phrase describing who the who’s the one who saw that he had not prevailed against the other it’s the man talking about his attending in just a little bit but it’s the man it’s not Jacob this man recognizes that Jacob is not not being overcome talk about some tenacity in Jacob and it only gets neatened because notice what the man does he touches the socket of Jacob’s thigh so that it’s dislocated ow and we can’t tell exactly what kind of touch that was it may have been like you know a little a little touch that mysteriously caused that dislocation or it could refer to something a little bit more violent a little bit more aggressive the man could have worked on Jacob’s thigh in such a way that it was just located but notice that even after that touch Jacob does not give up verse 26 the man asks Jacob to let him go Donn is about to break apparently the the man didn’t want to stick around after dawn but Jacob refuses to let go and he says I’m not letting go go unless you bless me then the man asked Jacob his name in verse 27 and Jacob gives it my name is Jacob and remember what Jacob means he’ll gravure deceiver trickster supplanter doesn’t have a nice association anymore but in verse 28 the man gives Jacob a new name says you shall be called Israel and the reason for this name is given at the end of the verse and a very interesting reason for you have striven with God and man and have prevailed and the name Israel can be translated a few different ways it’s a combination of the Hebrew verb sera which means to strive or to fight or to contend and the word L mean God so we could have Israel meaning God fights or God contends or conversely it can mean he contends with God or he fights with God now I’m sure this name announcement made Jacob’s eyes go very wide he asked the name of his opponent but the opponent will not say but notice in verse 29 that the opponent this man submits to Jacob’s request he blesses Jacob and then notice Jacobs responds in verse 30 Jacob names that place where he spent the night penny L a name that means face of God because Jacob said I have seen God face to face and my life has been preserved I didn’t die even though I saw God Jacobs life may have been preserved but you didn’t leave the match on the scathed verse 31 notes that Jacob was limping as he crossed over Penuel at sunup so what does all this mean let’s ask some interpretation questions now who is the man with whom Jacob wrestled yeah this is God this is God in the form of the angel of the Lord and we’ve already seen the angel of the Lord so far in Genesis so we’re gonna keep seeing him in the Pentateuch this was God in human form interacting with man and I think we can say more specifically this is the son of God this is most likely the son of God before his incarnation by the way side note don’t think that Jesus I’m sorry that the son of God you would take on the name Jesus was inactive before his incarnation no he was it was very involved in the affairs of the world and of God’s people and we see that even here in fact Hosea book of Hosea other end of the Old Testament it confirms that this is God in the form of an angel Hosea 12 verses 3 to 5 I was a 12 3 to 5 says speaking of Jacob in the womb he took his brother by the heel and in his maturity he contended with God yes he wrestled with the angel and prevailed he wept and sought his favour he found him at Bethel and there he spoke with us even Yahweh the God of hosts Yahweh is his name so don’t misunderstand what Isaiah is saying he’s not saying oh that was just some angel no he’s saying that was the angel he wrestled with God and when he met him later he knew it was Yahweh and Bethel so amazing Genesis 32 Jacob actually wrestled with God himself now that should floor us that fact should floors because what God does that I mean this is not what we would expect of God but moreover more interestingly what God does this and doesn’t prevail in the match and in a way seems to lose against Jacob why is it that God loses in a wrestling match with Jacob how could that be what would you say yeah Rob yeah God Rob this is just grace I’d let Jacob win I mean God let Jacob point and I think the hip dislocation it’s always seemed to me as a as a reminder to Jacob of that fact you know as Jacob limps away from this this mash he would have known that that that wrestling match could have gone way differently if his opponent wanted it to I mean God touched him and Jacob was in a large amount of pain so Jake is reminded when you remember that sore hip when you feel that sore hip you know who was really in control there but you’re right Rob this was grace from God but why why would God do this what was God communicating in this event now that is a difficult question and there are a lot of different interpretations before we before I offer you my interpretation let’s ask a few other questions did God view Jacob’s wrestling with him as a good thing or a bad thing what do you think yeah this is treated overall as a good thing think your toilet I can and the naming is involved with that and this is a little bit counterintuitive right we would think oh you know you fight with God you wrestle with God that’s a bad thing not in this instance there is a way to strive with God that is sinful the Jacob striving here is treated as a good thing and he’s rewarded for it God blesses Jacob because Jacob was so tenacious in fighting in contending with God that’s interesting now another question considering jacob’s fearful but imminent encounter with Esau what would have been the effect of God’s statement and name change you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed what does it have to do with what’s about to happen does it have anything to do with it ever he’s fearful he prays to God and then God has this whole wrestling match take place and it says you’ve prevailed with God and with men how would that have affected Jacob yes this is definitely to be an encouragement to Jacob he says you striven with men in the past and hasn’t he I mean Jacob’s life has been full of struggle struggle with Esau struggle with Isaac struggle with Laban struggle with his wives it says but even though you’ve gone through all these struggles you have emerged successful and victorious and you’ve even succeeded in your struggle with God you prevail so what’s gonna happen tomorrow with Esau you will prevail this is an encouragement from God that Jacob is going to prevail against his brother you’ve been in this dangerous and difficult situation God is encouraging Jacob so now what is the meaning of this whole wrestling match how can we summarize it or describe it here’s my view I think there’s at least two levels to this on one level God is reminding Jacob of his source of success yes Jacob you have prevailed in the past and you will prevail tomorrow but what is it because you’re so smart and so strong no it’s because I let you why did Jacob win this wrestling match because God let him God is showing Jacob you will prevail but it’s because I’m the one letting you prevail so I think that’s one level of this what’s being communicated here but then there’s another level which I think is even more intriguing and that is in this wrestling match God was affirming his own value and commending the tenacious striving for God’s blessing I’ll say that again in this wrestling match God was affirming his own value and commending the tenacious striving for God’s blessing and really I think this is a theme we’ve seen throughout Jacob’s life he pips striving God or for God’s blessing has been his one redeeming quality from the beginning Jacob struggled a lot with folly and sin he’s been devious but Jacob fundamentally valued God’s blessing and was determined to get it and this is considered a good thing you might think Oh selfish Jacob that you want God and you want his blessing for yourself no this is a good thing God eunuch ating you realize Who I am and what my blessing means what covenant with me means then you actually dishonor me if you don’t want this if you just treat it like it’s nothing and wasn’t that Esau great fault it says that Esau despised his birthright that birthright that was connected to that covenant and that relationship and that blessing from God yes I didn’t care for it that was a strike against you son that was a great failure nice Jacob always wanted God’s blessed and he was not willing to let go of it now again he went around he went about it the wrong way many times but that fundamental desire was a good thing and we sometimes I think we forget God’s other attributes or we we don’t emphasize them all the way we sometimes think of God as just a God of holiness a god full of demands do this or else judgment I require this you better not do this I demand this and God is holy don’t get me wrong and he calls his people to be holy but God is also fundamentally loved he is so compassionate and generous and good even his that his demands the demands of his law his commands they are gifts they are meant for good God loves to save God loves to bless God loves to give and so what is he constantly urging people to do in the Bible come and get it come to me ask of me God says rely on me trust me let me do what you can’t do let me save you let me provide for you and protect you this example this consider what God says to Israel and Ballack hi Malachi chapter 3 verses 10 to 12 this is when Israel’s return from exile exile in Babylon but the people are no longer longer tiding for the temp and for the help with the poor and this is what God says to them Malachi 3:10 212 bring the whole tithe into the storehouse so there may be food in my house and test me in this says Yahweh of if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows then I will rebuke the Devourer for you so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes says Yahweh of hosts all the nations will call you blessed for you shall be a delightful land says Yahweh of hosts me do you hear that that command from God to tithe that was given in the law of Moses but says it’s not to be a burden for you it’s invitation to blessing ask me see if I will bless you if you obey me consider Jesus his own words Matthew 7 Matthew 7 verses 7 to 11 Jesus says ask and it will be given to you seek and you will find knock and it will be open to you for everyone who asks receives and he who seeks finds him Enoch it will be open what man is there among you who when his son asks for a loaf will give him a stone or if you ask for a fish she will not give him a snake will he you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask him see God is a God who loves to give to those who seek Him even of salvation and even of the Holy Spirit now of course a person needs to come to God in God’s prescribed way and he’s looked for what God actually is offering rather than what he can obtain to satisfy his sinful lusts but God always meant man to pursue God and to pursue him tenaciously and again think about what Jesus said himself it gives the parable of the persistent Widow and Luke 18 what was the point of that parable persist with God in prayer don’t give up God longs to give to you but he wants you to persist with him keep going after him now what does Jesus say about salvation itself Luke 13:24 Jesus says strive to enter the narrow door for many I tell you will seek to enter and will not be able you see Jesus says strive we could also translate that fight contend so that you might get into God’s kingdom because you know how valuable that is you know what it means to be part of God’s kingdom strive to get in not everyone is going to be able to you better strive there’s an interesting illustration of I think this kind of tenacious striving this committed striving from pilgrims progress I don’t know if you’ve ever read the book but that analogy describing the the Christian life at one point that being character pilgrim and then called Christian he’s running from the city of destruction and when his family his unbelieving family realizes that he’s gone they call out to him and ask him to turn back but what Christian does is that as he hears their cries he puts his fingers in his ears and he just shouts to himself life life life he knew he could not turn back he knew he had to persevere he had to be tenacious if he really wanted that blessing from God if you really wanted life really wanted God himself I believe God’s communicating the same things here in this wrestling match with Jacob it’s just an astounding message and given an astounding way Jacob probably didn’t understand at first that he was wrestling with God though he may a sense that the man he was wrestling with was no normal man but God used that event to show that he approves of people striving with him now not the sense of testing God by unbelief but in the sense of testing God with belief by saying to God just like Jacob did God I know that life and blessing is with you therefore I will not let go until you bless me God you promised those who come to you in humble faith will be blessed so that’s why I’ve come so great and holy God I ask that you keep your promise this kind of testing is kind of testing a belief it honors God because it affirms that he is as valuable as he really is he is the greatest treasure and what will God do for those who strive with him in that way same thing that he does for Jacob here he will let that person win you will say oh you’ve got me and now I will bless you and who doesn’t want to experience that this is who God is he is a surprising God he is a God of abounding covenant love he says come and get him I am the treasurer come and seek me persevere persist be tenacious fight and strive even for me now quick application is this the way you pursue God could your relationship with God be described as a righteous kind of striving for him do you wrestle with God until he gives you what he promised now make sure he’s actually promised it to you but if he has don’t let go don’t let go until God blesses you this was a commendable thing that Jacob did and it is constructive for us now if God lets you prevail with him what need have you to fear anything from man this was true for Jacob let’s see how it came to pass let’s look at Genesis 33 now Genesis 33 1 to 20 this is a last section name Jacob lifted his eyes and looked and behold Esau was coming and four hundred men with him so he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and two maids and he put the maids and their children in front and Leah and her children next and Rachel and Joseph last but he himself passed on ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times until he came near to his brother then ye saw I ran to meet him and embraced him he fell on his neck and kissed him and they wept he lifted his eyes and saw the women and the children and said what are these with you so I said children whom God has graciously given your servant and the maids came near with their children and they bowed down Leah likewise came here with her children and they bowed down and afterward Joseph came near with Rachel and they bowed down and he said what do you mean by all this company which I have met and he said to find favor in the sight of my lord but east I said I have to my brother let what you have be your own Jacob said no please if now I found favor in your sight then take my present from my head for I see your face as one sees the face of God you have received me favourably please take my gift which has been brought to you because God has dealt graciously with me because I have plenty thus he urged him he took it then he saw said let’s take our journey and go I will go before you but he said to me my lord knows that the children are frail and the flocks and the herds which are nursing are a care to me if they are driven hard one day all the flocks will die please let my Lord hassle him before his servant I’ll proceed at my leisure according to the pace of the cattle before me and accord the pace of the children till I come to my lord that’s a yes I said please let me leave with you of the people who are with me but he said what need is there let me find favor in the side of my lord so you saw return that day on his way to Zaire Jacob journeyed to Succoth and built for himself a house and made booths first livestock there for the places named Sukkoth now Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem which is in the land of Canaan it came from paddan-aram and camped before the city he bought the piece of land where he had pitched his tent from the hand of the sons of hay more check his father for 100 pieces of money then he erected there an altar and called it el el oh hey is now for the sake of time we’ll just offer a few conference about this last section Jacob faces he saw with his four hundred men and what did the result total reconciliation total reconciliation after 20 years Esau his murderous intent it turned into a longing and an affection his brother Jacob the one who had supplanted him how how did this happen was it Rebekah’s scheme all those years ago that get away Jacob so Esau can cool off or was it Jacobs gifts softened Esau his heart and made them maybe you saw favorable towards Jacob well maybe these played a role but I think you and I can both imagine how these things might have had the opposite effect yeah sometimes people cool off when they’re angry if you’re just give them time but sometimes they don’t sometimes they just become more angry they become bitter I could have happened with Esau or these gifts say oh you know the gifts they suede you so hard you might have had the opposite effect Esau might have been like oh what a cheap ride he’s trying to buy me off these things could have worked in the opposite way so why didn’t they because God because of God’s covenant of for Jacob because you promised I’m gonna take care of God kept his promise by the way do you notice how much Jacob is talking about God now verse 5 he says God graciously gave me these children verse 10 seeing your favorite Esau is like seeing the face of God verse 11 God graciously gave me this abundant wealth in a verse 20 jacob orexin altar and he names the place LLO hey Israel which means God the God of Israel see Jacob adopts the name given to him by God which i think is an act of faith and he also says Yahweh is my god Yahweh is Israel’s God I think Jacob is really starting to get it now he’s learned after all these years to fundamentally cling to the Lord yes I’m trying to act smartly but it’s God who has to make things happen that’s the same realization that you and I need to make to look how faithful God has been to Jacob he’s kept all the promises that he gave to Jacob he said o be with Oh Osprey Oh bring you back to this land and safety I’ll multiply your seed God is doing all of that God is a God of covent love he keeps covenant he is faithful he was faithful to Abraham was faithful to Isaac now he’s faithful to Jacob it’s the point if he was faithful to them will he not be faithful to you if you can that was the message to Israel and that’s the message dots now this ends the major portion of Genesis that’s about Jacob next time when we pick it up with Jacob sons it will be focusing on the favorite son Joseph will have a number of lessons with him now let me end by presenting to you some questions for application we’ve seen a little bit of the application as we’ve done some interpretation as we go along but here are a few other questions to get you thinking first have you learned the lesson that Jacob need to learn do you trust in your own efforts to supply your needs or do you trust in God even as you act wisely and like what is evident in your life what would trusting God look like for you in the areas of life in which you are currently engst’s or attempted to anxiety in different ways and sometimes we don’t struggle with the thing and then we go into a new situation and we do what would trust God look like for you in that area there’s another question do you strive with God in a righteous way or an unrighteous way are you testing him by unbelief by belief are you determined that nothing will get in the way of you and God where do you need to strive more fiercely in order to obtain God in his blessing I can’t be nonchalant when it comes to God and when it comes to life that he offers can’t be like you know I get around to it maybe but I got these interesting think the world eats people like the things of the world that we have that are not sinful they are blessings from God but nothing is to get in the way of you and God you need to strive so that that doesn’t happen and when you do look at the blessing you’ll get God so where do you need to do that and then third question do you see God as a God of generous and faithful love as well as a God of holiness now it’s good for you to realize that God is holy he will not accept you unless you come Christ your good deeds will never be enough to make you right with God and we need to realize that that’s how that’s part of what’s necessary and actually to obtain salvation but the other side is necessary to have to see God has a reward of those who seek it right now what the scripture says is it generous aha here’s a loving God and if you train him is just some scary divine ogre to get off your back you’ve dishonored him he’s a treasure he is D Trish do you see that do you realize that have a few minutes questions about what you’ve heard today yes right great question at what did Jake realized that he was actually wrestling God and if he didn’t know who is God why did he ask him to bless him I don’t know that we can say I think there’s a lot of mysteriousness here and we’re not given all the details my guess is Jacob realized that he was not wrestling with him with a regular person I don’t know if he knew that it was but he knew that this was not normal and so whoever this person was perhaps he had a sense that it was God or might be connected with God he knew that I want this person’s blessing but all that even if Jacob didn’t know at the beginning God was going to use this in an instructive way as God makes his identity known to Jacob when he changes jacob’s name he says you’ve prevailed you’ve consented with God that was indicating to Jacob you know the person you’re wrestling with is really God so if you didn’t know by that point if you didn’t know before he certainly wouldn’t know at that point that’s why he names the place Penuel the face of God but even if Jacob didn’t know in the beginning God saw all of it as a as a perfect figure or perfect message of what you want to communicate to Jacob which is I’m the one who’s going to make you succeed tomorrow with Esau as I have all that all before this time but also it is right for you to strive for what I offer it’s right for you to strive to have meat to being covenant with me that’s my my best attempt at answering that question but it’s a good question another question yeah you got another I would I would agree I think that’s what many theologians have concluded and the reason for this is Jesus is the sons special role within the Trinity remember the the Trinity is the mysterious reality and yet even though God does everything together there are distinct roles and the sons role as identified in the New Testament is to be a mediator between God and man he is also the revealer of God and we’re told in another place in the scriptures that God is spirit and no one can see God no one has seen God at any time but then we’re told it is the son who reveals God so it would make sense that anytime God appeared visibly in the Old Testament it was God the Son it was exercising his role as mediator and explainer of God God the Father and God as a whole so I would agree with you I think this is Christ because it’s not totally explicit I can’t be like that’s true and if you don’t believe it it’s heresy obviously this is God but I think there is a very very very strong possibility that this is the son of God specifically so yeah I’m with you and many of theologians have said the same thing if you have other questions or comments about this lesson or things related to it is email me that’s it for this week next week as I said we pick up with the life of Joseph let’s close in prayer where God you have been good to us by giving us this word it is an amazing word because you are an amazing God you are not what we expect you are way more generous than we could have understood you were way more loving you are surely more holy than we anticipate when we just think according to our own our own thinking but you are truly a wonderful God and I pray ganda people at Calvary and anyone listening today they would realize that they would see that I need to have this God I need what he offers I want to be in covenant with him pray God that they would strive after you in a righteous way and God you would enable them by faith to put a put aside any sin or distraction that would prevent them from doing that I pray Lord you bless them and the rest of the service at Calvary continue to bless the fellowship and the instruction of the word in Jesus name Amen thank you all you next week