“Genesis 32:13-21”

Sunday, February 23, 2020

“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 and twenty rams, thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. He delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, 'Pass on before me, and put a space between droves.' He commanded the one in front, saying, 'When my brother Esau meets you and asks you, saying, “To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and to whom do these animals in front of you belong?” then you shall say, “These belong to your servant Jacob; it is a present sent to my lord Esau. And behold, he also is behind us.”' Then he commanded also the second and the third, and all those who followed the droves, saying, 'After this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him; and you shall say, “Behold, your servant Jacob also is behind us.”' For he said, 'I will appease him with the present that goes before me. Then afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.' So the present passed on before him, while he himself spent that night in the camp.'

---End of Scripture verses---

“So he spent the night there. Then he selected from what he had with him a present for his brother Esau.” (verse 13) Jacob spent the night at Mahanaim, but it is doubtful that much of it was accompanied by the sweet repose of slumber. The Lord did not dispatch a battalion of angels this time to alleviate his fears. Instead, Jacob passed at least a portion of that evening concocting a plan to overwhelm his estranged brother with presents in the hopes of placating his anger and currying his favor. Immediately upon hearing the startling news that Esau was approaching with 400 men, Jacob's knee-jerk reaction was to divide all his people and animals into two companies in order to minimize his potential losses (verses 7-8). But after quieting his mind in prayer (verse 9-12), during the wee hours of that night spent at Mahanaim, he conceived a more imaginative and detailed game plan for dealing with his brother.

In order to find favor in his brother's sight (verse 5) Jacob organized a an elaborate and expensive present for Esau that consisted of at least 550 animals with an estimated modern-day value in the hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollar range. These animals were to be sent in waves, one herd after another, and presented by the hands of his servants to his brother as a token of his esteem. Each servant was to say to Esau that Jacob was right behind him (verse 18), until finally, after the night or tenth wave of animals was received, Jacob himself would appear in the presence of his brother. It would be a temptation to argue that Jacob should have just trusted the Lord would take care of this situation for him, but it could just as easily be argued that God helps those of his servants who use the wisdom and awareness necessary to help themselves.

“Two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.” (verses 14-15“The numbers here given enable us to form some idea of the great size of Jacob’s caravan. The animals are apparently mentioned in the order of their value, beginning with the least valuable.” (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) “Jacob combined active exertions with earnest prayer; and this teaches us that we must not depend upon the aid and interposition of God in such a way as to supersede the exercise of prudence and foresight. Superiors are always approached with presents, and the respect expressed is estimated by the quality and amount of the gift. The present of Jacob consisted of five hundred fifty head of cattle, of different kinds, such as would be most prized by Esau. It was a most magnificent present, skillfully arranged and proportioned. The milch camels alone were of immense value; for the she camels form the principal part of Arab wealth; their milk is a chief article of diet; and in many other respects they are of the greatest use.” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary)

“I will appease him with the present that goes before me. Then afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” (verse 20) “The Heb. literally is, he said I will cover his face with the offering that goeth before my face, and afterwards I will see his face; peradventure he will lift up my face. The covering of the face of the offended person, so that he could no longer see the offense, became the usual legal word for making an atonement (Leviticus 9:7). For the 'offering' (Heb., minchah) see Genesis 4:3, and for 'the lifting up of the face,' Genesis 4:7.” (Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers) It is clear from the value of this gift that Jacob realized the enormity of the loss that Esau suffered when he “stole” the paternal blessing from him by deception. He did not yet know that the passing of time had healed his brother's mental and emotional wounds, but, even after twenty years had elapsed, the trauma of that atrocious day prevailed lucidly in Jacob's tormented mind.

“So the present passed on before him, while he himself spent that night in the camp.” (verse 21) Maybe catching some fleeting moments of fitful sleep. He spent the night with “himself,” doing some serious soul-searching. It was just Jacob and his hopes and fears, his dreams and demons. This was likely in some ways both the longest and shortest night of his life. He arose that same night to fight the battle of his life, and it was not against Esau and his army.

Please read Genesis 32:22-32 for tomorrow.

Have a blessed Lord's Day!

-Louie Taylor

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