The God of Israel
Genesis 33:1-20
December 7, 2014
As you know we are currently studying in the middle of the life of Jacob.
Moses has been systematically laying out for us the gospel
Through the book of Genesis.
• We’ve seen sin in Adam
• We’ve seen judgment in Noah
• And we’re seeing salvation in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
And without a doubt as we have studied the life of Jacob
We are seeing God’s grace.
God has chosen Jacob
God has promised to make a nation out of Jacob
And God is not about to let that promise fail
God has been willing to do whatever it takes
To make sure Jacob becomes the man God said he would become.
THAT IS GRACE
(And it is grace that is greater than all our sin)
And as we saw last week, God’s work on Jacob has even been severe.
Not only has God educated Jacob through 20 years of service to Laban,
But last Sunday we saw God finally break Jacob for good.
If you’ll remember Jacob had one final hurdle to jump.
• He was coming back to Canaan, but he had to meet Esau.
Esau was the reason Jacob left to begin with. (Esau wanted to kill him)
And so returning to Canaan meant facing that threat.
• And when Jacob sent word to Esau that he was back, Esau instantly set on course to come and meet Jacob and was bringing with him 400 men.
• This news terrified Jacob (even though he had already seen that the armies of heaven were encamped about him).
• Jacob (as was his nature) took matters into his own hands and arranged a plan for appeasing Esau.
5 waves of presents spread out to slowly calm Esau down.
And even though Jacob had made serious strides under Laban,
When push came to shove Jacob still had a touch of self-reliance.
AND GOD HAD ENOUGH OF IT.
So God wrestled with Jacob to get him to let go of his self-reliance,
But Jacob would not and so God resorted to a more severe strategy.
God touched Jacob’s hip and crippled him.
GOD BROKE JACOB
And once Jacob was broken he finally realized his need for God.
• Jacob went from wrestling with God to clinging to Him.
• Jacob went from a man who likes to fight his own battles, to a man who needs God to fight them for him.
In short, Jacob became Israel
Jacob = “One who takes by the heel” or “supplants” (I fight)
Israel = “God fights”
Jacob had to be crippled BEFORE he was willing to let God fight for him.
Jacob had to be broken BEFORE he would let God work for him.
Jacob had to become weak BEFORE he could actually become strong.
THIS IS NOT A STRANGE OCCURANCE
God has no problem breaking those vessels He intends to use.
He has to remove all human strength.
WHY?
Because what looks like strength to you is really weakness.
Your ability does not compare to God’s ability in the least.
And so any area where you are content to trust in your own ability
Is actually an area of extreme spiritual weakness.
The solution is for God to take you to a place where you no longer
View that strength as a strength, but as a weakness.
And when you are filled with weakness,
Then you are ready to turn the battle over to God.
That is what God did for Jacob.
God crippled Jacob that He might make Jacob strong.
AND THAT IS WHERE WE CURRENTLY ARE IN THE STORY.
You are about to witness Jacob approach his greatest battle to date.
While it is true that he had his fair share of struggles with Laban,
This battle with Esau is the biggest of his life.
As we start chapter 33,
Esau is on his way to meet Jacob and he is bringing with him 400 men.
Jacob doesn’t know why Esau is coming, but he assumes the worst.
In Jacob’s prayer he said:
Genesis 32:11 “Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children.”
Jacob assumed that Esau was coming to kill everyone.
And so now, here is Jacob – a weak man; a crippled man –
Waiting for Esau to arrive, about to fight the battle of his life.
THESE ARE NOT THE CIRCUMSTANCES JACOB WOULD HAVE CHOSEN
• I’m sure Jacob would have liked his caravan to be well rested…
• I’m sure Jacob would have liked to be in top physical form…
• I’m sure Jacob would have liked for Esau to be alone…
This battle is not setting up well for Jacob,
He is weak and in that condition he must fight the battle.
What I want you to see is that through Jacob’s weakness
God was able to secure Jacob’s greatest victory.
4 points
#1 JACOB’S REUNION
Genesis 33:1-3
Wow, there it is…
“Then Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him.”
I really want you to insert yourself into the story here and
Imagine what this must have felt like to Jacob.
• This is David standing before the giant…
• This is Daniel being lowered into the den of lions…
• This is Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego approaching the furnace…
This is where the rubber meets the road.
And Jacob assumes the absolute worst.
In fact, look at what he does:
(1b-2) “So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two maids. He put the maids and their children in front, and Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last.”
Well, I guess there’s no need to approach dad and ask who his favorite is…
Jacob is putting them in order
To try and spare the lives of his favored as long as possible.
And it is important you realize that this is NOT A BATTLE FORMATION,
This ISN’T even an ESCAPE FORMATION.
Remember he previous tried that by dividing the companies into two
So at least half of them could escape.
That isn’t even what we see here.
• Jacob isn’t planning on fighting
• Jacob isn’t planning on running
• Jacob is planning on dying
This is the battle plan of a crippled man
And then look at Jacob’s only action.
(3) “But he himself passed on ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.”
No threats – No maneuvers – No plans – No tricks
He is fighting like a weak, crippled man.
He actually reminds me of another crippled man in Scripture.
2 Samuel 9:1-8 “Then David said, “Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” The king said, “Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, ” There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.” So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.” Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!” David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly.” Again he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?”
It was common for a king to wipe out the lineage of a previous king to keep from any sort of act of revenge, and so Mephibosheth was rightly nervous.
He was too weak to fight and too feeble to run
So all he could do was throw himself at the mercy of David.
You may not like it, but Mephibosheth is a picture of you and me.
Just like Jacob is a picture of you and me.
Weak, cripples, unable to fight, unable to run – totally dependent on God.
That is where Jacob is.
Facing the biggest battle of his life and totally unable to win it on his own.
And might I just say – GOD LOVES THAT JACOB IS THERE!
Jacob’s Reunion
#2 JACOB’S RELIEF
Genesis 33:4-11
I can only imagine that as Jacob would tell this story to people later
He would say something like, “Knock me over with a feather!”
This is one of the most shocking
And uncharacteristic meetings in all of Scripture.
No one (especially Jacob) expected this.
(4) “Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.”
I don’t know if it sparks your memory,
But Esau’s response here causes me to remember the story of the Prodigal son and how the father willingly accepted the wayward son.
This is absolutely shocking!
Esau hated Jacob
Esau wanted to kill Jacob
But here Esau is rejoicing over Jacob
Like a parent whose child just safely returned from war.
Then Esau completely extinguishes all of Jacob’s fears.
(5-9) “He lifted his eyes and saw the women and the children, and said, “Who are these with you?” So he said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” Then the maids came near with their children, and they bowed down. Leah likewise came near 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 Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother; let what you have be your own.”
20 years ago when Jacob fled, Esau was a greedy man
Who was upset because Jacob had cheated him out of possessions.
Now Jacob is offering more to Esau
And apparently he is content with what he has.
Who saw that coming?
Jacob certainly didn’t!
In fact, notice what Jacob says:
(10-11) “Jacob said, “No, please, if now I have found favor in your sight, then take my present from my hand, for I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably. “Please take my gift which has been brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me and because I have plenty.” Thus he urged him and he took it.”
I really like when Jacob says, “I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably.”
That doesn’t mean that Jacob is worshiping or anything like that.
The insight come from the previous chapter.
After Jacob wrestled with God, do you remember what he said?
Genesis 32:30 “So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.”
Jacob knew that seeing the face of God was a terrifying thing.
Jacob knew that seeing the face of God meant certain death.
And that is what he is referring to with Esau.
“I thought seeing you was certain death and yet you have received me favorably.”
In short, you aren’t the only one who is shocked that Esau is so kind, Jacob is just as taken back by it.
WHAT ARE WE TO MAKE OF THIS?
• Well, do you remember the vision God gave to Jacob as he was fleeing from Esau headed to Haran?
Genesis 28:11-12 “He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place. He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.”
• Do you remember what we said that vision meant?
It meant that God was working on the earth on Jacob’s behalf.
I GUESS HE WAS WORKING IN MORE WAYS
THAN JACOB WAS AWARE OF.
And that is one of the most amazing realities about God.
• We come to Him with our requests…
• We ask Him to intervene in our situations…
• We look for evidence that He is working…
And the reality is that God is working in ways
That we never even consider.
We’ve spent 20 years looking at all the intricate ways in which God was working on Jacob.
• We saw God crush his pride
• We saw the 20 years of labor
• We saw God come through as Jacob fled
• We witnessed God cripple Jacob to ultimately make him strong
And even in these verses it is obvious
That God had done an amazing work on Jacob.
Jacob used to be greedy – ambitiously going after everything he wanted.
Here he is generous – giving Esau what Esau doesn’t even want.
Jacob used to be arrogant
Here he is giving God’s grace credit for all that he has
Jacob used to be fickle, now he is faithful
Jacob used to be proud, now he is perceptive.
God was working on Jacob
And we saw God doing that for the past 20 years.
What we didn’t realize is that while God was working on Jacob in Haran, He was apparently also working on Esau back in Canaan.
We had no clue (and we often don’t)
And at this moment, we are so glad God broke Jacob
Can you imagine the train wreck if Jacob, in his own strength,
Would have attempted to handle this battle?
Can’t you see him lining up to fight Esau?
And then Esau deciding to fight back?
It is just amazing that over the past 20 years
God had been at work on Jacob and on Esau
To bring about a truly remarkable reunion.
May we again remember that no dilemma is too big for God.
(Even relationships that seem absolutely irreconcilable are not too big for God)
God really was fighting for Jacob.
Jacob’s Reunion, Jacob’s Relief
#3 JACOB’S RELEASE
Genesis 33:12-17
Some have really balked at this part of the story.
It really looks like Jacob lied to Esau and tricked him again.
Saying, “I’ll follow you to Seir” and then going completely the opposite way.
But that is really sort of missing the point.
• Moses doesn’t say that Jacob never went to Seir
• Moses doesn’t make a big deal about Jacob being a deceiver
The real point to these 6 verses is merely to show you that
The change in Esau was absolutely sincere.
Admit it…
• When you read these verses and you hear Esau say “come with me”
• And then Jacob says, “No, you go ahead”
• Then Esau says, “Well, let me leave some men with you to guide you.”
• And Jacob again says, “No, I’m good”
Aren’t you just a little concerned
That Esau is about to “blow up” and say something like, “You haven’t changed a bit have you Jacob, I’ll tell you one thing, you’re coming with me, and you’re coming right now!”
Can’t you just sort of feel an awkward tension
That maybe Esau isn’t as gracious as he has seemed?
And yet, this passage proves that he is.
• Esau is a genuinely changed man.
• There is no bitterness in him
• This is no trick
Esau is purely offering out of the goodness of his heart. He holds no ill will toward Jacob and is not offended to let Jacob go on about his way.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
God really did win the battle for Jacob, and God’s victory is permanent.
This was no mirage
This was no false hope
When God fights the battle, God wins the battle,
And His victories are permanent and sure.
And this is yet another reason why we want God to fight our battles for us.
Often times we fight in our own strength, and our supposed victories come unraveled and sometimes even blow up in our face.
But when God does it, it lasts.
It is so much better that God fought for Jacob
Instead of leaving Jacob to fight for himself.
It was permanent.
Jacob’s Reunion, Jacob’s Relief, Jacob’s Release
#4 JACOB’S RETURN
Genesis 33:18-20
To fully appreciate this verse
I really need to remind you of the scene 20 years earlier.
TURN TO: GENESIS 28:10-22
Do you remember that?
20 years ago, God made Jacob a promise.
• I’ll be with you
• I’ll bless you with descendants
• I’ll bring you back to this land
That promise was 20 years old (we don’t like to wait 20 minutes)
I can only imagine the number of times that
Jacob must have questioned if God really would come through like that.
And then we read:
(18) “Now Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-aram, and camped before the city.”
That’s just one verse to you and me,
But that must have been quite a moment of confirmation for Jacob.
GOD DID WHAT HE SAID HE WOULD DO
• God never left him
• God did give him children
• And God had brought him home
I’m always mindful of the promise God made to Moses
When He was calling him to go and confront Pharaoh.
Exodus 3:11-12 “But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”
You’ve read this before, and you know that what God gave Moses was not a sign.
A sign would have been, “Do you want me to prove I’ll be with you? Watch that mountain, I’ll turn it purple!”
What God told Moses was after you go in, after you talk to Pharaoh, after he lets you go, after I bring you back here…
When you get here, then you’ll fully realize
That I was with you the whole time and you will worship Me.
That is called confirmation.
And can’t you imagine what a sweet moment of worship that Moses had on that mountain when he returned with the children of Israel?
JUST LIKE JACOB’S WORSHIP
In 20 years Jacob had been through quite a bit.
• Running from Esau
• Working for Laban
• Enduring the elements
• Running from Laban
• Facing Esau
It had been quite a journey,
But when Jacob led his family back into Canaan
All he had to do was see that God had done everything He promised.
AND THE WORSHIP WAS SWEET!
(20) “Then he erected there an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.”
That means, “God, the God of Israel”
Do you remember Jacob’s promise to what God told him 20 years ago in that vision?
Genesis 28:20-22 “Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the LORD will be my God. “This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”
Jacob fulfilled that vow here.
God’s loyalty to Jacob demanded Jacob’s loyalty in return.
At this point you must have been able to see that God is for you.
God has been loyal to you.
Jacob could.
• 20 years later, God had not failed Jacob.
• God had been with him
• God had provided for him
• God had blessed him
• God had brought him home
God had been loyal to Jacob, just as God has been loyal to you.
The question is, are you loyal to God?
God would call you His child.
But would you call Him your God?
And certainly I don’t mean just some sentimental statement.
• For Jacob this meant that he would worship no other
• For Jacob this meant that he would serve no other
• For Jacob this mean that no other would come before Him
He would obey
He would trust
He would worship this one God
He would love this one God
With all his heart and with all his soul and with all his mind.
God had been loyal to Jacob and now Jacob would be loyal to God.
The question for each of us this morning is
Would you and I be willing to make that same commitment?
Would I build an altar in my heart and say: “GOD IS THE GOD OF RORY”?
Psalms 95:1-7 “O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God And a great King above all gods, In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.”
We’ve spent several weeks outlining time and time again
How faithful God is.
We’ve seen over and over and over how gracious He is
We’ve looked and looked and looked at His unfailing loyalty to His people.
He did it for Abraham
He did it for Isaac
He did it for Jacob
And the reality is that He’s done it for
Every one of His elect throughout the ages.
But the goal of the passage
Is not to simply get you to accept that God is faithful.
The goal of the text is to get you to respond to God
With that same faithfulness, loyalty, and commitment.
Jacob camped in front of a pagan city, no doubt full of idols,
And declared that he would worship none of them.
God would be Israel’s God
What a statement!
I wonder if you would make that same declaration?
• No more hiding in the shadows
• No more timidity
• No more self-preservation
• No more political correctness
• No more fear of offending the world
• No more concern of what others might think
I wonder if you would be willing to step out and say, “I don’t know about anyone else, but as for me, I’m going to be faithful to God!”
That is what Jacob just did, and that is what God deserves.
Genesis 33:20 “Then he erected there an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.”
