After his very physical confrontation with God,
Jacob had been humbled once again. Not only was he now made to feel his God’s existence, but he was
also made to remember it forever in the form of a painful limp, after God had dislocated his hip.
But believe it or not, this was only one of Jacob’s impending problems,
for that very morning, when God had overpowered him, Esau was fast approaching.
We saw in the last chapter that Jacob was rightly terrified of Esau. He was certain
that Esau had no doubt held the grudge that had brewed between them so many years ago,
and that now after all these years, Esau was definitely coming for revenge.
So as we saw, Jacob had devised an earnest plan to appease his older brother by sending
him his servants, his animals and his possession in an effort to not only buy his way back into his
brother’s good books, but also to prove to him that he was repentant over what had transpired.
The bible tells us, “Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men;
so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants. He put the female
servants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear.
He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as
he approached his brother.” (Genesis 33:1-3) Evidently, Jacob continues to fear the worst
in the face of this encounter. It’s plausible that he was still tilted after his confrontation
with God - a struggle that had lasted all night long and had likely left him weary.
Yet, it does not stop him from carrying out the last minute preparations - or precautions - before
facing his brother. You’ll notice that as he divides his family into this particular formation
that he places himself in front, Leah and her children go behind him and his servants
and Rachel and Joseph go at the back. As you might imagine, this formation is deliberate
and shows us not only more about Jacob’s character, but exactly who Jacob values the most.
By placing himself first, he can be seen as heroic in that he is willing to put himself
in harm’s way for the sake of his family. He bears the brunt of whatever intentions
his brother has and does not subject any member of his family, (not even the servants)
to bear this burden. Jacob recognises that this is the most noble thing he can now do for his
family and might even act as a shield for them as they make their way towards Esau. This is starkly
different from Abraham, who though was much closer to God and by far more celebrated by him,
chooses still to hide behind his wife Sarah when in conflict with Pharaoh or Abimelech.
Jacob, to his credit, does not hide behind his family and had a swarm of arrows been fired
upon their approach, it would be Jacob who would be struck by the first volley. By going first,
Jacob proves to have evolved as a character, for he does not try to scheme or manipulate his way
out of his circumstance, but merely accepts his fate as gracefully as possible. With this
protective formation, one might say that he is willing to die for his family and though his body
would offer little protection for them, it is the sentiment behind his gesture that speaks volumes.
Of course, there is also another detail of this ‘protective formation’ that might impress
you less. You’ll have noticed that before assuming his place at the head of the line,
he places the female servants and their children in the front. This would make some sense as he
would likely be hoping to protect his actual family and whilst he would’ve needed the servants,
he valued his family more. But behind them, he places Leah and her children before proceeding
to create yet another layer to this organisation by placing Rachel and Joseph at the back.
With this, we see him openly favour Rachel and Joseph and it becomes apparent both
which of his wives he values more and which of his children he is partial to.
The bible doesn’t make any further comment as to what kind of strife this would have caused
between these three layers, especially between Rachel and Leah who now would surely know who
the favourite wife was and who the favourite child was. Of course, you might argue that they
were far too preoccupied with the prospect of dying at the hands of Esau, but indeed it does
nonetheless show us Jacob’s priorities and that no matter the circumstances, Jacob would not
only always pick Rachel over Leah, but he would also choose Joseph over his other children too.
After preparing his family in order of their importance to him,
Jacob led them to meet Esau. As stated, we see him bow to the ground seven times as he makes his way
toward Esau who after having already received Jacob’s gifts, would have been hard pressed
not to believe that his brother’s attempts at reconciliation were genuine. By bowing down,
Jacob undeniably submits to Esau, perhaps seeking to clarify that what he’d heard from his servants
was true and to perhaps exemplify that he wanted nothing more. It may also have been seen as
Jacob’s desperation to protect the formation behind him, for now that he had no more gifts
or property left to give Esau, chose to throw himself down before him in the hopes of mercy.
Now Esau who would have been watching this whole thing unfold
would’ve been no doubt perplexed. Perhaps there was a part of him that was suspicious of Jacob,
for his brother had fooled him twice before - why would this third occasion be any different?
Furthermore, it had been years since Esau had even seen his brother, so it’s plausible that
he may have rendered him as irrelevant and cast him to the back of his mind. Seeing him now
may have evoked little emotion at all given the amount of time that had passed between the two,
and like Isaac and Ishmael, it’s possible that the two may have lived great independent lives
without much regard for the other. But if you were expecting Esau to draw his bow at the sight
of his limping brother or unsheathe his sword at the sibling who stole everything from him,
then you may be disappointed. Indeed, whilst some might’ve expected for Esau to have tackled Jacob
there and then and delivered upon him the vengeance that he’d been saving for so many
years now, Esau instead embraces his brother. The bible tells us, “But Esau ran to meet
Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.
And they wept.” (Genesis 33:4-5) In what is possibly one of the earliest
heartfelt moments in the bible, we see a sibling rivalry come to an end as bygones become bygones
and hatchets become buried. For all the rage and anger that Esau had felt in his younger years,
all appears to be replaced with a relief to once again see his brother and to forgive him for
what he had done. You’ll notice, the two don’t actually appear to say anything to each other
about what had occurred between them, but instead embrace and weep. Their wordless
reunion is a powerful moment in the story, where neither brother needs to express what they feel
because everything has already been said with their actions.
Jacob’s remorse is undeniable in his dropping to his knees at the sight of his brother, whilst
Esau’s forgiveness of Jacob is genuinely authentic given that he rushes out to embrace Jacob before
he’s even arrived. With this embrace, the past is automatically resolved and it might be said
by believers that in their willingness to be open, God entered their hearts, allowing them
to resurrect and heal their troubled relationship. The bible then tells us that Esau looks up first
and asks Jacob who the people are who have come with him. And Jacob explains that these were his
wives and children. With this introduction, the female servants step forth with their
children and bow down, followed by Leah and her children and lastly by Rachel and Joseph.
Esau then asks what was the meaning behind the flocks and herds that had been sent to
him. And Jacob replies that he had gifted his own property to him in an effort to find favour in his
eyes. With this, we understand that Esau did not presume to have superiority over Jacob,
despite being his elder and that now in his maturer age, he had abandoned
his previous notions that Jacob ought to have been beneath him, as the second born.
He proceeds to appear flattered by Jacob’s offering, but tells him to keep his property,
for he has enough of his own. But Jacob is insistent and begs
his brother to accept his offering, saying “No, please! If I have found favour in your eyes,
accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have
received me favourably. Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious
to me and I have all I need.” (Genesis 33:10-11) Jacob’s adamancy is admirable here. He could have
accepted Esau’s leniency and kept his flocks and herds. With that, he would’ve not only achieved
the forgiveness of his brother but he would have also maintained his many lucrative animals.
But it would appear that Jacob was above such things by this point in his life and it would
appear that the only way he could ensure his brother had truly forgiven him was by this
transaction being completed. You might also say that Jacob felt as if he needed to lose something,
such as his herds and flocks, in order to truly feel absolved of any ill virtue,
and that he would only have felt a relief from his guilt if Esau accepted his offerings.
You may also notice that Jacob declares that he has all that he needs; he had his family,
he had his life and in that moment he had the forgiveness of his brother.
If he was to lose his herds, cattle and his riches, then it wouldn’t have mattered,
for the most important aspects in his life were now very much present.
The bible tells us that because Jacob insisted so strongly, Esau accepted the gifts.
It may be said that Esau’s acceptance of the gifts was also imperative to the brothers’
reconciliation. The large number of animals gifted to Esau was symbolic of Jacob’s regret
and repentance. It showed just how sorry Jacob was and how far he was willing to go in order to
set the record straight. By agreeing to take the gifts, you might say that Esau was acknowledging
the sorrow his brother felt and not only validated Jacob’s apology, but also accepted it.
Then Esau told Jacob to come back home with him and that he would accompany him on his journey.
But Jacob appears to make up a bit of an excuse, likely on the account that he was
either untrusting of Esau’s acceptance of his apology or suspicious at how easily Esau had
welcomed him back. He tells Esau that he needed to tend to his remaining cattle and that because they
were nursing their young, they could not be driven hard, otherwise they would die. He proposed that
Esau should go on ahead and that he will follow at the pace of his children until he arrived at Seir.
Indeed, Jacob was relieved to be reunited with his brother, but this does not mean
he was not still scared of him - which is why here, he appears to establish some distance.
Esau may have sensed his brother pulling away, or at least,
his brother’s trepidation, for he offers to leave some of his men with Jacob. But Jacob refuses this
offer and once more begs Esau to do as he says, so that he might find favour in the eyes of his god.
So with hesitancy, Esau made his way back to Seir with his men… but Jacob did not end up following.
Instead, the bible tells us that Jacob went to Sukkoth, where he built a place for himself and
made shelters for his livestock. We see Jacob yet again revert back to his old ways, deceiving Esau
by promising to follow but ultimately going back on his word and doing what was best for himself.
It’s likely, as aforementioned, that he still feared Esau and though he knew he was forgiven,
did not wish to live with the shame of having conceded to him. Another idea is that Jacob,
despite his emotional reconciliation with Esau, had doubts over their compatibility and instead
of returning with Esau to Seir, where they would inevitably fall out again, chose instead to leave
when their relationship was on a high. With this idea, Jacob demonstrates greater emotional
intelligence and maybe even some compassion given that he is aware that as much as he and
his brother have missed each other, they cannot coincide. By resisting the genuine favour of Esau
and choosing to go alone to Sukkoth, Jacob spares both of them the heartache of falling out again.
Another idea is that despite how genuine Esau may have seemed, this may have been a front,
and it took a schemer like Jacob to underpin such a deception that Esau may have been planning.
This may have been why Jacob was so adamant not to follow his brother back to Seir and
even more adamant not to take any of Esau’s men, who would have forbidden him from going elsewhere.
As soon as he is able, Jacob takes his chances alone with his family in Sukkoth,
far away enough from a brother who may or may not have had bad intentions after all.
The bible concludes that Jacob would arrive safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan and camped within
sight of the city. For a hundred pieces of silver, he bought from the sons of Hamor,
the father of Shechem, the plot of ground where he pitched his tent and built an altar to his god.
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