- [Narrator] The biblical book of Genesis
describes the relationship between Jacob and Esau,
the sons of Isaac and Rebecca.
Personality clashes play a significant role
in Jacob and Esau's conflict.
Esau was outgoing, whereas Jacob preferred to stay at home.
This may not have been a problem in and of itself,
but it appears to have led to the parents picking favorites.
Isaac admired Esau because he was a man's man
and Rebecca admired Jacob
because he enjoyed spending time at home.
Jacob and Esau are now in a feud,
firstly because one day when Esau arrived famished
from a day of hunting, he made an extremely foolish trade.
In exchange for a bowl of food,
Esau gave Jacob his inheritance.
Jacob, quick to capitalize on Esau's hunger
decided to squeeze him for all he was worth.
Sell me your birthright, he even made Esau swear an oath
in order to put him on the hook.
Second, the brothers were at odds
because as Isaac grew older and faced death,
he decided to bestow his blessing on Esau.
Although Jacob had already stolen the birthright,
the physical inheritance, Esau still had the opportunity
to inherit his father's blessing,
which was the more important spiritual inheritance.
The blessing represented God's operation in the family line
so that no matter what showers and storms raged around them,
they were safe.
Isaac began the ritual of passing on his blessing
by summoning his older son Esau
and asking for a delicious meal
so that he could bless him before he died.
Isaac preferred Esau's wild game
and requested that he go hunting for an animal
that they could share during this sacred time.
However, Rebecca discovered this
and informed her beloved son, Jacob,
who posed as his brother
and accepted his brother's spiritual blessings
after evading some questions from his father.
Isaac bequeath to Jacob his most valuable possession,
the blessing he had received from his father Abraham,
"may God bless you with an abundance of grain
"and new wine from the dew of the sky
"and the riches of the land."
The plot thickens because
as Jacob was leaving the presence of his father Isaac,
his brother Esau returned from his hunting expedition.
The blessing cannot be revoked
by the time Isaac realizes what has happened.
Rather than receiving from the dew of the sky
and from the richest of the land,
Esau was told that his home would be far
from the richness of the land and the dew of the sky.
It's no surprise that Esau harbored a grudge against Jacob
and plotted to kill him.
Rebecca, Jacob's mother was an eavesdropper
and discovered Esau's murderers intent
in time to hatch another plot.
Jacob would fleet immediately
to Rebecca's brother Laban in Haran,
hiding there until Esau's rage subsided.
Isaac in rare agreement with his wife,
dispatched Jacob with a commission
to warn him against marrying a Canaanite girl.
Instead, Jacob was commanded
to marry one of Laban's daughters, a close relative,
just as Isaac had gotten his wife, Rebecca
through this interconnected family line.
Even in the midst of Jacob's deception,
God was working to maintain the line of succession.
Jacob was now a fugitive on the run.
On that certain night, he dreamed of a stairway
set on the ground with its top reaching the sky,
with God's angels marching up and down it.
Not only were angels marching up and down this stairway,
but the Lord was standing beside Jacob.
God you see was keeping an eye on Jacob
even before he began dreaming.
Jacob was finally able to see it.
Jacob did not simply receive a vision from God,
he also received a message from God.
The word of Jacob was a confirmation
of the promise made to Abraham and Isaac.
"Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth
"and all the peoples of the earth
"will be blessed through you."
Jacob armed with a new vision of God,
resumed his journey toward his clan in search of a bride.
He met Rachel, a woman from Laban's household
and a member of his extended family
through providential circumstances and after much conflict
and opposition from his uncle Laban he married Rachel
and her sister, Leah.
Jacob told his wives about his plans,
telling them God had commanded him to get up,
leave this land and returned to his native land.
Rachel and Leah responded by following Jacob's lead.
Jacob was in desperate need of divine assistance,
about to enter another potential crisis
with his brother, Esau.
God dispatched angels to greet Jacob
and reassure him of God's presence and protection.
Genesis chapter 32 verse 1,
"and Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him."
The battle before him
would be primarily spiritual in nature,
so God wanted to reveal to Jacob his own spiritual authority
before addressing anything physical.
Genesis chapter 32 verses 3 through 6,
"Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau
"in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
"He instructed them,
"this is what you are to say to my Lord, Esau.
"Your servant, Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban
"and have remained there till now.
"I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats,
"male and female servants.
"Now I am sending this message to my Lord
"that I may find favor in your eyes."
When the messengers returned to Jacob they said,
"we went to your brother Esau,
"and now he is coming to meet you and 400 men are with him."
Imagine Jacob's surprise and dread
when a messenger returned with news
that Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men.
Jacob reasonably assumed that Esau was out for vengeance.
Genesis chapter 32 verses 7 through 12,
"in great fear and distress,
"Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups
"and the flocks and herds and camels as well.
"He thought if Esau comes and attacks one group,
"the group that is left may escape.
"Then Jacob prayed, oh God of my father, Abraham,
"God of my father Isaac, Lord, you who said to me,
"go back to your country and your relatives
"and I will make you prosper.
"I am unworthy of all the kindness
"and faithfulness you have shown your servant.
"I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan,
"but now I have become two camps,
"save me I pray from the hand of my brother, Esau,
"for I am afraid he will come and attack me
"and also the mothers with their children.
"But you have said, I will surely make you prosper,
"I will make your descendants like the sand of the sea,
"which cannot be counted."
Jacob's fear compelled him to pray to God for deliverance.
His brief prayer is a model for how we should pray as well.
He approached God with humility,
reminded God of his promises
and asked God to act on those promises.
Genesis chapter 32 verses 13 through 23,
"he spent the night there, and from what he had with him,
"he selected a gift for his brother Esau,
"200 female goats and 20 male goats, 200 ewes and 20 rams,
"30 female camels with their young, 40 cows and 10 bulls
"and 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys.
"He put them in the care of his servants,
"each herd by itself and said to his servants,
"go ahead of me and keep some space between the herds.
"He instructed the one in the lead,
"when my brother Esau meets you and asks,
"who do you belong to?
"And where are you going?
"And who owns all these animals in front of you?
"Then you are to say, they belong to your servant, Jacob.
"They are a gift sent to my Lord Esau,
"and he is coming behind us.
"He also instructed the second, the third
"and all the others who followed the herds.
"You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him,
"and be sure to say your servant, Jacob is coming behind us.
"For he thought I will pacify him with these gifts
"I am sending on ahead, later when I see him,
"perhaps he will receive me.
"So Jacob's gifts went on ahead of him,
"but he himself spent the night in the camp.
"that night Jacob got up and took his two wives,
"his two female servants and his 11 sons
"and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
"After he had sent them across the stream,
"he sent over all his possessions."
Jacob was jumped by a man
who wrestled with him until daybreak
the night before his big confrontation
with his allegedly bloodthirsty brother.
Genesis chapter 32 verses 24 and 25,
"so Jacob was left alone
"and a man wrestled with til daybreak.
"When the man saw that he could not overpower him,
"he touched the socket of Jacob's hip
"so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man."
An all night wrestling match is exhausting enough,
but this mysterious stranger dislocated Jacob's hip
with a single touch of his hip socket.
If Jacob couldn't physically beat Esau before this fight,
he couldn't even run away from him now he was alone,
afraid and broken, exactly where God wanted him to be.
Genesis chapter 32 verses 26 through 28,
"then the man said, let me go for it is daybreak.
"But Jacob replied, I will not let you go
"unless you bless me.
"The man asked him, what is your name?
"Jacob, he answered.
"Then the man said, your name will no longer be Jacob,
"but Israel, because you have struggled with God
"and with humans and have overcome."
Jacob responded with his own identity,
"I'm a trickster and a jiver,"
which is what his name Jacob means.
But the man replied, "your name will no longer be Jacob,
"but Israel."
In other words he stated,
you no longer operate on the basis of schemes.
You will now be recognized by the fact
that you have wrestled with God.
Genesis chapter 32 verses 29 through 30,
"Jacob said, please tell me your name,
"but he replied, why do you ask my name?
"Then he blessed him there.
"So Jacob called the place Peniel,
"saying it is because I saw God face to face
"and yet my life was spared."
Jacob, now Israel, responded by inquiring
about the wrestlers name,
but the man scoffed and said, "why do you ask by name?"
Consider this,
this man had just given Jacob the name Israel
because he had fought with God.
Thank you God, the wrestlers name
had already been given to Jacob.
Jacob reacted to God's presence in the same way he had
when he awoke from his dream of the ladder to heaven,
with shock that his life had been spared.
Despite this, his life would never be the same
because he was now limping due to a hip injury.
Genesis chapter 32 verses 31 through 32,
"the sun rose above him as he passed Peniel
"and he was limping because of his hip.
"Therefore to this day, the Israelites do not eat the tendon
"attached to the socket of the hip
"because the socket of Jacob's hip
"was touched near the tendon."
In fact, Jacob's limp was so important to his blessing
that when the author of Hebrews
mentioned Jacob's demonstration of faith,
he also mentioned Jacob's walking staff.
Hebrews chapter 11 verse 21,
"by faith, Jacob, when he was dying,
"blessed each of Joseph's sons
"and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff."
It's as if the writer of Hebrews wanted to say,
in the end Jacob was a man who was forced to lean on God,
despite all the colorful scenes in Jacob's life.
Genesis chapter 33 verses 1 through 12,
"Jacob looked up and there was Esau coming with his 400 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,
"but Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him.
"He threw his arms around his neck and kissed him
"and they wept.
"Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children,
"who are these with you?
"He asked.
"Jacob answered, they are the children
"God has graciously given your servant.
"Then the female servants and their children approached
"and bowed down.
"Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down.
"Last of all, came Joseph and Rachel
"and they too bowed down.
"Esau asked, what's the meaning of all these flocks
"and herds I met?
"To find favor in your eyes my Lord, he said,
"but Esau said, I already have plenty my brother,
"keep what you have for yourself.
"No, please!
"Said Jacob, if I have found favor in your eyes,
"accept this gift for me.
"For to see your face is like seeing the face of God,
"now that you have received me favorably.
"Please accept the present that was brought to you
"for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.
"And because Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it.
"Then Esau said, let us be on your way, I'll accompany you."
The Bible also talks about Esther,
to watch her video click here.