Have you had an event or circumstance that caused you to face yourself? Perhaps the death of someone close, a health crisis, or a job loss brought you face-to-face with who you are. This is a frightening experience but, if handled well, can lead to forgiveness and a better way of living. This is what God wants for each of us and why He may allow us to face difficulties; He wants us to know who we are and who He is.
An old saying goes like this: “A crisis is a dangerous opportunity.” Jacob’s crisis allowed him to face himself and put him on the path to becoming the person God intended him to be. Jacob’s ordeal is recounted in Genesis 32 and has both danger and opportunity.
When we last encountered Jacob, he was headed home. Although God had told him it was time, he must have had mixed emotions about the possible ramifications of obeying. Obeying God can create problems for us. We may lose a “friend,” a job, a promotion, or be criticized for our actions. Jacob was glad to take his family and possessions and get away from his dishonest father-in-law but he couldn’t go just anywhere. No, God said, “God back to the land of your fathers and your relatives.” Obeying God could cost Jacob his life!
Jacob has a crisis, a dangerous opportunity. What is the crisis, the risk he faces in going home?
Do you recall why Jacob left home so quickly to seek safety with his uncle Laban in Haran? What had motivated him to travel 450 miles from his family and everything he had known all his life?
Twenty years ago he and his mother had conspired to trick Isaac and steal the blessing that rightly belonged to Esau. Understandably, Esau was enraged at Jacob and wanted to kill him. Jacob, the “grasper” had already taken advantage of Esau and received the birthright for a bowl of soup. Stealing the father’s blessing was the “last straw” and Esau swore he would kill Jacob for what he had done. So, Jacob wants to find out what Esau’s intentions are as he heads toward home.
Jacob sends his servants to find Esau with this message, ” 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.” Genesis 32:5 What happens strikes “great fear and distress” in Jacob’s heart. The servants returned with this report ” We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you and four hundred men are with him.” Genesis 32:6. This is not the news Jacob wanted to hear!
God has told Jacob that he will be the heir to the promise He has made to his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac but now he must face himself and the character flaws that led him to mistreat Esau terribly. He must go home and face what he has done. He must learn to trust God and His promise to be with him as he faces himself and the threat Esau made twenty years ago. This is the danger.
What is the opportunity in his crisis? Like most of us, he must realize he can’t control everything and depend on God to get him through the trouble. He must do the best he can but trust the outcome to God.
This is what Jacob does. “In great fear and distress, Jacob divided the people 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'” Genesis 32: 7-8
This seems like a “normal” reaction to the threat; doing what you can to mitigate the disaster. Isn’t this the way we are wired to handle most problems? We default to what is most natural for us; to depend on ourselves to solve the problem. There is nothing wrong with assuming responsibility for doing what we can to deal with a problem. There’s something commendable about taking responsibility and trying to fix it. The issue for Jacob, for me and you is the order in which we do things. We reverse steps one and two.
What is the second thing Jacob does; the thing that he should have done first? Genesis 32:9 says, “Then Jacob prayed..” Genesis 32:9-12 records a desperate, heartfelt prayer of a person at his wit’s end. In desperation, he turns to the ultimate Source of help, the only One who can resolve the crisis he has brought upon himself. Jacob has “hit bottom” and is hanging on for dear life. This is as serious as it can get.
(Please take a few minutes to read and digest this prayer; you may find this type of prayer useful sometimes.)
Jacob has an opportunity to become a better version of the person God created him to be. In the next blog, we will discover how serious he is about the opportunity before him.
What are the opportunities for growth and service is God putting before you? I leave you with this quote from William Barclay, “It is a terrible thing to reject God’s invitation. There is a sense in which every promise of God that a man has ever heard can become his condemnation. If he receives these promises they are his greatest glory, but each one that he has rejected will someday be a witness against him.” DSB, The Gospel of Luke, p.135.