His Purpose

DEVOTION

GENESIS

HIS PURPOSE

Gen 32:13-21

13 He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 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." 17 He instructed the one in the lead: "When my brother Esau meets you and asks, 'To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?' 18 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.'" 19 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. 20 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." 21 So Jacob's gifts went on ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp.

NIV

What are we to make of all these gifts from Jacob to Esau? The other issue is this concept Jacob wants to make sure the gifts are from your servant Jacob to my Lord Esau. We are told Jacob was attempting to appease or pacify Esau with all these gifts. Was he trying to make some sort of restitution for what he had stolen from him? He had indeed stolen Esau’s birthright and all these gifts were a fair amount of value, especially the camels. These were of great value in this land, as they, like none other, served as beasts of burden as well as steads to ride upon. In addition, according to our scholars, the females provided milk continually except just prior to giving birth. Nevertheless all the gifts had value to some extent. If they were meant to make restitution then we can believe Jacob was indeed a changed man, wanting to make things as right as he could between him and his brother. Yet these gifts were just a very small portion of Jacob’s wealth. We might also see this was an act of self-preservation. From the fear of Esau coming to meet him with four hundred men, Jacob attempts to appease him with gifts, with material goods. We would hope his actions were motivated by the first idea, which he was trying to make some form of restitution rather than from a sense of self-preservation. Jacob has had a conversation with God, he had prayed. Although we are told of his words directed toward God, we are not informed of any response of God. Was it God who directed him to make this restitution? Was he responding to instructions from God? Surely God knew the heart of Esau and what his intent was coming to meet Jacob. Certainly God knew that if Esau meant harm to Jacob, what would soften his heart. These were not just brothers, they were twins, born together. Sure Esau arrived just moments before Jacob, but they should have had a bound greater than other siblings. But such deception on the part of Jacob with the resulting hatred of Esau broke any bonds these two may have had, should have had. So rather than believe Jacob was acting out of self-preservation, we must believe he was responding to God’s instructions. This belief is based on what is to come next. Jacob wrestling with God, and having his name changed to Israel. Still Jacob is but a man, and as so, he is not perfect, having flaws common to all men. But even in our flaw-filled lives, we can respond to God in order that his purpose in our lives will be fulfilled. God was not willing to allow Esau to do any harm to Jacob or his family, as he had made a covenant with him and promised his descendants would out-number the grains of sand. God had a purpose for Jacob, and Esau must not interfere with it. When we are in the will of God, when he has a purpose for our lives, which he certainly does, he will make sure nothing gets in the way of fulfilling his purpose for our lives.

Phil 1:5-6

 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

NIV

This surely was God at work making sure what he had started in Jacob’s life would be completed. He does that very same thing in our lives. We need only see his hand at work making straight our paths. He will accomplish what he has started in us. Even in our flawed condition, with our mistakes, he will lead us, soothing the hearts of those who might intend to do us ill. Yes, we find such horrific acts of violence against believers. Was God not watching over them? Certainly they are now enjoying his presence. But why are some not protected as it seems he is doing in the case of Jacob? Again, we cannot guess how God works in each believer’s life, but we can certainly see he does work all for his purpose. Although he certainly blessed Jacob in the physical, was his purpose for his life in the spiritual? God certainly can bless some of us in the physical, but when we consider every believer throughout the world, many do not have the abundance of material blessing others do, yet he will accomplish that which he has started in their lives as he does in ours. However he determines, is the key here. He moved in the lives of both Jacob and Esau so to accomplish his purpose. He will move in our lives as well for his purpose.