SCRIPTURE:
“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. But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.”
Genesis 33:1-4
OBSERVATION:
You can understand Jacob’s fear and caution after what he had done to Esau decades earlier. We see a beautiful thing transpire here. Esau reacts not in vengeance or anger, but in forgiveness and love. Just as the father ran towards his child in the parable of the lost son (Luke 15:20), Esau does the same.
APPLICATION:
When we sin against someone or cause them any kind of grief or pain, especially when it’s a family member, it’s easy to expect the worst. As Jacob prepared to experience the full wrath of his brother, the unexpected happens. He is instead met with grace, mercy and forgiveness, just as the prodigal son did.
The summer after my freshman year of college I went to work at a moving company. The hours were long and the work was exhausting. One Friday after work, I went to visit some friends from school who were having a party. I didn’t tell my family, since I thought I’d be there just to eat dinner and stay for a few hours.
I sat on the couch after eating and the next thing I knew it was the next morning. I was so tired I had fallen asleep on the couch. When I asked why no one woke me up they just said “You looked like you really needed some sleep and no one wanted to bother you.” This was well before the days when everyone had a cell phone, so I expected my Dad to lay into me when I got home.
What awaited me was not what I expected. When I saw my Dad he just looked at me with relief in his eyes and said “Go see your mom, she’s been worried about you.” His love for me seemed to override the pain and fear that I had caused him by being gone all night. I’m sure he and my family probably thought the worst had happened.
Just like Esau ran towards Jacob, God runs towards us when we sin or cause Him pain. Instead of running away, I must remember to run towards Him, especially when I sin.
PRAYER:
Father Almighty. Forgive me Lord when I have sinned against You. Thank You Lord that Your mercy endures forever. May I not run away, but rather run towards You, this I pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
