Jacob in “As the Screw Turns: From the Frying Pan into the Fire”

 

In our previous episode, taken from Genesis 31, the drama of Jacob’s life, which we are calling As the Screw Turns, continued.  In that episode, Separation Anxiety, Jacob finally broke free from his twenty-year servitude to Laban, who was not only his uncle but also his father-in-law.  When that episode ended, these two conmen parted ways in the mountains of Gilead after entering into a covenant with one another. This was essentially a non-aggression treaty that was marked by two stone monuments, which were to serve as “do not cross signs” and evidence of their mutual distrust of one another.

In this installment of our drama, from Genesis 32-33, we find Jacob going From the Frying Pan into the Fire as he heads back home and prepares to meet Esau, the brother he hasn’t seen in over twenty years—and the one who once vowed to kill him for stealing the blessing that was rightfully his.

Since there is so much material to be covered here, we are going to make this a two-part episode–Part 1 covering Jacob’s preparation for his meeting with Esau and Part 2 covering the meeting itself–with a review of the most important points following each part and a summary of both parts at the conclusion of the episode.

 

Episode #4 of Biopic #3
Cast:     Narrator     Jacob     Messengers     Man     Esau

Part 1

Narrator:  So Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.  When Jacob saw them, he said…

Jacob:  This is God’s camp.

Narrator:  And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.  Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.   And he commanded them, saying…

Jacob:  Speak thus to my lord Esau, ‘Thus your servant Jacob says: I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now.   I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.’

Messengers:  We came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.

 

 

Narrator:  So Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies.  And he said…

Jacob:  If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the other company which is left will escape.

Narrator:  Then Jacob said…

Jacob:  O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’:  I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies.  Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children.   For You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ 

Narrator:  So he lodged there that same night, and took what came to his hand as a present for Esau his brother:  two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals.  Then he delivered them to the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants…

Jacob:  Pass over before me, and put some distance between successive droves.

Narrator:  And he commanded the first one, saying…

Jacob:  When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going? Whose are these in front of you?’ then you shall say, ‘They are your servant Jacob’s. It is a present sent to my lord Esau; and behold, he also is behind us.’ 

Narrator:  So he commanded the second, the third, and all who followed the droves, saying…

Jacob:  In this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him; and also say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.’  I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.

 

 

Narrator: So the present went on over before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp.  And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok.  He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had.  Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.  Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.  And He said…

Man:  Let Me go, for the day breaks.

Jacob:  I will not let You go unless You bless me!

Man:  What is your name?

Jacob:  Jacob.

Man:  Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.

Jacob:  Tell me Your name, I pray.

Man:  Why is it that you ask about My name?

Narrator:  And He blessed him there.  So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel…

Jacob:  For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Narrator:  Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip.  Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the muscle that shrank.

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Review #1

For our first review, here are…

The Most Important Points of Part 1—

— Jacob went on his way—Jacob leaves Mizpah and goes to Mahanaim [see map below].

— Angels of God met him—when he left the land, he had seen angels in a dream; now, when returning to the land, he is met by angels.  The angels had been with him all along but now he can see them.  [See 2 Kings 6:16-17.]

— Mahanaim—meaning two camps or hosts, one being the camp of God’s angels and the other being Jacob’s camp.

— Messengers/to Esau/in Edom—See map for location of Edom.

— I have dwelt with Laban/I have oxen—Jacob’s message is intended to let Esau know that he has been in Padan Aram all this time and not sneaking around behind his back, and that he is not broke, looking to get something from Esau.

— Four hundred men—Jacob has just escaped from Laban and his army of men, now he is facing another army with his brother.

— Jacob was greatly afraid/divided…into two companies—Rebekah had promised that she would send for Jacob in a “few days”—once Esau’s anger had subsided—but so far as we know, that has never happened.  Since Jacob has no idea what frame of mind Esau will be in, Jacob being Jacob, he immediately devises a strategy to protect at least part of his family and possessions.

— Jacob said—Jacob prays…

Pleading God’s purposes by calling on the God of his fathers and of the covenant;
Pleading God’s mercy;
Pleading God’s protection; and,
Pleading God’s promises through His Word.

— Took what came to hand as a present/divided into droves—since he didn’t have much time to prepare, he took the animals that were in reach and divided them into five droves (goats, sheep, camels, cattle, and donkeys), and spaced these apart.

— I will appease him with the present—this is a picture of what would later become a trespass offering.  The idea behind this offering was that before a person who had wronged someone else could be made right with God, he must first go to the one he had wronged and set things right with him.  [See Matthew 5:23-24]

— Jacob was alone—in the middle of the night, Jacob gets up and sends his family and belongings across the river at the ford.

— The ford of Jabbock—Jabbock means wrestling and fords (and other places such as caves and springs) were believed to be places where the natural and the supernatural worlds intersected.

 

 

— A Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day—Jacob had been wrestling with God in prayer up to this point and then suddenly he finds himself wrestling with the very One who would later become the Blessing of the whole world.

— He did not prevail—not to lack of power or strength, but because He allowed Jacob to prevail.

— Day breaks—in folklore, this is thought to be the moment when the powers/creatures of the dark lose their ability to affect humans.

— What is your name/Jacob—up until this point, Jacob has accurately been portrayed by his name as a liar, a deceiver, a supplanter.

— But Israel—no longer will he be known as those things but as one who has become Chief, or a Prince with God.  Name-changing was a way to demonstrate authority over a person, and here it highlights the change in Jacob from usurper to the heir of the covenant and the leader chosen by God.

— Tell me Your name—since God revealed Himself to men in the OT primarily through names, Jacob asks the Man for such a revelation.

— Peniel—for I have seen God face to face (and lived to tell about it!)

— He limped on his hip—from this point on, Jacob’s “walk” will be forever altered.  When he left Bethel, he was a believing but carnal man but now, as he leaves Peniel, he will be a broken but spiritual man.  [Similar to Paul’s thorn in the flesh in 2 Corinthians 12:7?]

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Part 2

Narrator:  Now Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and there, Esau was coming, and with him were four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants.  And he put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children behind, and Rachel and Joseph last.  Then he crossed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.  And he lifted his eyes and saw the women and children, and said…

 

 

Esau:  Who are these with you?

Jacob:  The children whom God has graciously given your servant.

Narrator:  Then the maidservants came near, they and their children, and bowed down.  And Leah also came near with her children, and they bowed down. Afterward Joseph and Rachel came near, and they bowed down.  Then Esau said…

Esau:  What do you mean by all this company which I met?

Jacob:  These are to find favor in the sight of my lord.

Esau:  I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.

Jacob:  No, please, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, inasmuch as I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God, and you were pleased with me.  Please, take my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.

Narrator:  So he urged him, and he took it.  Then Esau said…

Esau:  Let us take our journey; let us go, and I will go before you.

Jacob:  My lord knows that the children are weak, and the flocks and herds which are nursing are with me. And if the men should drive them hard one day, all the flock will die.  Please let my lord go on ahead before his servant. I will lead on slowly at a pace which the livestock that go before me, and the children, are able to endure, until I come to my lord in Seir.

Esau:  Now let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.

Jacob:  What need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.

Narrator:  So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.  And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, built himself a house, and made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

Then Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram; and he pitched his tent before the city.  And he bought the parcel of land, where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money.  Then he erected an altar there and called it El Elohe Israel.

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Review #2

And for our second review, here are…

The Most Important Points of Part 2—

— Esau was coming/with 400 men—just as Jacob didn’t know what frame of mind Esau would be in, Esau didn’t know what to expect from Jacob, so he came prepared.

— He divided the children—Jacob arranges his children with their mothers, putting the servant wives and their children in front, then Leah and her children, and finally Rachel with Joseph.  Once again, favoritism rears its ugly head.

— He crossed over before them/bowed himself…seven times—rather than cowardly following behind his wives and children, Jacob bravely goes before them; showing Esau the respect that one would demonstrate to a king or ruler, Jacob bowed, took a few steps and bowed again—repeating this seven times.

— Esau ran to meet him—much to the surprise of all, Esau received Jacob joyfully.

— They and their children bowed down—Jacob introduces his family and they, too, demonstrate their respect.

— I have enough—when Jacob explains that the droves of animals were intended as a gift to secure his brother’s favor, Esau says he already has enough.  Although Jacob also says that he has enough, in the Hebrew, two different words are used for enough—the word Esau uses is [rab], meaning that I have much—while Jacob uses [kol], meaning that I have everything.

— Receive my present from my hand—in the Ancient Near East, the acceptance of a gift or present was equal to a bond of friendship.

— Let us take our journey/let me leave with you—Esau graciously offers to travel with them as protection but when Jacob says that he, his family, and herds will only slow Esau and his men down, Esau offers to leave some of his men with them.  This, too, Jacob, declines, offering instead to come to Esau in Seir/Edom—which he doesn’t do.

— Jacob journeyed to Succoth/built himself a house/booths—first mention of a house being built by one of the Patriarchs.  Succoth means booths.

— City of Shechem/pitched his tent before the city/bought a parcel of land from Hamor, the father of Shechem/erected an altar—city located on Mount Gerizim, the place where later the blessings of keeping the law would be proclaimed.

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In Summary

Looking back over Jacob’s experiences during these past two episodes, it’s a wonder that he didn’t suffer a heart attack and die! Let’s face it, being chased across country by an army of angry in-laws who think you’ve made off with their most treasured possessions, wrestling alone with an angel all night, and then having to confront an army of four hundred men being led by the brother who had once sworn to kill you would certainly have been enough to send anyone into cardiac arrest!

And that’s not even taking into consideration the fact that Jacob was making a months-long tedious journey accompanied by four jealous and squabbling women, twelve children, an untold number of servants, and herds of goats, sheep, cattle, donkeys, and camels that needed to be cared for! I think it’s safe to say that if God hadn’t been watching over Jacob, he never would have made it to this point. Reflecting on all of this prompts me to ask–did things really have to be this way—and leaving me with some…

 

 

Some Questions to Ponder

— How/where did all of this drama begin?

It seems to have started with the prophecy that was given to Rebekah when she was pregnant with Esau and Jacob.

— Did she share the prophecy with Jacob at some point in his early life?

If so, could that have been what motivated him to trick Esau out of his blessing and birthright? Or, was he just really conniving, as his name implied?

— Surely, God didn’t need any help in seeing that the prophecy was fulfilled.  What would have happened if both Jacob and Rebekah had waited on God to bring it to pass?

For one thing, Jacob would never have had to flee from his brother, and Rebekah wouldn’t have had to live the rest of her life without ever seeing her son again—or his future family.

— Couldn’t Jacob have done what his father had done before him—send a trusted servant to find a wife for him among his relatives back in Haran? And given that Jacob was destined to be the father of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, couldn’t God have blessed his one wife with that many sons?

Absolutely!

— So then, what are we to take away from this story so far? Does God give us insights into His plans for our lives and then leave us to bring those plans into being on our own—by hook or by crook? Or does He give us those insights to create the faith in us that He will bring them to pass in His own time and way?

We can certainly see from Jacob’s experiences that whatever we choose to do will produce a harvest of one kind or another—a harvest that will not only affect everyone around us, but one that will also impact the lives of generations to come.

As far as Jacob is concerned, the drama in his life is far from over—so be sure to join us for the upcoming episode of As the Screw Turns: Rape and Revenge.

 

 

 

Original Bible story images courtesy of FreeBibleimages :: Home.
Map courtesy of Bible History Online.