Reconciliation and Return

Let me invite you to turn in your Bibles to Genesis 33 for our time of study in the word this morning. We're doing a verse by verse study through The Book of Genesis, and as we continue in our study of this book, we come this morning to Genesis chapter 33 and my goal this morning is to cover verses 1 through 20 and the title of the message is Reconciliation and Return, Reconciliation and Return. Back in 2000. And 11, about 7 years ago, I was asked by Todd Friel of Wretched TV and Radio, how many of you have heard of him?

OK, some of you, to be a speaker at one of his Psalm 119 conferences and while there at the conference to be interviewed on his radio, broadcast. the conference featured 4 speakers, with each of the speakers doing 2 sessions each. At that point, In my life in 2011, it was the biggest thing that I had ever been asked to do and way outside of my comfort zone, but I felt like the Lord had wanted me to do it. So after getting counsel, I sent Todd an email and told him yes.

When I sent him the email telling him that I would be able to do the conference, he replied with an email containing 8 instructions for me regarding the conference. To my dismay, The 8th instruction read as follows. For the closing session, we would like to present a mime spectacular. Please have 5 minutes prepared of your favorite mime maneuver.

Phil Johnson has already taken Walking Against the Wind. James White has stuck in a box, and Ken Ham will be picking a flower. I did not know Todd Friel at all at that point, so I took what he said seriously. And I immediately emailed him and I told him that I've never done anything like that in my life before, much less before an audience of hundreds of people.

The whole idea of doing a 5-minute mime presentation before an audience of hundreds of people made me physically ill. And I was ready to pull out of the conference altogether. So I emailed him and just told him I've, I've never done anything like this before and he replied to my email by saying, and I quote, start practicing circles now or opening a door without actually using a real door, you'll get the hang of it, unquote. So I went on to YouTube and I watched a half-hour video on miming for beginners, and I came up with a mime presentation about someone encountering Christ at the cross.

And I was literally acting out that mime presentation when my wife walked into the room. And caught me and asked me, what, what are you doing? And I sheepishly told her. And she started laughing at me and said, Milton, there's no way that Todd is being serious.

I had her read my email exchange with Todd, and after reading the email, she was even more convinced that I was being pranked. So eventually, I emailed Todd and I said to him, my wife says you're joking. I don't know you well enough to know. And shortly thereafter, Todd replied with these words, a good rule of thumb.

Listen to your wife. And many exclamation points there. I cannot begin to tell you the relief. That came over me when I got that email, but that relief was followed with endless torment from my wife.

who in the days that followed, kept asking me to perform my mime presentation. that I had come up with and I never showed her, and to this day, I've never showed her. What I'd come up with. When I arrived at the hotel for the conference.

Some months later, I opened my suitcase. And I found a pair of white mime gloves. Suspenders and face paint. that Donna had put in there.

And I marveled at the joy that she was finding in the whole thing. In fact, she still is. Finding so much joy in this, but I was so relieved that I did not have to do that mime presentation. We've all had things asked of us that we've dreaded, right?

Perhaps for you, it is a dreaded appointment. Perhaps it was a speech or a presentation that you had to give, or a hard conversation that you had to go into. or a doctor's appointment regarding something that you've been putting off for a long time. There have been some things that I've needed to do that I've been asked to do and committed to do.

That I dreaded so much that I've literally thought that if I got in a car accident and broke my leg the day before I had to do this thing. That would have been a relief. To me. Take anything that you've ever dreaded like that.

And you have some flavor of what Jacob has been feeling coming into our passage today. In our passage today, Jacob comes face to face with his brother Esau for the first time since Esau wanted to kill him 20 years earlier. This is the biggest reckoning of Jacob's life up to this point, and he goes into this day having no idea if he will still be alive by the end of the day. 20 years earlier, we have seen that Jacob exploited his father's blindness and stole the blessing that his father had intended to give to Esau.

When Esau heard about what Jacob had done in stealing his blessing, he resolved to kill Jacob. In response, obviously, Jacob didn't want to be killed, so he runs 500+ miles north. To Haran, and he lives in Haran for about 20 years. At the end of that 20 years, God speaks to Jacob and he gives to Jacob a very specific two-fold call.

He says to Jacob in Genesis 28:3, return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you. Notice those two elements in this call. Number 1, return to your relatives, which would have included Esau, and number 2, return to the land of your fathers, which is the promised land of Canaan. Jacob knows that he has to reconcile with Esau in order to fulfill this call, so he makes reconciling with Esau his first priority.

As he begins to journey down. Toward the Land of Promise, he sends a message to Esau that he is on his way. To him. In reply, Jacob hears that Esau is coming with 400 of his men.

Jacob hears that and he panics and prays a desperate prayer to God, asking God to deliver him from the hand of Esau. Jacob then sets apart 580 animals and sends them on ahead of him as gifts to Esau in the hopes of appeasing Esau before they met face to face. We saw how Jacob reaches the Jabok River. And sends his family and all of his belongings to the south side of the river in the evening, which would have been the side of the river that was closest toward Esau in the direction that Esau was approaching from, and Jacob left himself alone on the north side of the Jabok River.

Two weeks ago, we saw how it was that during the night, God came to Jacob during the night in the form of a man and wrestled with Jacob. Through the night. In the end, God knocks Jacob's hip out of joint, yet he does give Jacob a new name. The name is, and he blesses him.

In that location. We then saw how the rising sun revealed Jacob crossing over the river with a limp. From the struggle Jacob will not be a perfect man from this point forward, but it's safe to say that he experienced 10 years of spiritual growth. During the span of this one night.

It says Jacob is crossing the river. The Jabok River to join his family that the events of Genesis 33 take place when Jacob finally, at long last, After 20 years reconciles with Esau. And then proceeds from there to return safely to the Land of Promise. And that's how we're gonna break down our study of this chapter this morning.

We'll observe 5 movements in the story of how Jacob reconciles with Esau and returns safely to the promised land. And the first movement that we observe in this chapter, telling us this true story is number one, Jacob approaches Esau bravely. Cautiously. And humbly.

Observe what happens in verse one. The text says, then Jacob lifted his eyes and looked and behold, Esau was coming and 400 men with him. They are now in full view as they approached Jacob and his family. This is the moment that we have been waiting for as the narrative has unfolded up to this point.

If this were a movie. There would be a sudden lurch in the music with dramatic and ominous tones being sounded at this moment. Jacob has just wrestled with one man through the full length of the night, and he is grateful that he has survived that encounter. Now Jacob has 401 men coming toward him whose intentions are uncertain.

Jacob immediately swings into action upon the side of Esau and his men, and he swings into action to protect the members of his family in a most astonishing way. Observe what Jacob does in verses 1 and 2. The text says, so he divided the children among Leah and Rachel, and the two maids, and he put the maids and their children in front, and Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph. Last Obviously, Jacob is putting the least valuable members of his family in the front.

And he's putting the more valuable family members toward the back where it would be safest and they would have the best chance of escaping if Esau and his men intended to kill them. This is crazy on one level. Parents, imagine someone coming to attack your family and you line up your children like this based on who is most precious. To you.

In fact, that'd be a great discussion question for Care Group tonight. Parents, if you are about to be attacked, how would you line up your children? Imagine how you would have felt being a child in Jacob's family and being arranged in this way. Imagine what it must have been like for Leah to be reminded yet again that she was not as loved by Jacob as Rachel was.

As the commentator Alan Ross says, one can only imagine what was running through the minds of the family members as they watched Jacob line them up. It is what it is, and the Bible's telling us the truth about what happened. In verse 3, though, we do see Jacob doing something good that he's never done since he began his journey toward Esau, and that is he puts himself out in front of his family. Observe what he does, beginning in verse 3, says, but he himself passed on ahead of them.

If anyone is going to die today, Jacob is going to die first. Whatever favoritism he may be guilty of with regard to the members of his family, he is here ranking himself the least valuable. Member of all. And he gets out in front of his family, and he's going to face Esau and his men before they get to his family.

The question is, where does Jacob get this courage from to walk limping towards 401 men, not knowing what their intentions are. I believe he gets his courage from what happened the night before, with God wrestling with him through the night. Prior to this night before, Jacob's biggest fear was Esau. And God solved that fear in a most ingenious way by introducing Jacob to an even greater fear than Esau, the fear of God Himself.

Jacob has an encounter during the night with the living God himself and he's left feeling grateful that he even survived the encounter. So think about it, when you have a fear. And an even greater thing that you fear comes upon you, and that greater fear gets resolved in the grace that God showed to Jacob. In the morning after they wrestled through the night, what is there to be afraid of after that?

Jacob just survived God. And he's grateful for that. So he's not afraid so much of Esau anymore. Although we can imagine that his heart is pounding, stripped of his physical strength, this limping, broken man gets in front of his family and starts walking in courage toward Esau and his 400 men.

I am sure that Jacob's wives. And his 12 children never forgot the sight of Jacob doing that. As for how Jacob approaches Esau, observe how humbly he does so. Verse 3 continues by telling us this, and he bowed down to the ground 7 times until he came near to his brother.

There's evidence from ancient times that in this day a person approaching a king. bowed 7 times in doing so. That's what people did to the Pharaoh. Bowing 7 times as they approached him, and that's what Jacob is doing here with Esau, and the text says that he bowed to the ground.

In other words, he touched his nose and his forehead to the ground in a prostrate position, and he does this 7 times as he's walking toward Esau. Keep in mind that Jacob has a bum hip at this point. It's hard enough for him to walk, so imagine how hard it was for him to get down on the ground and bow like this. Only to get back up again and to do that 7 times.

What a pathetic sight Jacob must have been and how it must have moved Esau to see his brother approaching him in this humble and repentant manner. Keep in mind that Jacob is doing all of this in front of his wives and his children who are following him. I think at this point, every member of Jacob's family would have said that Jacob is the biggest repenter they know. This is what Jacob is doing as he approaches Esau.

Esau responds wonderfully to Jacob as Jacob is approaching him, and this leads us to the second movement in the story of how Jacob reconciles with Esau and returns to the promised land. Number 2, Jacob receives, or Esau receives Jacob and his family with brotherly friendship. Esau receives Jacob and his family with brotherly friendship. It's wonderful to observe in the text that Esau doesn't just stand there with his arms folded, waiting for Jacob to get all the way to where Esau was.

Observe what Esau does in verse 4. Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. Jacob is approaching Esau the way a servant would approach a king. But Esau does not respond like a king would a subject.

He greets Jacob the way a brother would greet a brother. Esau loses all dignity and he runs to meet Jacob. He embraces him, he falls upon his neck and he kisses him. And finally we're told that they, the two of them together, they wept.

As 20 years of fear and resentment and pain and missing each other. Come pouring out of both of them. No words are recorded here between Esau and Jacob at this point, probably because as one commentator says, this moment was too wonderful for words. For some time, neither brother could speak a word, no doubt.

While Jacob and Esau are greeting one another in this way, Jacob's wives and their children began arriving on this moving scene and observe what Esau does in verse 5. The text says, he, Esau, lifted his eyes and saw the women and the children and said, Who are these with you? So he, Jacob, said, the children whom God has graciously given your servant. Notice that even after Esau has embraced and kissed Jacob as a brother, Jacob is still referring to himself as Esau's servant.

Jacob seems afraid. To presume to speak of himself as Esau's brother. Because he clearly doesn't feel worthy. And Jacob wants Esau to know that he doesn't even deserve the children.

that God has given to him. Esau asked, who are these people with you? And Jacob doesn't just say, oh, these are my children. No, he says, these are the children whom God has graciously given to your servant.

And having said this, Jacob motions, no doubt for his family to step closer and to present themselves to Esau, so they do look at verses 6 and 7. In the text, The text says, then the maids, those would be the servant wives Zilpa and Bilha, come near with their children, and they bowed down. Leah likewise came nearer with her children and they bowed down, and afterward, Joseph came near with Rachel and they bowed down. They all bow before Esau, following the lead of what Jacob had done.

The text does not tell us this, but I am sure that Esau greeted each of them in as warm of a way as he greeted Jacob. After these greetings were accomplished, Esau addresses the matter of these droves of gifts that he has been encountering as he's been traveling to this location to meet up with Jacob. This brings us to the next movement in the story of how Jacob reconciles with Esau and returns safely to the promised land. 3.

Esau receives the blessing. that Jacob insists on giving to him. Esau receives the blessing that Jacob insists on giving to him. Observe what Esau does in verse 8.

The text says, and he Esau said, what do you mean by all this company which I have met? And he, Jacob said, to find favor in the sight of my Lord. In the last chapter, Jacob specifically said that he was sending all of these gifts ahead of himself with the intent of appeasing Esau, and here he's very honestly telling Esau, these were my motives. And sending these gifts to you.

Esau probably does not mind receiving this, these huge gifts from Jacob, but it's Middle Eastern custom to refuse. Such gifts at least once. And to let the other person insist. In fact, we do that even in our culture, right?

When we're visiting Donna's mom in Indiana. She'll say to me, do you want some ice cream? And I always say no. And let her insist, and then after she's insisted, then I'll take her ice cream.

We all do that on various levels, and that's what Esau does with Jacob. Observe what he does in verse 9. Oh, actually, there we go. Verse 9.

But Esau said, I have plenty, my brother. Let what you have be your own. Notice that Esau refers to Jacob as my brother. This is huge.

Jacob has been referring to himself as Esau's servant and referring to Esau as his lord, but Esau won't hear any of that. He's referring to Jacob. Not as my servant, but as my brother, clearly indicating that he is receiving Jacob back as his brother. Observe Jacob's response in verse 10 after Esau says, please keep Your gift.

Verse 10, Jacob said, no, please, if now I have found favor in your sight, then take my present from my hand, for I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably. Notice that expression at the beginning of what Jacob says, if now I have found favor or literally if now I have found grace in your eyes. Jacob is saying, Esau, if it is true that I have truly found grace in your eyes, show me that grace by receiving my gift. Back in this day, receiving a gift.

Like this from the offending party. was one of the ways you showed that you had forgiven them. If you refused such a gift, Offered to you by someone who had wronged you, it meant that you were not prepared to forgive them. So this is a critical moment.

And speaking to Esau, Jacob says, I see your face as one sees the face of God. As one commentator loopholed says, And I quote, In the friendliness beaming from Esau's face, Jacob saw a reflection. Of divine favor. This is why Jacob then says, and you have received me with grace.

You have received me favorably. And this is now the reason that Jacob is wanting to give these gifts to Esau. And I hope you noticed that shift that's happened in Jacob's heart. Earlier, he wanted to give these gifts to Esau to persuade him to receive him with grace.

But now that Esau has received him with grace, Jacob wants to give these gifts precisely because of the grace that Esau. had shown him. These gifts are no longer fear motivated gifts, but grace motivated gifts. The one who has forgiven much loves much, Jesus says in the Gospels and fresh in the experience of Esau's forgiveness, Jacob has never loved Esau more, and he wants desperately for Esau to have this huge gift of 580 animals from his hand.

Jacob gives another reason that he wants to give these gifts to Esau, observe what he says in verse 11. He says, please take my gift which has been brought to you because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have plenty. Jacob wants to give this gift to Esau partly As an expression. Or in response to how gracious and generous God has been.

With him. And along these lines, Jacob says, I have plenty. So please take my gift. By the way, notice that in verse 9, Esau tries to refuse Jacob's gift by saying, I have plenty.

In verse 11, Jacob insists on giving Esau his gift, saying, I have plenty. Esau says, keep your gift because I have plenty, and Jacob says, no, take my gift because I have plenty. It sounds in English as if Esau and Jacob are saying the same thing, but If you look closely at the text, they're actually saying something different, and this is where the Hebrew text can help us. In the Hebrew, Esau says, literally, I have much, and you'll notice that he doesn't mention God at all.

But Jacob specifically honors God as the source of his wealth, and in the Hebrew, Jacob literally says, I have everything. Which is the more fitting thing for Jacob to say to Esau because included in Jacob's everything is God. And now you see why he gives God the credit. Whereas Esau did not.

As Henry Morris, the commentator says, Jacob knew that in the Lord, he had an inexhaustible resource. God had blessed him beyond measure, most of all now in this joyful meeting with his long estranged twin brother. Jacob right now is a man in this amazing state of contentment. He's not coveting anything that belongs to anybody else.

He has everything he could have ever wanted, including God. And he says to Esau, I have everything. Everything Please Take my gift. The Hebrew helps us out with something else that Jacob is saying to Esau.

Here as well. In verse 10, Jacob says to Esau, take my present. And Jacob uses the normal Hebrew word for gift. Or present.

But after Esau declines the gift, here in verse 11, Jacob literally says in the Hebrew, take my blessing. And he uses the very same word. That was used to speak of the blessing that he stole from Esau 20 years prior. Clearly, Jacob is trying to make right his wrong from 20 years ago and to heal an old wound by giving this blessing to Esau.

Take my blessing. Brother And in verse 11, We see these words at the end of the verse. Thus he, Jacob, urged him. And he, Esau.

Took it And taking this blessing from Jacob's hand, Esau is making his forgiveness of Jacob official, and he's taking this gift in front of hundreds of his own men. And in front of the members of Jacob's family and all of the servants who would have been there, all of whom hundreds of people would have been witnesses of this transaction. This means that Esau has forgiven Jacob. He's forgiven him publicly, and there will be no taking back of that forgiveness ever.

So that danger. I solved Jacob and Esau are now reconciled. But there's actually a second danger that now rises to the forefront in the passage. Think about it.

Theoretically, it could happen that Jacob gets so carried away with this reconciliation with Esau that he ends up traveling arm in arm with Esau down to Sair. Where Esau lived and living out the rest of his life with Esau as one people. But that's not Jacob's destiny. God has called Jacob to the land of Canaan, and the land of Sair where Esau now lives is not in the promised land.

And this leads us to the next movement in the story of how Jacob reconciles with Esau and returns safely to the promised land. Number 4, Jacob declines to travel to Sair with Esau and his men. Observe what Esau does in verse 12. Then Esau said, Let us take our journey and go, and I will go before you.

Esau will be traveling back to Sair. And he is inviting Jacob to come to Sair. And stay with him This is standard Middle Eastern hospitality. When Esau says, let us take our journey, he assumes that he and Jacob are now on the same journey to Sair, where Esau lives.

He's basically saying, come on over to my place and stay with me, follow me and we can caravan to my place together. This is a wonderful act of hospitality on Esau's part, but it's here that Jacob has to be very careful. And think very carefully. Jacob knows that God has a different destiny for Esau and for Jacob.

He knows that he and Esau cannot live together. By God's decreed plan, they are to be two nations, not one. And Jacob also knows that God has called him, Jacob, to return to the land of Canaan, and Sair, where Esau now lives, is not in the land of Canaan. So this creates an awkward moment for Jacob.

He feels duty bound to decline Esau's offer, but how will he do that declining? How will he decline this gracious invitation from a brother who has just so kindly forgiven him of his sin from 20 years prior? He definitely doesn't want to ruin the occasion and make Esau angry. What would you do in this situation?

Jacob could have said, and I think he should have said, Esau, I so much appreciate the invitation, but God has spoken to me and told me to return to the land of Canaan. And I need to follow what God has told me to do. But Jacob doesn't do that. Instead, he chooses to beg out.

Of Esau's invitation with a practical explanation and deception. Observe Jacob's response in verse 13. But he, Jacob said to Esau, my Lord knows that the children are frail and that the flocks and herds which are nursing are a care to me, and if they are driven hard one day, all the flocks will die. Please let my Lord pass on before his servant, and I will proceed at my leisure according to the pace of the cattle that are before me, and according to the pace of the children until I come to my Lord at Sayer.

Jacob is assuring Esau that he will eventually find his way down to Sair. Together with his family and his flocks. But he wants Esau to understand that he needs to travel at a pace appropriate to a man who's traveling with 12 children and hundreds if not thousands of animals, which is a much slower pace than Esau and his 400 men. would have wanted to travel.

Most importantly, the truth is Jacob has no intention of actually going down to Sair as later verses make clear. Well, Esau hears Jacob say this and he makes Yet one more offer. Thinking that perhaps Jacob could benefit from The protection of a personal escort as he travels down to Sair. Look at verse 15.

Esau said, please let me leave with you some of the people who are with me. But Jacob said, What need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of my Lord. And there the dialogue ends.

On some levels, it makes sense for Jacob to say what need is there. Jacob's already traveled this far without an escort to protect him, and the only danger he feared in the first place was Esau. And now that that danger is resolved, Jacob has no need for anyone to travel with him for his protection. When Jacob says, let me find favor in the sight of my Lord, what he's saying is, let me, let me be content.

To have from you only the gracious favor you've already shown to me. That's the only gift I need from your hand, Esau, and nothing else. Please let me be content with this amazing gift of grace that you've already shown me and you don't need to add to that at all. That's a wonderful sentiment.

From Jacob that has an element of truth to it, but the full truth of the matter is that Jacob doesn't want Esau's men to travel with him. Because Jacob doesn't want to be under obligation to go down to Sair. Amazingly, observe what happens in verse 16. So Esau returned that day.

On his way To Sair This is a surprising turn of events. That seems a little too sudden and leaves us with questions. Jacob and Esau have not seen each other in 20 years. And Esau is returning to Sair the very day.

That he and Jacob meet up after all of that time. We might have expected that they would at least spend a few days together, eating and dining together and friendship, but nothing is said about any of that here. All we're told is that Esau left the very day that he met Jacob and Esau returned to Sair, leaving us with Questions that I'm not, I'm not able to answer for you. Questions like, is Esau returning quickly that very day under the excited belief that Jacob will be following.

And joining him shortly in Sair. Or has Esau already figured out that Jacob probably has no intentions of coming down to say here? And if Esau's already figuring that out, is Esau offended? That Jacob does not want to go back to say ir with him.

Is that why he leaves the very day of this reunion? Or as Esau may be reminding himself that their destinies actually are different. By God's design and maybe Esau is happy enough that Jacob will at least be in the land of Canaan and that they will see each other from Time to time. We don't know the answer to these questions because the text doesn't tell us.

All we're told here is that Esau returns to Sair and Jacob heads elsewhere. And this brings us to the final movement in the story of Jacob's reconciliation with Esau and a safe return to the land of Canaan. Number 5, Jacob settles in the promised land and worships God. He settles in the promised land and worships God.

Observe what Jacob does in verse 17. The text says, and Jacob journeyed to Sucoth. And built for himself a house and made booths for his livestock. Therefore, the place is named Sucote.

What's crazy, guys, is that Sucote is actually about 2 miles north of where Jacob had met up. With Esau. This means that after Esau parted ways with Jacob and headed south down to Sair, Jacob turns right around and headed north and crossed the Jabok River. And then headed further north to Sucoth and settled there.

Clearly, Jacob had no intention of going down to Sair. To be with Esau. Does this mean that Jacob lied to Esau when he told him that he would end up finding his way to Sair? I think so.

As one writer says, even after Jacob's amazing experience with God, Just hours earlier, evidently, Jacob is still not above making false promises and offering misleading expectations to Esau. committing this sin of deception just hours after the most amazing spiritual experience of his life. Isn't that amazing? On some levels, this resonates with me.

I've had moments in my own spiritual journey with the Lord where I've had very powerful experiences with God. And on at least 2 occasions coming out of those experiences with God, I, I wrote in my journal these words, quote, I feel as if I may never sin again. Unquote On both of those occasions, a couple of hours go by and I am dismayed to discover myself sinning again. And it seems the same is true here with Jacob.

So Jacob is not a perfect man after his amazing wrestling match with the almighty. Though we see a lot of good. And this man coming to full bloom. Anyway, Jacob settles in Sukkoth for a spell, and he lives in this area long enough to build a house for him to live in and to build animal sheds.

That's what the booths are. The Hebrew word for animal sheds is sukkoth. Literally, the Hebrew reads, he made Sukkoth for his livestock. Therefore, the name of the place is Suo.

Some commentators actually criticize. Jacob, for settling in this area for a time because it's on the eastern side of the Jordan River. They think that Jacob should have pressed on and crossed the Jordan and entered into the land of Canaan, and they may be right in that criticism. But the truth is that the city of Sucos.

is actually a part of the promised land, being in the part of the land that would one day be given to the tribe of Gad. A son of Jacob We don't know how long Jacob stayed in this area. Ancient Jewish tradition says he stayed 18 months, but It could have been longer, we have no way of knowing. What we do know is that eventually Jacob uproots from this location and moves deeper into the land of Canaan.

Observe what happens in verse 18. The text says, now Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Pedaram and he camped before the city. Jacob to get to this area would have crossed the Jordan River and then traveled for about 20 miles west until he came near to the city of Checkham. And we can say definitively, even the text says that now that he's crossed the Jordan, he is in the land of Canaan proper.

Notice what the writer of Genesis is careful to say about Shechem. He speaks of Jacob arriving in Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan when he came from Padaram, which is another name for Huron. This has the feel of a summary statement. That tells us that for now, Jacob's journey from Harran.

Back to Canaan is complete. God told Jacob to return. To the land of Canaan. He promised that he would be with him and that he would prosper him in his journey, and God has proven absolutely true to his promise.

We're told initially that Jacob camps before the city, but observe what he eventually does in verse 19. The text says he bought the piece of land where he had pitched his tent from the hand of the sons of Hamor, Sheham's father, for 100 pieces of money. We'll learn more about Haymore and his son Shechem in the next chapter, but for now, we learned that Jacob buys this land from Haymore. He's now an owner of land in the land of Canaan.

And beyond this purchase, I'm sure Jacob does many things. As he settles down in this location, but the text of Genesis tells us only one thing that Jacob does, which must have been the most important thing of all. Observe what he does in verse 20. Then he erected there an altar and called it El Elohei Yishrael.

Literally, this title means God is the God. Of Israel Jacob had promised 20 years prior at Bethel. That if God would be true to his promise and give him safety in traveling up to Paaram, and if God would bring him back to the land of promise safely, then Jacob said, then God will be my God. That was his vow.

Well, Jacob has not yet returned to Bethel. He's about 20 miles from Bethel at this moment, but he's close enough for his own satisfaction. He's back in the land of promise, and he memorializes his safe return to the land of Canaan by building an altar, a worship center dedicated to the true and living God. And he calls it, God is the God of Israel.

Don't forget, God has given Jacob a new name, which is Israel. So in giving this altar this name, Jacob is essentially saying in a very public way, God is my God. And he wants the world to know. We're gonna stop here for today, but let's just draw a few quick lessons.

Together that we can observe legitimately from this passage, we learn. We see in this story today that God keeps His promises. More than that, we see in this passage that where God guides, he provides. God, God called Jacob to face up to a sin.

Against Esau and return to the land of Canaan, he told Jacob, I'll be with you and I will prosper you in this journey. And we see here that God clearly has done all of that consistent with his promises. Guys, God is a God who keeps his promises. And you can rest assured that God never, ever commands you to do anything that he does not stand ready to empower you and be with you in the doing of that thing that he's calling you to do.

If God calls you to pursue reconciliation with a brother or sister, he will go with you in that journey. You don't have to go into that alone. If God calls you to do some hard thing, God will give you what you need to do that thing he's called you to do. If he calls you to abstain from some besetting sin, You can be sure that he will give you the wherewithal to do that.

If he commands you to do some good thing. You can take it to the bank that he will provide you with the wherewithal to do that good thing. Where God guides, he always provides. We also see in this passage the importance of not allowing ourselves to become entangled in relationships that keep us from doing what it is that God has called us to do.

Jacob absolutely should have been more forthright with Esau about his intentions. But Jacob is right to part ways with Esau. So that he could go on and fulfill the destiny that God had given to him in the land of promise. Sometimes there are relationships in our lives that have to be sacrificed, or at least they must become less than what they would otherwise be.

In order that we might follow God's call upon our lives as Christians. And Jacob wisely chooses to follow God's call on his life, choosing that over. Living with Esau down. In Sair outside of the land of Canaan.

Having said that, there is much to love about Esau in this passage, is there not? And the way that he forgives Jacob and receives him, Esau has apparently gone on quite a journey himself. He's gone from wanting to kill Jacob 20 years earlier to forgiving Jacob wonderfully and graciously in our chapter today. As a result, I agree with one commentator when he says that this scene of reconciliation between Jacob and Esau is one of the most beautiful scenes in all of scripture.

We see the power of forgiveness when forgiveness is given. When Esau forgives Jacob, Jacob tells him that to look upon his face is like seeing the face of God. Think about that for a moment. And be encouraged by What that statement really indicates is possible for you.

You are never more like God than when you forgive somebody of their wrong against you. Your face never looks more like the face of God than when you forgive people for their wrongs against you. I know that if you're a believer in this room, you would say, I wanna be like God and I wanna display him to, to other people. Well, here's one huge way.

For you to do that. Forgive Forgive those who have wronged you. Forgive that spouse who has wronged you. That mom or that dad who has wronged you, that brother or sister or anyone who has wronged you.

Your face is never more like the face of God than when you give true forgiveness. if I stood up before you this morning and I offered you a cosmetic that I've come across, Or a lotion skin lotion that would make your face look divine. How many of you would be interested in that product? Joe Pascarella would appreciate that.

Here's a very powerful cosmetic. For all of you Forgiveness. Forgiveness Forgiveness will do more for your countenance than any plastic surgery ever could. Or anything you could ever buy from Mary Kay.

Esau gave Jacob the gift of forgiveness, and his countenance was never more beautiful than it was in this moment. What does your countenance look like? Toward those who have wronged you. In closing, it's impossible to read.

This passage and Esau's welcoming of Jacob and not think about the story of the prodigal son in the Gospels. In Genesis 33:4, we read that Esau ran to meet Jacob and he embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him and they wept. If you go to the New Testament and Luke, Chapter 15, when the rebellious prodigal son is returning to his father in Luke 15:20, Jesus seems to draw from Esau's example. Here in our passage today and describes the father as responding to his returning prodigal son in this way in Luke 15:20, the text says, Jesus says, but while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

Much like Esau does Jacob. And even after The father embraces and kisses his prodigal son. The son still confesses, I'm not even worthy to be your son anymore, but let me be as one of your servants. And that's exactly the way Jacob still talked with Esau, calling Esau his lord and himself Esau's servant.

But Esau welcomed him back as a brother. And in the same way, the father of the prodigal son ignores his son's talk of being a hired servant, and he puts a ring on his son's finger and clothed him with the father's best robe and he throws a party for his son, restoring him to the full status of sonship. And that's what God does toward every sinner who repents. It's what he's done with so many of us in this room.

It's what he will do with you if you repent of your sins and come to Jesus today. If you've never called on the name of Jesus, call upon him today. He's already come so far to reach you. He died on the cross, he was raised from the dead so that sinners just like you and me can find salvation.

In His grace. Draw near to him, even this morning right now. And he will give you an even better. Welcome than Esau gave.

To Jacob He will forgive you of your sins. He will make you his son or his daughter. Forever, and then he will be happy to invite you on a journey and he will travel together with you. As he leads you to his home ultimately in heaven.

Forever. But you must turn to him. And come to him in faith. And if you draw near to God, He will draw near.

To you Let's pray together. Lord, I pray for any who are in this room this morning that have Never drawn near in saving faith to you and experienced your precious grace that You would touch their hearts, and that they would truly see the face of God. I pray, Lord, that You would help us as Your people to show the face of God. Toward those who wrong us.

And all of us kinda hear talk like this and yeah, I wanna, I wanna do that. It's like CS Lewis says, all of us think forgiveness is a great idea until someone actually wrongs us. Every person in this room, Lord, has had people who have wronged them and wounded them and hurt them. Teach us to Forgive.

As people who ourselves have been granted a forgiveness that we absolutely did not deserve. And may your face be seen. In our countenance. And may we delight to show your face in this way.

Lord, we thank you for the opportunity to give of our offerings to you. Receive what we give in this offering, do much with all that is given. For the spread of the message of the gospel, supporting our missionaries around the world and our ministries here at Cornerstone. We're all about, Lord, helping people in their journey from brokenness to wholeness through the gospel.

And use what is given in this offering. To serve that great end for the glory of Jesus. In whose name we pray, and all God's people said,