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1 So Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, "This is God’s camp." And he called the name of that place Mahanaim. 3 Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4 And he commanded them, saying, "Speak thus to my lord Esau, Thus your servant Jacob says: 'I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now. 5 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.'" ~ Genesis 32:1-5
Today, we transition into Genesis 32 where Jacob's time of exile in Haran has ended and he is back at the edge of the Promised Land. The emphasis in today's passage is most subtle and yet it is as clear as could be but it is only clear to those who are growing in their hearts as servants. Jacob was being freed to rule with the heart of a servant and to serve the heart of a king.
In v.1 of today's passage we read, "So Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him."
While on his way to Canaan, the angels of God met Jacob again. He was met by the angels of God before when he left Canaan some 20 years earlier. The last thing recorded was his vision of the latter and the angels ascending and descending on it. As Jacob re-entered the Promised Land he again had another vision of angels who were there with him all along but he simply didn't know it. Of course all things created ladders and angels serve to point us to the One who has served us best by laying down His life so that we could know forgiveness of sin and have a personal relationship with God.
In Hebrews 1:14 we read, "Are they not all ministering Spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?" This passage speaks of angels as ministering spirits sent forth by God. When we hear about some miracle we find ourselves wondering about what really happened in the realm of the unseen to make the miracle happen. It is most plausible that the miracle came about due to the intervention of God's angels. It is clear through the Bible that God's angels do His bidding in this world and it is largely due to those miraculous moments that we truly experience the miraculous involvement of God in our lives.
In v.2 of today's passage we read, "When Jacob saw them, he said, 'This is God’s camp.' And he called the name of that place Mahanaim."
Jacob saw into the unseen and he saw the angels who prompted him to identify Mahanaim as God's camp. Interestingly, before he left Canaan 20 years earlier when he had awakened from his sleep after his dream of the latter, Jacob said, "Surely this is God's house." What began as the house of God was now seen by Jacob as the camp of God. Then he called the place Mahanaim which is mentioned 13 times in the Bible and it literally means "two camps" revealing the convergence of the seen and the unseen worlds.
In v.3-5 of today's passage we read, "3 Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4 And he commanded them, saying, 'Speak thus to my lord Esau, Thus your servant Jacob says: I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now. 5 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.'"
The word translated messengers here is the same word translated angels earlier. In other words, in the same way that God had sent His angels to Jacob, Jacob sent his messengers to his brother Esau. Despite the fact that Jacob had stolen Esau's birthright and blessing, he commanded his messengers to address Esau as "Adonai" which means "Lord." He did this in order to communicate to Esau that he was not a threat to him and he wanted to mend their relationship. This is why Jacob subordinated himself to Esau by using of himself the word "servant."
Esau, like Laban, was not in a personal relationship with God, he knew of the Lord but he did not have a personal relationship with Him. Our adventure with God is dependent upon our perceived need of Him and our awareness of His daily involvement in our lives. We often miss the adventure because we have an unhealthy fear of God and we are afraid to go where He leads. Over and over we are reminded by the Old Testament prophets that "the Servant is coming." In fact, Isaiah 53 has long been titled "The Suffering Servant."
In Revelation 7:17 we read, "The Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters." And, according to Luke 12, the Lord Jesus will serve believers in heaven for eternity. There is much more to this concept of servanthood that meets the eye. I find it startling that Paul's ultimate goal in the book of Romans was to reveal what a servant looks like in various contexts. This is what the final five chapters in Romans is all about.
According to v.5 of today's passage, Jacob accentuates the fact that he had obtained great wealth during his time away in Haran. He did this because he wanted his brother Esau to know that he would not be a burden to him. He also wanted Esau to know that he was not a threat to him as his family had grown to such size. Seeing such a large group coming in his direction would have alarmed Esau. So, Jacob served his brother by sending his messengers to him with a message of peace.
In Matthew 20:25-26 we read, "25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.'"
While in Haran Jacob had learned to lose sight of himself as he served Laban for 20 years. As we move further into our study of Genesis 32 the concept of servanthood will become more and more evident. As he arrived at Mahanaim, Jacob was beginning to see that God's ultimate goal in the life of the believer is to help those arrested by this seen to see the unseen. This is the case for all believers in the God of the Bible because the more we get to know the heart of the Lord, the more we will reflect the heart of the servant.
