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13 So he lodged there that same night, and took what came to his hand as a present for Esau his brother: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals. 16 Then he delivered them to the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass over before me, and put some distance between successive droves.” 17 And he commanded the first one, saying, “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?’ 18 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.’ ” 19 So he commanded the second, the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, “In this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him; 20 and also say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.’ ” For he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” 21 So the present went on over before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp. ~ Genesis 32:13-21
Today, we consider another interesting portion in the life of Jacob. Having just prayed to God, Jacob anticipated the arrival of his brother along with 400 of his men from Edom. Needless to say, Jacob was scared. In this context we see the struggle between the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. Jacob was careful to prepare well in advance of his brother's arrival, but at the end of the day, the will of God would be accomplished. So often this is the case and perhaps we spend too much time in preparation for the arrival of our angry brother rather than resting in the sovereign hands of our loving God.
In v.13-15 of today's passage we read, "13 So he lodged there that same night, and took what came to his hand as a present for Esau his brother: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals."
After Jacob’s great prayer of faith, he remained at Mahanaim, the place of the convergence of the seen and the unseen. Without moving on to the Promised Land, Jacob waited for the arrival of his brother Esau and he prepared a gift for him. In so doing, Jacob was trying to soften the blow with his brother. In addition, Jacob's actions pulled back the curtain on the struggle that Jacob was experiencing within.
Jacob, if he were alive today, could be the poster boy to the American Dream. The old saying, "God helps those who help themselves," although not biblical, was very descriptive of Jacob. In Jacob's actions we see the struggle within a man who is learning to trust in God and a man who struggles trusting. This conflict within us all is a very vital part in our sanctification, because a contrast is drawn for us to finally conclude that it is God's will that we need most, not ours.
Since God had blessed Jacob so much in Haran, Jacob used that which God had provided to him to mitigate the coming conflict with his brother. It is obvious that Jacob was struggling with how the confrontation would play out. God had promised Jacob that he would protect him and he had demonstrated His faithfulness to that promise during the confrontation that Jacob had with Laban earlier. Jacob's struggle was a necessary part of the development of his faith in God. We should never be surprised by our trials, our struggles and our doubts especially when we consider that without them our faith in God will have little depth. And, with the deepening of our faith comes the deepening of our intimacy with God.
Jacob sectioned off a total of 580 animals as a gift to his brother. Then he divided the animals in proportion to their ability to mate, 1 male for every 10 females of the goats and sheep and 1 bull for every 4 cows. Jacob knew the right proportions since he had been tending flocks all of his life. Jacob hoped that his brother would be so overwhelmed by his generosity, that he would be willing to forgive Jacob for his past sins.
In v.16-18 of today's passage we read, "16 Then he delivered them to the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, 'Pass over before me, and put some distance between successive droves.' 17 And he commanded the first one, saying, '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?’ 18 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.'"
There were five groups of animals and there were five droves made ready to meet Esau prior to his meeting with Jacob. These droves were placed in the hands of Jacob's servants and they were directed to go ahead of Mahanaim and to keep a specific span of distance between the droves. They were not to follow too closely to each other but there was to be some distance between each. Jacob set, in advance, the distances in order to allow Esau to adjust to each and to think on each before meeting another drove.
By doing it this way, there would be a prolonged period of time before Esau's meeting with Jacob. Jacob expected Esau to stop and observe each group of animals. The servants were instructed very specifically, to say to Esau that they were "your servant Jacob’s." By saying this Jacob placed himself as a servant of Esau and the droves which were being included were a gift to Esau.
In v.19-21 of today's passage we read, "19 So he commanded the second, the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, 'In this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him; 20 and also say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.'" For he said, 'I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.' 21 So the present went on over before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp."
Again, there were five droves of animals that Esau would pass until he arrived at his brother. The repetition of each drove was to make sure that Esau would understand the message from Jacob. The gifts would have no significance without the guarantee of a meeting. Jacob was preparing Esau this way in hopes that "perhaps Esau would accept Jacob." Jacob was hopeful that any wrath that Esau may have had would be removed from him.
Jacob was a deceiver who often tricked his family, and didn't think anything of it. But once Laban began deceiving him, Jacob realized how bad it felt to be tricked. Accordingly, Jacob sought forgiveness from his brother and sent gift after gift to appease him, recognizing just how deeply he had hurt his brother. When we go above and beyond to seek the forgiveness of our brother, it is demonstrating to him that we recognize how deeply our sin must have hurt him. That mutual recognition will lead to reconciliation. So, whether it costs us camels and sheep, or money, or even our pride, we should be willing to do whatever it takes, as far as it depends on us, to live peaceably with our brother.
