Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
Human viewpoints and fleshly planning and efforts are dishonoring to God.
Tuesday, September 24, 2002
He was depending on his present/bribes rather than upon God to pacify or win his brother Esau over.
Turn to Psa 27
The plain implication of Esaus words, and in them we are shown the futility and meaninglessness of Jacobs deceitfulness and scheming.
Jacob had devoted so much time and energy to the problem of “how” he could pacify and soothe his brother whose anger he feared.
ECC 2:11 Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.
Turn to Eph 5
MAT 5:45 He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Not only are all of our human viewpoints and fleshly plans and efforts dishonoring to God, but they are uncalled for and unnecessary.
In the time in which they lived, the acceptance of the gift of the person seeking reconciliation was considered to be the surest proof that all was well.
An uninspired writer would have followed Jacobs tremendous experience at Peniel by a life which was extremely flawless.
Abraham, in obedience to the call of God, went out “not knowing where he was going” but after his arrival in Canaan he sought refuge in Egypt.
Elijah displayed tremendous courage on Mount Carmel, as he alone confronted the four hundred priests of Baal; but immediately he is fleeing from Jezebel.
David dared to meet Goliath, but later, he runs away from Saul.
What a change from clinging to the Divine Wrestler to prostrating himself before Esau.
It is one thing to be privileged with a special visitation or manifestation of God to us, but it is quite another to live in the power of it.
Jacob should have thought, “All of these years I have been living in fear of this encounter only to find out, there was nothing to fear.”
MAT 13:22 This is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
MAR 4:19 and the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
The con-artist will say the right things, even have the vocabulary down, and he uses truth to gain his evil ends,PHI 1:15-18.
Turn to PHI 1:15
The second failure was in the deceitfulness to which Jacob resorted, to free himself from Esaus company.
1. Esau kindly accepted the presents of Jacob to make Jacob feel better about his wronging Esau.
2. Esau kindly received the wives and children of Jacob.
3. Esau goes on the way before Jacob to make the way clear.
4. Esau acts as his brothers guide and vanguard.
5. Esau shows his forgiveness by deeds as well as by words.
Succoth was a backward step, spiritually as well as geographically.
The very next word Jacob received from the Lord concerned the “altar” and insinuated that God was not pleased with the altar he had erected in Succoth.
GEN 34:1 - his daughter got involved with the world.
GEN 34:2 - she was raped.
GEN 34:7 - his sons found out and vowed revenge.
GEN 34:13 - his sons used deceit on the people of Shechem.
GEN 34:25 - his sons killed every male and committed murder.
GEN 34:27 - Jacobs sons unjustly and unfairly came upon the slain and looted the city.
GEN 34:28 they stole their flocks and their herds and their donkeys, and that which was in the city and that which was in the field.
GEN 34:29 they captured and looted all their wealth and all their little ones and their wives and all that was in the houses.
Robert R. McLaughlin All Rights Reserved 2002