Automatic Transcript Generated:
Speaker 2
So Mark is asking why was Jacob afraid of his brother?
Speaker 1
You saw almost starts like a joke. And why was seven by six afraid of seven.
Speaker 3
Eight, nine.
Speaker 1
But why is Jacob afraid of Esaw? Well, let’s look at that. Actually, we do have some clear answers. First, let’s look at their background. Genesis 25 27 says, So the boys grew and Esau was a skillful Hunter, a man of the field. But Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in the tents. So Jacob, I mean, sorry, ESA was your Manly man, all about strength and hunting and doing that sort of stuff. Probably good with the bow clubs, who knows what else. And Jacob stayed at home cooking with his mom, cleaning the house, doing that thing. So more Mama’s boy. So already there you have this huge disparity between strength, power, and Jacob probably wasn’t a big fan on killing animals and that sort of stuff, which is then he goes on to be a shepherd, taking care and protecting the sheep. And Esau, his description seems very similar to me to Nimrod, who was in Genesis ten, nine were told he was this mighty Hunter before the Lord and probably was a huge King setting up empires. Then we come to Genesis 27, verses 41 to 42. This is right after Jacob fools his dad into blessing him and had already cheated Esau out of his birthright.
Speaker 1
So it says. So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing which his father blessed him. And Esau said in his heart that the days of mourning for my father are at hand. Then I will kill my brother Esau. And the words of Esaw and the words of Esaw, her older brother, were told to Rebecca. So ESA says these things too. They get relayed to Rebecca and she sent and called Jacob her younger son and said to him, Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you. So there was no doubt what was going to happen, right? Like he was pretty sure. Jacob was pretty sure that if he stuck around long enough, he’s going to be murdered out of rage by his older brother, who is a Hunter. Then we go to FlashForward, Genesis 32, seven to eight. Jacob is on his way back now to the land of Canaan to face his brother. And we’re told. 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, if ESA comes to the one company in tax, then the other company which has left will escape.
Speaker 1
So he’s still thinking this is 20 plus years later, maybe 40 years later, I think he’s now coming back home and he’s still thinking his brother is going to go and kill him. And probably ESA was because later on Jacob gets a report that Esau is heading towards him with 200 men. What do you need 200 men for? Is that just one giant welcoming party or does it sound like a little army that’s going to go slaughter Jacob and everybody? And if it wasn’t for part of God’s intervention because Jacob was wrestling with God that entire night, maybe ESOP would have totally tacked and decimated Jacob and his family.
Speaker 2
Can you even imagine that? Like, you’re in a situation where you know that you kind of usurped the position of somebody else. So you know that you kind of wronged them and now you’re going to make amends and you see this massive army coming at you with them and you’re thinking you can’t flee from that if they’re in sight and you’ve got your whole group of people.
Speaker 1
Yeah, he’s got women and kids with him. He still has a bunch of really fit, strong, fast men.
Speaker 2
Yeah, there’s no way to get away from that.
Speaker 1
And Jacob has a ton of animals. Again, Esau just has men on foot.
Speaker 2
Yeah, it’s like there is like a prized possession for ESA’s army if he’s not happy. It’s so fascinating to me how Jacob wrestled with God as though his life depended on it. And it really did in that situation. He just insisted on wrestling until God blessed him through it. And I just find that so fascinating that he really the depth and intensity of fullness of what that wrestling would have been knowing that literally his life depended on it.
Speaker 1
Exactly. It’s incredible. Tina insights.
Speaker 3
Yes. Sums up pretty easily. I’m glad you brought the point that ESA was a Hunter. He was a burly, hairy tough guy. And Jacob was like, you’re saying kind of this mom of boy. He offered lentils to his brother to try to get his birth right. I would say he was kind of Wimpy, but he definitely wasn’t on the same level of physical ability. And his brother was furious. And he kind of knew his brother really didn’t fear God either.
Speaker 1
That’s right.
Speaker 3
He was like, what’s going to stop my brother from killing me? He’s humongous strong and he doesn’t care what God tells him to do his birthright for bold lentils and married two heathen women. Yeah, exactly. But he just lives by his emotions. Lost his will, whatever. Yeah, he feels like wiping him out. He could have. But thank God in his mercy, God can turn the hearts of King like Rivers of water as it says in the book of Proverbs.
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