A New Man

 Determined to receive God’s blessings, Jacob had wrestled with the angel all night,  That commitment to get God’s blessing cost him something physically, Genesis 32:31-32 t3lls us, “And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.  Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.”  For the rest of his life, Jacob would walk with a limp. 

Many times we see a promotion in which a company offers a free item for everyone who shows up during an event.  While the item is free to everyone who qualifies by making the effort to be at the event. The company is under no obligation to give the items to those who don’t bother.   It is not the company’s fault if they do not get one.  The item was free, but it still costs the recipients a certain amount of effort to obtain it.  When Jacob wanted God’s blessing enough to give what it took to obtain it, he received the blessing.  As a result we see a change in Jacob’s life. 

The day before, he had been so afraid of Esau and his four hundred men, he had sent his wives and kids across the brook while he stayed behind to be sure he could get away.  After his conversion, his attitude was changed and he went ahead of them to meet Esau, As Genesis 33:1-3 describes.  “And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.  And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.  And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.”

When he went forward, trusting god, he learned that his fears were groundless, in Genesis 33:4-11.  “And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.  And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.  Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.  And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.

And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met?

And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.

And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself.

And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.  Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.”

Esau had long since forgiven him, and the attempts to bribe him to forgive made no sense to him.  He was just glad to see his brother.  No bribes were necessary.  The brothers were not in competition, so Jacob was able to give the small flocks as a genuine gift rather than a bribe.    Jacob was no longer just interested in himself.  As II Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “…if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”