Genesis: Lesson 11
Overview
God's Grace in the Life of Jacob: From Two Camps to Reconciliation
Jacob the deceiver finally meets his match in his uncle Laban, who substitutes Leah for Rachel on the wedding night and extracts another seven years of labor from him. Yet through this dysfunctional marriage—and the rivalry between sisters—God works out His redemptive purposes. Leah bears Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, and from these sons come the priestly line (Levi) and the royal line through which the Messiah will arrive (Judah). The lesson is unmistakable: even amid family dysfunction not of His making, God keeps His hand in the soup, blessing His people not because they deserve it but because He is gracious.
After 21 years away, Jacob is summoned home Genesis 31:3, and he must face the brother whose blessing he stole—a brother who once vowed to kill him Genesis 27:41. When messengers report Esau approaching with 400 men, Jacob is "greatly afraid and distressed." He names a place Mahanaim, meaning "two camps," because he stands between the camp he has left and the camp he fears to meet. We know that in-between place too—between jobs, between homes, between unresolved outcomes—and like Jacob we are tempted to anxiety rather than trust. Yet God had already promised at Bethel, "I am with you and will keep you wherever you go" Genesis 28:12-15.
Jacob's prayer in Genesis 32:9-12 offers a beautiful pattern for our own praying: adoration ("O God of my father Abraham"), confession and acknowledgment of blessing ("I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love…"), petition ("Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother"), and confidence in God's promises ("Yet you have said, I will surely do you good"). Difficulty often drives us to prayer, and a simple framework—like the classic ACTS pattern (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication)—can keep our hearts focused on the God who hears.
That night Jacob wrestles with a mysterious man until daybreak Genesis 32:22-31—a pre-incarnate manifestation of the Lord. He is renamed Israel ("he who struggles with God") and walks away limping. Up to this point Jacob had relied on his cunning; now, crippled and exhausted, he can only cling to God's promises. This is grace's hard mercy: God sometimes wrestles us into weakness so that we learn, with Paul, that "when I am weak, then I am strong" 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. Self-reliance is stripped away; radical dependence on Him takes its place—and there is freedom in that surrender.
The reunion in Genesis 33:1-10 is the surprise of grace. Instead of vengeance, Esau runs, embraces his brother, and weeps. Jacob says, "to see your face is like seeing the face of God." That is how grace always meets us—unexpected, undeserved, overwhelming. Every Sunday we confess our sin knowing the absolution will come, and yet when it comes it still strikes like a fresh lightning bolt of mercy. The cross, the empty tomb, baptism, communion, the very beating of our hearts today—it is all grace, and grace that ceased to surprise us would no longer be grace at all.
Transcript
We'll good morning. 2s
Another beautiful day that Lord has given us, 4s
and welcome to our continued study here on Genesis. 7s
Let's pray together. 11s
Gracious Heavenly Father, we do indeed thank you 13s
for the beauty of this day. 15s
But chiefly, we thank you for the beauty of every day 19s
as we experience your promises and your faithfulness 22s
As we continue on in our study today of Genesis, 28s
we ask, O Lord, for your rich blessing, 31s
speak to us, O Lord, for your servants listen. 34s
In Jesus' name, amen. 38s
Well, we've been talking about that rascal Jacob here, 41s
who was a deceiver, and what we see is that Jacob runs into 45s
another rascal last time, and that's his uncle, 52s
his uncle, Laban. 56s
And you'll recall that Jacob had fallen in love with Rachel, 58s
had to work seven years to get her hand in marriage. 64s
But then, at the wedding, Laban substitutes Lea, 69s
instead of Rachel. 75s
We had talked about, well, how could something like that happen? 78s
Because the next morning, Jacob wakes up with Lea, 81s
instead of Rachel. 87s
How can that happen? 88s
Well, women's veils in the day were quite of a veiled nature 89s
on that, and also the wine would have been flowing for days 94s
here, so you can have a whole bunch of theories. 99s
But the thing is, is Laban the deceiver, 103s
deceives the deceiver. 106s
And he agrees, then, Jacob does, to work another seven years 110s
for Rachel's hand. 115s
God blessed Lea with four sons, Ruben, Simion, Levi, and Judah. 119s
And we'll see in scripture how Levi, that establishes 125s
the priestly line, and Judah establishes the royal line 128s
through which the Messiah comes, of course, 132s
and that is very, very instrumental. 135s
We also see these two deceivers at work, 139s
and Laban falls for Jacob's deception, 143s
so with regard to the flock, Jacob becomes very rich. 146s
And remember, we talked last week about so many families 151s
that we see in scripture, dysfunction, characterizes them, 154s
or defines them. 158s
Well, this is certainly another case, 159s
but amidst all of the dysfunction, what we see is God still 162s
at work, amidst all the dysfunction, not of his hand, 167s
but God still has his finger in the soup of it all, 172s
so to speak, and still is a blessing. 176s
My father, his last call, was in San Diego. 181s
The ministry for my father was a second career. 184s
My father was an aerospace engineer. 187s
He worked on the Apollo projects, 190s
and at a time when jobs were starting to become much more minimal, 193s
his job was secure. 200s
And so all of his work associates were surprised, 202s
the day that he walked in and he resigned, 206s
because everyone was so anxious about their job, 208s
being able to keep it, and here was one who came in 211s
and gave it up. 214s
He went into full-time ministry in the church, 215s
and his area of specialty was particularly in education. 219s
And his last call was in San Diego. 225s
There's worse places to be. 229s
Then San Diego. 232s
I remember the kids at that time were real small, 234s
and we'd go out to San Diego, and every day was 70 to 72, 238s
and not as cloud in the sky, and it was just gorgeous. 242s
My father particularly loved that congregation. 247s
He said, this is what heaven must look like, 251s
because the communities around the church there, 253s
there were a whole mix of races and backgrounds. 258s
And so he said, as I looked out there, 263s
I saw all kinds of different colors of skin, 266s
and different clothing, and he said, 269s
it was just beautiful to see. 272s
He said, that's what heaven is going to look like. 274s
And when we would go out on visits, 278s
and we tried to visit as often as we could, 280s
out in San Diego, he was exactly right. 283s
What a glorious visual image the community was as it gathered. 285s
They would say that too bad we were never there 293s
when the fleet would come in. 296s
It was, that was a big deal when the fleet would come in 299s
to San Diego, and he said what was particularly beautiful 303s
were the reunions that would occur. 306s
And it was just so joyous to watch, 310s
and you could feel in the community, he said, 312s
when the fleet was coming in, and the anticipation 315s
of the reunions of these families. 319s
Genesis 32 prepares us for a family reunion 323s
in Genesis 33, but the outcome 328s
with regard to this family reunion 333s
is certainly not as certain as when the fleet would come in, 336s
and the families would be reunited, 340s
and there would be joy. 342s
Because this was now the reunion of two brothers 344s
who hadn't seen each other for 21 years. 349s
And you remember the backstory. 355s
Let's go to Genesis chapter 27, please. 358s
Genesis 27, and we'll pick up in verse 41. 362s
Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing 371s
with which his father had blessed him. 376s
And Esau said to himself, 379s
The days of mourning for my father are approaching. 382s
Then I will kill my brother. 385s
He'll recall that Jacob had fled from Esau, 392s
and so the question then, 396s
would Esau's anger have continued over these 21 years? 398s
And when they would meet again, 405s
would Esau avenge? 408s
Let's go to chapter 31, verse 3. 412s
Then the Lord said to Jacob, 420s
Return to the land of your ancestors 424s
and to your kindred, and I will be with you. 428s
Chapter 32 now, verse 1. 435s
Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 442s
And when Jacob saw them, he said, 447s
this is God's camp. 450s
So he called that place, Mahanayam. 453s
So he called that place, Mahanayam. 458s
The angels assured Jacob of the presence of God. 463s
Remember the promise that had been given to Jacob. 470s
Let's go back to chapter 28, verse 12. 473s
Chapter 28, verse 12. 478s
And he dreamed, this is Jacob, 488s
that there was a ladder set up on the earth, 490s
the top of it reaching to heaven, 493s
and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 495s
And the Lord stood beside him and said, 500s
I am the Lord, the God of Abraham, your Father, 502s
and the God of Isaac, the land of them, 505s
which you lie, I will give to you, 506s
and to your offspring. 508s
And your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, 510s
and you shall spread abroad to the west, 513s
and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. 515s
And all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you, 517s
and in your offspring. 521s
Know that I'm with you, and will keep you wherever you go, 524s
and will bring you back to this land, 529s
for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. 531s
The angels then that are appearing here 538s
is that reassurance of God, that God is with Jacob. 541s
Now, the place that he names in chapter 32, 548s
the word means two camps. 552s
And that's where Jacob finds himself, right? 555s
He has left the camp of Laban, 557s
and now what he anticipates is the camp of Issa. 562s
And so he's in that in between time of the two camps, 567s
and all the anxiety that came along with that. 574s
God assured that he was indeed going to be with him, 580s
and that he was with them. 584s
God assures us the same thing, right? 587s
But what can be our tendency to be filled with anxiety? 590s
Have you ever experienced life? 597s
We all have, of course, between two camps. 600s
Maybe it's between a new job. 603s
Maybe it's between a new home. 607s
Maybe it's about uncertainty with regard to how certain issues are going to resolve, 609s
and you find yourself in the two camp situation, 614s
he named the place with a word meaning two camps. 620s
Because that's where he found himself. 625s
Verse three of chapter 32, 629s
Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Issa 635s
in the land of Sire, the country of Edom, instructing them. 638s
Thus you shall say to my Lord Issa, 643s
thus says your servant Jacob, 646s
I have lived with Laban as an alien, 649s
and stayed until now, and I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, 652s
male and female slaves, and I have sent to tell my Lord in order that I may find favor in your site. 657s
The messengers return to Jacob saying, 666s
we came to your brother Issa, and he's coming to meet you, 670s
and four hundred men are with him. 676s
Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed, and he divided the people that were with him, 682s
and the flocks and herds and camels into two companies thinking, 687s
if Issa comes to the one company and destroys it, then the company that is left will escape. 690s
Your brother's coming with four hundred of his friends, 701s
right? 705s
And there's immediate anxiety, and immediate move to divide the camps here, 708s
because what he's afraid of is Issa is going to bring vengeance. 716s
He utters then this beautiful prayer. 725s
Let's pick up in verse 9 of chapter 32. 734s
And Jacob said, 741s
oh God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, 743s
oh Lord who said to me, return to your country, into your kindred, and I will do you good. 749s
I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness 756s
that you have shown to your servant. For with all my staff I cross this Jordan, 762s
and now I have become two companies. 769s
Deliver me please from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Issa, for I'm afraid of him. 773s
He may come and kill us all, the mothers with the children. 779s
Yet you have said, I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, 786s
which cannot be counted because of their number. 793s
Have you ever noticed in your own life, amidst times of stress and anxiety and fear? 798s
How quickly we can turn into prayer? 805s
Because it's the difficulties in life, right? 808s
In which we grow, it's the difficulties in life that particularly move us into prayer. 811s
It's no different here with regard to Jacob. There's some beautiful components of this of this 818s
prayer that I think are are provided a nice outline for times of prayer for us. 824s
The first is adoration. Look again, please, verse 9. 833s
And Jacob said, Oh God of my Father, Abraham, and God of my Father, Isaac, O Lord, 841s
who said to me, return to your country and to your kindred, and I will do you good. 846s
The prayer starts out with adoration. Adoration and praise is very freeing when it comes to our 851s
prayer life, isn't it? Because as we as we adore the Lord, we're also reminding ourselves of 857s
who the Lord is, you see? And so he starts out with adoration. The second component is confession 863s
and acknowledgement of blessing, confession and acknowledgement of blessing. 875s
Verse 10, I'm not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness 884s
for which you've shown to your servant. With only my staff, I cross this Jordan. 892s
And now I have become two companies. Here the confession and also here the acknowledgement of the 897s
blessing of the Lord. Verse 11, petitions. Here come the petitions now. Verse 11, deliver me, 906s
please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of He saw, from a afraid of him. He may come and 918s
kill us all the mothers with the children. And then in verse 12, you have an expression of 925s
faith in God's promises. So you've got adoration, confession and acknowledgement of the blessings 935s
that He's received, petitions, and then this statement here of faith in the promises of God. Verse 12, 946s
yet you have said, I will surely do you good and make your offspring as the sand of the sea 955s
which cannot be counted because of their number. That's a nice little prayer outline, isn't it? 961s
I think prayer outlines are so very helpful. Are they necessary? Certainly not. Can they be helpful? 971s
Sure. That as we look at how we pray, they can be organized. You know the axe method, 981s
adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication. That's just a simple way to help organize prayers. 988s
It can kind of keep our mind to focus if it's perhaps a day when we maybe are a little drowsier 994s
than other days, right? Having that outline can focus the prayer. Same thing here. This outline is 1000s
lovely outline that we can use in our own times of prayer. So Jacob now prepares to meet Esau, 1009s
but instead he meets a mysterious man. Let's go to chapter 32. We'll pick up in verse 24. 1020s
Let's go to verse 22, give us more context. The same night he got up and took his wives as two 1041s
maids and his 11 children and crossed the four to the jabuck. He took them and sent them across the 1047s
stream and likewise everything that he had. Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him until 1055s
daybreak. When a man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket 1066s
and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, let me go for the day 1071s
is breaking. But Jacob said, I will not let you go unless you bless me. So he said to him, what is 1079s
your name? And he said, Jacob, then the man said, you shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel. 1088s
For you have striven with God and with humans and have prevailed. 1096s
Then Jacob asked him, please tell me your name, but he said, why is it that you ask my name? 1103s
And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the placed pinio, saying, for I have seen God face to 1111s
face and yet my life is preserved. The sun rose upon him as he passed pinnacle limping because of his 1119s
hip. Therefore to this day, the Israelites do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the hip socket 1128s
because he struck Jacob on the hip socket at the thigh muscle. So who is this? 1135s
Who is this here? Look at verse 28 again. 1145s
And the man said, you shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel. For you have striven with God 1152s
and with humans and have prevailed. Israel means he who struggles with God, particularly in ancient day. 1162s
Words were, her names were a sign of reality so often. And this name bestowed particularly under 1176s
these strange circumstances was denoting this new reality now for Jacob. And then in verse 30, 1185s
he says, so Jacob called the place pinnacle, saying, for I have seen God face to face and yet my life 1196s
is and my life has prevailed. What is he seeing here? But he's seeing the pre-incarnate manifestation 1205s
of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a pre-incarnate manifestation of Jesus. Who did he wrestle with? 1216s
He wrestled with God. Who is it? A pre-incarnate manifestation of Jesus. 1223s
Up to this point in his life, Jacob had taken matters into his own hands. But now 1234s
he's been crippled and he's tired. There's no way he can fight against Esau. He is totally 1243s
helpless, totally helpless. All he can do at this point is hold on to the promises of God. 1259s
As sinners, we are all prone to self-reliance, all prone to that. 1272s
You know, pull yourself up by the bootstraps. I'm strong. I'm going to make it all of this. 1282s
And we're constantly reminded, constantly, how fragile life is and how fragile 1290s
all of us are. One can put on the mask of provato and life just has a way of ripping the mask off. 1302s
When all of a sudden you are confronted with something and you realize you are absolutely 1315s
totally helpless. What Jacob learned here at this point is he learned that his real strength 1323s
was in God and God's gracious promises. And sometimes God wrestles with us, right? He allows 1337s
a difficulty in our life so that we will be reminded a new who's in charge and it's not us. 1347s
Who's sovereign? It's not us. Who holds our days? It's not us. It's him. And he uses the difficulties 1359s
in life to chisel us more and more into the image of Christ. What is it that Paul learned? 1371s
I'm at Sathorn in the flesh. He learned when I'm weak, I'm what? I'm strong. You see? 1381s
The absolute dependency upon God. That's what the pre-incarnate manifestation of the Lord Jesus Christ 1390s
is teaching Jacob because Jacob knows I can't fight anymore. I can't fight. I can't run. 1398s
And I'm flat out exhausted from this. And now I'm going to meet my brother. See, human thinking was 1412s
all lost. All lost, right? Not in God's thinking. And it's the lesson that Jacob learns. 1422s
His new name then is a constant reminder of his dependency upon God and upon the grace of God. 1435s
Hear that theme again? It's that theme that keeps coming out over and over and over again in Genesis 1444s
that the blessings that we receive from God only come by His grace. There's nothing that we bring 1452s
to get the blessing of God. No God just blesses. And God even blesses us by bringing us to the points 1461s
in our lives where we realize, I really am not in charge. Am I? And there is a blessing in that 1472s
because there's freedom in that. There's freedom in that where He keeps bringing us to the point 1483s
of radical dependency upon Him. And there's freedom in that blessing. And He'll oftentimes 1490s
use difficulties to teach us that life is solely by His grace, solely by His grace. 1501s
It's the grace in the cross. It's the grace in the empty tomb. It's the grace in baptism. It's 1511s
the grace in communion. It's the grace today that our hearts beat and that we are here 1516s
because the day is appointed for us in God's gracious sovereignty. Continue then for us at least 1525s
for this moment, right? And we live in that dependency and that grace each and every day. And 1533s
there is blessing. And we're reminded that grace isn't deserved because if grace were deserved, 1543s
then grace wouldn't be grace, right? It's all grace. Chapter 33 now begins on an ominous note. 1551s
Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming and 400 men with him. So he divided the children 1565s
among Leah and Rachel and the two maids. He put the maids with their children in front, then Leah 1575s
with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. He himself went on ahead of them, 1581s
bowing himself to the ground seven times until he came near his brother. 1589s
Want to highlight a little bit of a detail here in this arrangement? You notice the order? 1594s
Put the maids with their children in front, right? So what does that mean? 1600s
That there's the tip of the spear right there. So to speak, then who's second, then Leah with her children, 1606s
and then who's behind? Well, surprise, it's Rachel again, right? Poor Leah, poor Leah, right? 1614s
And there you look at Jacob and you go, oh my, and his greater love for Rachel is physically put on 1622s
display there as he goes to meet his brother. Verse 4, but Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and 1633s
his neck and kissed him and they wept. When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he said, 1647s
who are these with you? Jacob said, the children whom God has graciously given your servant. 1656s
Then the maids drew near, they and their children and bowed down. Leah likewise and hurt children 1663s
drew near and bowed down. And finally, Joseph and Rachel drew near and they bowed down. 1668s
Esau said, what do you mean by all this company that I met? Jacob answered to find favor with my Lord. 1676s
But Esau said, I have enough, my brother, keep what you have for yourself. 1685s
Jacob said, no, please, if I find favor with you, then accept my present from my hand for truly 1691s
to see your face is like seeing the face of God. Since you have received me with such favor, 1698s
is that a gorgeous line or what? Where he wonders, how is this reunion going to go? 1712s
For here comes his brother with his 400 with him here and he can't fight. He's crippled and he's 1719s
exhausted and he's greeted by the embrace of his brother and he says, your face looks like the 1728s
face of God. Why? Because what was being expressed was mercy, mercy. We experience that same type 1740s
of mercy, don't we? Esau was surprised at Jacob was surprised at the embrace of Esau. 1752s
And we continue to be surprised in our life, don't we? Of the embrace of God. 1763s
First, remind back in seminary, I loved how we put it. He goes, we keep preaching the gospel 1771s
because when we hear the gospel, we're struck anew by the lightning bolts of the gospel 1777s
because it's so wonderful and we hear it once again and here God continues to surprise us. 1782s
He continues to run to embrace us and we read of his promises and we know of his promises 1795s
and every time he keeps embracing us, there still is that sense of just wonder and 1803s
joy and surprise because his embrace of grace is so wonderful. We know the absolution will come 1811s
on that Sunday morning as we confess our sin, we know it's there, it's there every week, 1821s
it's not a surprise but when the absolution comes, it's this wonderful embrace and we're surprised 1827s
a new aren't we? Of the graciousness of God. He runs to embrace us, he remains with us, 1836s
he sent his son to the cross, blessing upon blessing for sinful Jacob and blessing upon blessing 1845s
for us sinful humans too and it's all his grace isn't it? Next week, a spiritual rollercoaster. 1857s