“Glory to the Precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

Isaiah 49: 5 “And now the Lord says, Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, So that Israel is gathered to Him (For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, And My God shall be My strength),

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Hallelujah

Jacob - Changing into Israel ( as a pattern)

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we are able to see that God delivered Jacob from the hands of Laban. In the portion that we saw yesterday he stayed in the mountain all night and ate bread with his brethren and then starts his journey. If we see where he travels to, he goes to his relatives and to his own country. On his way, the angels of the Lord met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God’s camp.” And he called the name of that place Mahanaim. When he was returning to his father's country - of whom his mother Rebekah feared and sent him away, after twenty years thoughts of the same person Esau came in his soul and he decided to send messengers and so he called these messengers and sent messages regarding where he was staying, telling Esau regarding his matters and in order to get favour in Esau's sight he sent the messengers ahead of him. 

Then the messengers went to Esau and returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”

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 Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the other company which is left will escape.”

Genesis 32: 9 - 12  Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’: 

I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies. 

Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children. 

For You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”

When we meditate on God's word we come to know that God promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob the same thing. God is powerful in word and does not change in promise. 

But Jacob had a fear within him. The reason was he did not have salvation. God is guiding him in a special way but he is not able to realize it. In the same way, we may think and say that we are saved, but there is no salvation within us. The reason is our whole flesh is not destroyed. That is how God is showing Jacob to us. The fear of Esau did not go away from him. But the anger within Esau's heart against Jacob had gone away but Jacob was not able to realize it.

In this manner we also live our whole lives losing all our blessings.

We must think one thing. In order to deliver, save and protect us from this world's troubles, afflictions, sickness, pressures, hunger, worries God gave his own son for us, and redeemed and saved us by his blood and is protecting us in the fortress of God's word. If we have a full belief and hope in this nothing will affect us.

But Jacob is afraid of Esau and separates his messengers, camels, cows, goats and everything into two. Jacob is thinking that if Esau attacks and destroys half of them, the other half will escape.  But our God does not send empty anyone who comes to Him.

Psalms 145: 17 - 19 The Lord is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works.

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.

He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, if today in our life we have a fear about our life, or affliction or if we our soul is fearful in many ways that others can destroy us we need not worry about anything. It is enough if we only call upon God. God will surely deliver us from all evil.

Jacob had a promise but still he is scared. That is why God says, Jacob do not be afraid. My dearly beloved, we do not need fear anymore. Put your hope in God so that you do not have to fear.

Jacob is scared of Esau's face and sends the presents in front. The reason he is doing that is because he wants him to be merciful to him.

But Jacob in Genesis 32: 22 And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok.

When Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.

Genesis 32: 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 

And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”

So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.”

Genesis 32: 28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there.

Genesis 32: 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” 

Just as he crossed over Peniel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. 

Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the muscle that shrank.

After all this only God made Jacob and Esau to meet. Jacob's maidservants and their children bowed before Esau. And Leah also came near with her children, and they bowed down. Afterward Joseph and Rachel came near, and they bowed down.

And Jacob said to Esau “Please, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, inasmuch as I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God, and you were pleased with me.

We are able to read in the Bible that Esau had all that he needed. But Jacob is telling him Please, take my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” So he urged him, and he took it. Both of them separate and go their own ways with happiness.

Before Esau meets Jacob, on the way God tests Jacob and gives him the name Israel. In this manner if we are to be called Israel, we have to overcome all the tests that God has kept in front of us. 

Let us pray.  Read the portion of 6.6.2020 also.

May the Lord bless you all.

- To be continued