Patience for God’s Handiwork
The story of Esau and Jacob in Genesis 27-33 is rife with double crossing and hurtful and immature actions. I suppose I would say it is truly only by the grace of God that the brothers reconcile. Things got so bad that Esau wanted to kill Jacob (Genesis 27:42). We are not so far from Cain and Abel and we again have brother against brother.
Both sides wronged and ‘wrong-doers’
Esau threatened to kill his brother, Jacob stole Esau’s birthright and blessing. They both wronged the other and then Jacob fled. The brothers then had a choice to make - they could stew in their hurt and anger or they could make the best of the situation. We know that Jacob worked for over 14 years for Laban before he returned to the land of his father. Maybe we could chalk it up to ‘time heals all things’, but I think most of us would disagree. We have all seen the hatred that continues for years, in ourselves or in others.
Change of heart
What I see in the account in Genesis 32 is that Jacob recognizes his wrong-doing and sends gifts ahead of him to apologize to Esau. We might agree that time can lend itself to maturity and perspective on issues. In this case, Jacob has owned his wrong is seeks to offer restitution to his brother in an apparent change of heart.
Interestingly in Genesis 33 the men embrace each other (v 4), with Esau running to Jacob and telling him that none of the restitution is necessary because he too has prospered (v 9). They have both prospered; they ‘have plenty’.
They both prospered and they embraced each other.
Why do I find this so interesting? I have a hard time believing that both men prospered and embraced each other following their ordeal without the intervention of God on their hearts. Can you imagine their mindsets when they last saw each other? Neither was in a healthy mindset situation. Overcome with anger or fear or indignance or pride. Surely, they were messes. But to go from running away and trying to kill to embracing and complimenting each other indicates the work of our Lord. I have a hard time prospering when I’m distracted by lack of peace. But when it is God who restores my peace, then my perspective changes and the whole situation can open up. It is not time that heals all things, but our Lord who works in the waiting.
Making peace after a period of time can seem daunting, but in our waiting the Lord prepares the field. The Holy Spirit moves within us and nurtures the character within to yield peace. God works in the pause to bring about peace in His time.
