GRIFFIN COMMENTS GEN 33 (Gen 33:1) 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. He put the children in order under their mothers, starting with the handmaids and on through to Rachel. He saw Esau coming. Such a sight would be terrifying. Yet he had just come from his greatest encounter with God. That should have sustained him. He should now have been able to face his brother with a new revelation in his heart, “I have prevailed with God, and therefore I can prevail with men.” But we usually have a hard time making practical our spiritual experiences. Elijah had seen victory on Mount Carmel, but when Jezebel threatens it unnerved him. (Gen 33:2) And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. Jacob put forth Bilhah with Dan and Naphtai first; followed by Zilpah with Gad and Asher; Leah followed the handmaids with Reuben first, then Simeon and Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. Finally Joseph, and last of all Rachel (Gen_33:7), for she was the closest one in the group to his heart. All of these were in order of importance to him, from least to most. He made no bones about which of these were his favorites. (Gen 33:3) And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. He put himself out in front of his family so that if there would have to be a fight, he would be the one to handle it. His fear caused him to over-do it. Bowing would be the proper way to meet someone, but seven times was excessive and besides it would cause the opposite response from what he wanted from Esau.
Aalders apparently gave the correct analysis of this meeting, writing that, "Esau's hostility had vanished; that 'army' of four
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hundred men had no hostile intention; all that Esau had in mind was to provide a display of his own success." (Coffman) (Gen 33:4) And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept. Being Jacob, he could not recognize the sincerity of Esau’s salutation. Esau’s nature would not allow him to retain his anger for long, but Jacob could not forget and had focused on his fears so much, that he could not see clearly. [And kissed him] vaiyishshakehu. In the Masoretic Bibles each letter of this word is noted with a point over it to make it emphatic. And by this kind of notation the rabbins wished to draw the attention of the reader to the change that had taken place in Esau, and the sincerity with which he received his brother Jacob. (Adam Clarke) (Gen 33:5) 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. Who are those with you? What a question to be asked of you as you come home to heaven. I hope I can say they are some I brought with me. Everything we have we can say, “This God graciously gave your servant.” David felt that way (1Ch_29:14) I am giving you that which you have given me. Deu_8:18 It is God who gives us the power to get wealth. (Gen 33:6) Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. How often people who are not part of another’s relationship are brought into that relationship without their having anything to do with it. Servants would have neither rights nor privileges and would go where they were sent without their own choice.
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These wives and children now see their relations for the first time, and all their future could be different now by new relationships. (Gen 33:7) And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves. His presenting his family in this order made a statement loud and clear—Rachel is my favorite. This was resented of course in years to come and caused a lot of problems. We can condemn him and reproach him if we want, but a person who loves cannot help what or who they love, and they will show it. (Gen 33:8) 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. There was certainly nothing wrong with his statement. It was truth. However he did not tell why he wanted that favor. It was usual in the eastern countries to carry presents to friends, and especially to great men, whenever visits were paid, as all travelers in general testify to be still the usage in those parts, to this day. (Gill (Gen 33:9) And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself. I have enough. Seldom in this world do men say this. Most people are never satisfied regardless how much they have. The contented life is a blessed life; a life without covetousness. What a way to meet Jacob, when the last time he saw him he wanted to kill him because he had taken his goods away. Now he said he did not need anything—right the opposite. He had undergone a heart change. Jacob could have enforced that spirit and there might have been harmony for centuries to come between those families. But Jacob was having a problem at the moment with fear and misunderstanding. What a chance to heal offences. The same was true with David and Absalom. David never knew how to handle it either.
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Many times we can find wrong with Esau but this time he was right, with a right spirit. God gives us a space to repent like He gave Jezebel. When men take advantage of them it makes a world of difference. It took him 97 years to call him his brother. I HAVE ENOUGH (Gen_33:9, Gen_33:11) INTRODUCTION: It is rare and pleasing to meet with a man who has enough. Most people are carving for more. Here are two people who were content. They were of dissimilar disposition. 1.
UNGODLY MAN WHO HAS ENOUGH Contentment tends to breed a contempt for spiritual riches (Rev_3:15-17 Laodicea)
2.
GODLY MAN WHO HAS ENOUGH A.
Some continue to be eager after the world though they profess to be separate from it.
B.
It is delightful to have enough. "Godliness with contentment is great gain" Contentment surpasses riches (Eph_4:28) Discontent robs a man of the power to enjoy what he possesses.
(Gen 33:10) 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. Now he was being very hypocritical. Esau’s face looked to him more like the devil’s than the face of God. He was afraid and it was the last face he wanted to see, but somehow he could not awaken to the
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opportunity of the moment. He was being Jacob to the hilt, when God had a few hours before tried to change him into an Israel. (Gen 33:11) 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. Jacob’s hope was that this gesture would heal old wounds and make him more acceptable with Esau. It probably had the opposite effect. It told Esau that Jacob was not meeting him as a brother, but as one trying to negotiate friendship. It looked like he was trying to buy his way, and the question always comes to the mind when someone flatters or gives extravagant gifts, “What do they want? What is the motive behind this?” (Gen 33:12) And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee. Esau pressed for reconciliation. He hoped for not only renewed acquaintance, but a real brotherly relationship. ON BEING CONSIDERATE OF OTHERS (Gen_33:12-14) He had not seen his brother in years. He could have driven hard to be with him. He must exercise CARE—KINDNESS— CONSIDERATION Eph_4:32 Col_3:12-13 1Ti_5:8 WE ARE OUR BROTHER'S KEEPER Rom_14:7-8 "None lives to himself" Rom_14:13 That no man put a stumbling block or occasion to fall in his brother's way Mat_7:12 "Whatever you would that men would do to you, do you even so to them."
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(Gen 33:13) And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die. That was a good excuse and if all others things had been equal it might have been considered reasonable at this point. However that problem could have been solved easily by going slowly and Esau surely had plenty of time. In fact it would have been a good chance to talk over the last twenty years. We are not driven by Jehu, but led by Jesus. Let us rest in His love. At the same time let us not be slower than need be. Towards others let us be tenderness itself, for we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. (C. H. Spurgeon) (Gen 33:14) Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir. It must have become quite obvious to Esau the longer they talked, that Jacob did not relish his presence because he kept pushing away from his brother, instead of responding to his offer. Esau afterwards removed to Canaan, and he and Jacob dwelt there together for several years. See Gen_36:6. (Adam Clarke) (Gen 33:15) And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord. Esau tried brotherly kindness to the end. He offered to help out by leaving someone to take up any slack, but Jacob also rejected this offer, so it was obvious to Esau, “He does not want me around.” Jacob was distrustful of Esau because of his (Jacob's) own conniving nature. It was very likely due to this meeting that as long as these were separate people there never was any accord between them. (Gen 33:16) So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.
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So Esau felt the cold shoulder and went back home. The problem was that the relationship never did warm up. The two could not get along and their descendents could not get along until finally there was a perpetual hatred of Esau to Jacob. An entire book of the Bible is dedicated to their problem, the Book of Obadiah. (Gen 33:17) And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth. The fact that he settled in Succoth and built a house said that he planned to stay there for a while. How long he stayed and just when he went to Shechem we do not know, but it must have been some time for Dinah was only about six years old when they arrived in Succoth and she was old enough to be thought marriageable when she got to Shechem. (Gen 33:18) And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city. It is quite possible that the reason Jacob was remaining in this area was because he was still afraid to go on to his old home place and meet Esau again. The first encounter had not turned out the way Jacob had expected it and now he may have harbored fears of going nearer. We do know, however, that before he went to Bethel he went home and took Deborah with him. (Gen 33:19) And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for an hundred pieces of money. So he left Succoth, for some reason that we do not know, and came to Shechem and bought property, which again said he was ready to settle down. And it was about time. He was around a hundred years old and should decide on a permanent place. It is very likely that it was during this time between his arrival at Succoth and settling in Shechem he had gone back home and got Deborah, Rebekah’s old nurse to help raise his children. She had raised Rebekah, then her sons, and now Jacob got her to stay with his family until she died.
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(Gen 33:20) And he erected there an altar, and called it Elelohe-Israel. This piece of field, which fell to the lot of the sons of Joseph, and where Joseph's bones were buried (Jos_24:32), was, according to tradition, the plain which stretches out at the south-eastern opening of the valley of Shechem, where Jacob's well is still pointed out (Joh_4:6), also Joseph's grave, a Mahometan wely (grave) two or three hundred paces to the north (Rob. Pal. iii. 95 ff.). Jacob also erected an altar, as Abraham had previously done after his entrance into Canaan (Gen_12:7), and called it El-Elohe-Israel, "God (the mighty) is the God of Israel," to set forth in this name the spiritual acquisition of his previous life, and according to his vow (Gen_28:21) to give glory to the "God of Israel" (as he called Jehovah, with reference to the name given to him at Gen_32:29), for having proved Himself to be El, a mighty God, during his long absence, and that it might serve as a memorial for his descendants. (Keil & Delitzsch Commentary)
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