Jacob meets Esau today for the first time in over 20 years. Few people understand the hatred that exists between these two brothers; one a total man of the flesh, and the other a spiritual man who always seeks to follow only Yehovah.

Our story ended last time with Laban breaking his covenant with Jacob and sending his servants to rekindle Esau’s hatred toward Jacob and his desire to destroy him, and now, his whole household.

Yasher 31:64 And Esau heard all the words of Laban’s messengers, and his anger was greatly kindled against Jacob, and he remembered his hatred, and his anger burned within him.
65 And Esau hastened and took his sons and servants and the souls of his household, being sixty men, and he went and assembled all the sons of Seir the Horite and their people, being three hundred and forty men, and took all this number of four hundred men with drawn swords, and he went unto Jacob to smite him.

And just so there is no doubt as to Esau’s intent against Jacob, the servants of Laban who stirred up Esau have now gone to Rebekah in Canaan.

Yasher 31:69 And Laban’s messengers departed from Esau and went to the land of Canaan, and they came to the house of Rebekah the mother of Jacob and Esau.
70 And they told her saying, Behold thy son Esau has gone against his brother Jacob with four hundred men, for he heard that he was coming, and he is gone to make war with him, and to smite him and to take all that he has.

My NKJV, of course, says that “angels” of Elohim met him. But these “malakim,” like practically everywhere in Torah, are “messengers,” men.

So Jacob went on his way, and Elohim’s angels messengers met him.  When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is Elohim’s camp.” And he called the name of that place Machanaim. (Gen 32:1-2 )

The book of Yasher gives us better understanding as to who these messengers are and who sent them.

71 And Rebekah hastened and sent seventy-two men from the servants of Isaac to meet Jacob on the road; for she said, Peradventure, Esau may make war in the road when he meets him.
72 And these messengers went on the road to meet Jacob, and they met him in the road of the brook on the opposite side of the brook Jabuk, and Jacob said when he saw them, This camp is destined to me from Elohim, and Jacob called the name of that place Machnayim.

It is the evening after this warning from Elohim, which Jacob receives from the messengers whom Rebekah sent, that he wrestles with a man until morning.

Then Jacob was left alone; and a man [an eesh] wrestled with him until the breaking of day. (Gen 32:24)

I think that the man that Jacob wrestled with was his own flesh and his own mortality. Was he going to trust Elohim or cut and run?

Jacob had received a promise from Yehovah just before he turned back towards Haran 20 years before.

Yasher 30:2 And behold I am with thee and will keep thee wherever thou goest, and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of Heaven. I will cause all thine enemies to fall before thee; and when they shall make war with thee they shall not prevail over thee. I will bring thee again unto this land with joy, with sons, and with great riches.

Jacob received the sons and the great riches according to Yehovah’s promise; but now it is time to face his greatest enemy, his brother Esau, and prove to himself once again that what Elohim says, He does. Esau can not prevail over Jacob! To me, it seems that Jacob meets Esau first in his dreams and then in real life the following day; he had to prevail in his spirit before he could prevail in his flesh.

And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with Elohim and with men [enoshim, the plural of eesh], and have prevailed.” (Gen 32:28)

The enoshim that Jacob struggled with were his brother and the 400 men who were coming, when Jacob meets Esau.

This is the first of two times in Torah that Jacob receives the name, Israel. Hmmm.

Jacob Meets Esau

The transition that Esau makes from coming to destroy Jacob and all of his household to fearing Jacob and embracing him is amazing.

Jacob Meets Esau (Part 1)

2G36 Genesis 31:19-55 & Jasher 31:36-32:45
[Click here to download this audio mp3]

Jacob Meets Esau (Part 2)

2G37 Genesis 32-33 & Yasher 32.45-73
[Click here to download this audio mp3]

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