-
†. Gen 33:1-2 . . Looking up, Jacob saw Esau coming, accompanied
by four hundred men. He divided the children among Leah, Rachel,
and the two maids, putting the maids and their children first, Leah
and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last.
Whether Rachel was expecting Benjamin at this time is difficult to ascertain;
but if she was; then that would help explain why Jacob put her last in the
caravan.
†. Gen 33:3a . . He himself went on ahead
Good move. Still keeping himself at a distance from his family just in case
violence should break out. If Esau was spoiling for a fight, hopefully it would
be with Jacob alone, and not with his family right in the middle of it.
†. Gen 33:3b . . and bowed low to the ground seven times until he
was near his brother.
The Tell El Amarna tablets record that when approaching a king, the
approacher always bowed seven times. So, as was customary in those days,
Jacob bowed low before Esau as he came near as a token of respect and
recognition of Esau as ruler of the region. He may not have actually been
living down in Seir yet at this time, but had already subdued the indigenous
peoples so that the area was his domain; and under his control.
†. Gen 33:4 . . Esau ran to greet him. He embraced him and, falling
on his neck, he kissed him; and they wept.
Imagine Jacob's utter surprise (and relief) when, expecting violence from his
brother, he was kissed instead and Esau became emotional and started
blubbering all over the place! This scene may have played out a whole lot
differently if God hadn't taken a role in it.
"When the Lord is pleased with a man's conduct, He may turn even his
enemies into allies." (Prv 16:7)
But what about those angels, the ones that camped nearby Jacob's camp?
What part did they play in all this?
According to Jewish folklore, four bands of angels went to Esau's camp the
previous night and beat him and his men savagely. When Esau realized that
Jacob had men with him who could knock his teeth out, it changed his
attitude and developed a respect for his brother that he didn't have before.
Because of that, a saying came about that if you want an "Esau" to treat you
with respect, you should beat him up because that's the only thing he
understands.
Well; that's very imaginative, and somewhat amusing too. But I believe
those angels served another purpose altogether, and they fought with a
totally different foe too.
Invisible to the unaided eye are dark, unholy creatures in our world who go
around influencing human thoughts, and manipulating people to evil ends.
They would have surely interfered in Jacob's homecoming had not the holy
angels restrained them. That's part of their job-- holding back the invisible
forces of evil in the world of men. They don't always do that though; usually
only when God has a special purpose to accomplish; for example Dan 10:10
14.
In the unseen world; sinister beings are operating covertly: manipulating the
destiny of persons, and nations. (cf. Eph 2:1-2)
No wonder the world is plagued with monsters like Muammar Qaddafi, Pol
Pot, Kim Jong Ill, Manuel Noriega, Saddam Hussein, and Osama Bin Laden;
and predatory lenders; and unscrupulous investment banks the likes of Bear
Sterns, Lehman Bros, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley;
and dishonest securities rating firms the likes of Standard & Poor, Moody's,
and Fitch.
People like that are human allies to the forces of evil; the mortal marionettes
of invisible masterminds-- evil intelligences who secretly run world affairs
undetected by natural means. The beauty of their system is that it is just too
incredible to comprehend. Very few modern, intellectual sophisticates
believe in spirits. Since hardly anyone believes in them, they have the
advantage of stealth-- and their unsuspecting victims just go on about their
business as usual, oblivious to their presence; and easy prey to powerful
psychological suggestions and manipulations.
The dark spirits can easily cause the ruin of perfectly good marriages,
friendships, and businesses; and they can control an entire nation's
economy and it's politics. Take a look at the country of Israel today. Does it
really look as though God is running it? No way. It is only too obvious who
has control of it now. And the dark angels will stay in control until such a
time as Messiah commands the holy angels to purge them out.
Dark mists could've made things go very badly between Jacob and Esau. But
God foreknew their evil intentions and stepped in to thwart them by sending
a detachment of His own forces to hold the mists in check while the two
brothers kissed and made up; and settled their differences.
NOTE: Not too long ago I ran across an op-ed in the local paper in regards
to the mental faculties of today's movers and shakers in government and big
business. The op-ed's observation was that events of the last decade
suggest that the patients are running the sanitarium. America's government,
and America's financial institutions, seem to have taken leave of their senses
and behaving as men and women with mental illness.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
†. Gen 33:1-2 . . Looking up, Jacob saw Esau coming, accompanied
by four hundred men. He divided the children among Leah, Rachel,
and the two maids, putting the maids and their children first, Leah
and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last.
Whether Rachel was expecting Benjamin at this time is difficult to ascertain;
but if she was; then that would help explain why Jacob put her last in the
caravan.
†. Gen 33:3a . . He himself went on ahead
Good move. Still keeping himself at a distance from his family just in case
violence should break out. If Esau was spoiling for a fight, hopefully it would
be with Jacob alone, and not with his family right in the middle of it.
†. Gen 33:3b . . and bowed low to the ground seven times until he
was near his brother.
The Tell El Amarna tablets record that when approaching a king, the
approacher always bowed seven times. So, as was customary in those days,
Jacob bowed low before Esau as he came near as a token of respect and
recognition of Esau as ruler of the region. He may not have actually been
living down in Seir yet at this time, but had already subdued the indigenous
peoples so that the area was his domain; and under his control.
†. Gen 33:4 . . Esau ran to greet him. He embraced him and, falling
on his neck, he kissed him; and they wept.
Imagine Jacob's utter surprise (and relief) when, expecting violence from his
brother, he was kissed instead and Esau became emotional and started
blubbering all over the place! This scene may have played out a whole lot
differently if God hadn't taken a role in it.
"When the Lord is pleased with a man's conduct, He may turn even his
enemies into allies." (Prv 16:7)
But what about those angels, the ones that camped nearby Jacob's camp?
What part did they play in all this?
According to Jewish folklore, four bands of angels went to Esau's camp the
previous night and beat him and his men savagely. When Esau realized that
Jacob had men with him who could knock his teeth out, it changed his
attitude and developed a respect for his brother that he didn't have before.
Because of that, a saying came about that if you want an "Esau" to treat you
with respect, you should beat him up because that's the only thing he
understands.
Well; that's very imaginative, and somewhat amusing too. But I believe
those angels served another purpose altogether, and they fought with a
totally different foe too.
Invisible to the unaided eye are dark, unholy creatures in our world who go
around influencing human thoughts, and manipulating people to evil ends.
They would have surely interfered in Jacob's homecoming had not the holy
angels restrained them. That's part of their job-- holding back the invisible
forces of evil in the world of men. They don't always do that though; usually
only when God has a special purpose to accomplish; for example Dan 10:10
14.
In the unseen world; sinister beings are operating covertly: manipulating the
destiny of persons, and nations. (cf. Eph 2:1-2)
No wonder the world is plagued with monsters like Muammar Qaddafi, Pol
Pot, Kim Jong Ill, Manuel Noriega, Saddam Hussein, and Osama Bin Laden;
and predatory lenders; and unscrupulous investment banks the likes of Bear
Sterns, Lehman Bros, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley;
and dishonest securities rating firms the likes of Standard & Poor, Moody's,
and Fitch.
People like that are human allies to the forces of evil; the mortal marionettes
of invisible masterminds-- evil intelligences who secretly run world affairs
undetected by natural means. The beauty of their system is that it is just too
incredible to comprehend. Very few modern, intellectual sophisticates
believe in spirits. Since hardly anyone believes in them, they have the
advantage of stealth-- and their unsuspecting victims just go on about their
business as usual, oblivious to their presence; and easy prey to powerful
psychological suggestions and manipulations.
The dark spirits can easily cause the ruin of perfectly good marriages,
friendships, and businesses; and they can control an entire nation's
economy and it's politics. Take a look at the country of Israel today. Does it
really look as though God is running it? No way. It is only too obvious who
has control of it now. And the dark angels will stay in control until such a
time as Messiah commands the holy angels to purge them out.
Dark mists could've made things go very badly between Jacob and Esau. But
God foreknew their evil intentions and stepped in to thwart them by sending
a detachment of His own forces to hold the mists in check while the two
brothers kissed and made up; and settled their differences.
NOTE: Not too long ago I ran across an op-ed in the local paper in regards
to the mental faculties of today's movers and shakers in government and big
business. The op-ed's observation was that events of the last decade
suggest that the patients are running the sanitarium. America's government,
and America's financial institutions, seem to have taken leave of their senses
and behaving as men and women with mental illness.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=