In the Beginning: A Study in Genesis 27-36Shembull

How Can God Reunite a Broken Family?

Jacob/Israel, now empowered as a new man because of God’s blessing and his faith, no longer remained at the back of his caravan, hiding timidly from his brother Esau. Instead, he literally stepped up to the front line, not knowing if the 400 men his brother was traveling with were an entourage to greet and protect him or an army to slaughter him. Jacob/Israel now had sufficient faith in God to protect him. Because he loved Rachel and their youngest son, Joseph, he kept them at the rear to protect them from possible harm.

The reunion between Jacob/Israel and his brother Esau after 20 long years of separation is a beautiful portrait of forgiveness, as Esau lovingly embraced his brother in forgiveness, welcoming him home. Jacob blessed his brother with generous gifts that he claimed to have been provided by God. Esau did not need them because he had also become a wealthy man, though he did not ascribe his success to God like Jacob/Israel did. Obviously, God had been working with great success in changing the hearts of both men.

Because of his many animals and young children, Jacob/Israel was delayed in making the journey home. Esau offered to leave some men to protect Jacob’s household, but by faith, he declined, stating that God would indeed protect him.

In this scene, we see the beginning of reconciliation between what had been a broken family and two brothers who had been at war for their entire lives. This scene should give us hope that it is possible to see a broken family healed, even if it has been decades of pain and distance.

Jacob then worshiped God by erecting an altar in Shechem, which made sense given that it was the first place where God visited his grandfather Abraham and where Abraham built his own altar in Genesis 12:6-7. Genesis 33 closes with the wondrous portrait of the transformed Jacob worshiping the God not only of Abraham and Isaac, but also now the God of Jacob. And much like the literary flow of the story of his grandfather Abraham, Jacob/Israel’s story appears to have climaxed, as he is now an older man blessed by God and ready to relax in peace. However, his presence in Shechem is an ominous hint at what awaits in the following chapter because he was supposed to continue on to Bethel.

Question:

Looking at this story and the chapters preceding it, what comes to mind regarding your family, siblings, and family strife and drama?