Genesis 33

Genesis 33

This chapter deals with Jacob and Esau finally meeting.  It's amazing with all of Jacob's cowering around he truly has no faith, he villainizes Esau but this is farther from the truth.

1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. 2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. 3 And he himself passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
Wow! What a coward Jacob is and all his brother wanted was to hug his neck. Notice how Jacob is always positioning his people in front and in back of himself, he is always hiding himself in the middle of them.

Then Esau lifts up and sees all these women and children and asks Jacob who these people are and he explains to his brother that these are his wives, handmaids and children. Esau asks about why Jacob had all this company meet him.

8 And he said, What meanest thou by all this company which I met? And he said, to find favor in the sight of my lord. 9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; let that which thou hast be thine.

It's funny here, Jacob speaking about favor in his lord's sight, he's actually talking about Esau.  Think about it. He goes on...

10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found favor in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one seeth the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. 11 Take, I pray thee, my gift 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 says "thou wast pleased with me", he's talking again about Esau, he does give God praise about dealing with him graciously.  But I think he's probably talking about Esau dealing with him graciously more than anything.

They move on with this large caravan, Jacob goes on to Succoth, builds a house and builds a stable for his animals. Then Jacob goes to Shechem and builds an altar, now what he builds this altar for I don't know.  He bought a parcel of land and builds this altar, and he calls it El-Elohe-Israel.