Gen 32:1-20 | KingComments | STEP | Jacob is on a journey back to his land. Then the past comes to his mind. The fear of seeing Esau comes back. But before he has that meeting, he has another meeting. He meets angels of God. These messengers were sent by God as an encouragement to Jacob. He may know that God is protecting him. Jacob sees them in reality. His eyes open for a look into the invisible world (cf. ). God searches Jacob again and again, while Jacob asks so little for Him. God has protected Jacob from Laban, when he came after him with evil intentions. Now there is a new danger and again there is God’s protection. This appearance of angels on his return to the land recalls the ladder with angels he has seen when leaving the land. Also then the vision was an encouragement to him. God then told him that He would keep him wherever he went and that He would certainly bring him back to the land ( ). “Mahanaim” means “two camps” or “two companies”. Jacob sees a company of angels in front of him and a company of angels behind him or he sees a company of angels to his left and to his right. In any case, he is surrounded by God’s protection and he does not have to be afraid.

‏ Genesis 32:1-20

God’s camp

Jacob is on a journey back to his land. Then the past comes to his mind. The fear of seeing Esau comes back. But before he has that meeting, he has another meeting. He meets angels of God. These messengers were sent by God as an encouragement to Jacob. He may know that God is protecting him. Jacob sees them in reality. His eyes open for a look into the invisible world (cf. 2Kgs 6:17).

God searches Jacob again and again, while Jacob asks so little for Him. God has protected Jacob from Laban, when he came after him with evil intentions. Now there is a new danger and again there is God’s protection. This appearance of angels on his return to the land recalls the ladder with angels he has seen when leaving the land. Also then the vision was an encouragement to him. God then told him that He would keep him wherever he went and that He would certainly bring him back to the land (Gen 28:15).

“Mahanaim” means “two camps” or “two companies”. Jacob sees a company of angels in front of him and a company of angels behind him or he sees a company of angels to his left and to his right. In any case, he is surrounded by God’s protection and he does not have to be afraid.

Messengers to Esau

Jacob doesn’t have Laban behind him anymore, but he still has Esau before him. To justify himself for and to test the attitude of Esau, Jacob sends messengers to Esau. They must tell him that Jacob was not a vagabond, but that he has lived with uncle Laban all the time he was absent. He also says that he has become rich, so that he does not have to ask for a favor from Esau. He does not come home as a ‘lost son’.

Jacob’s Tactics

Despite the encouragement of God, we see how little trust there is with Jacob. When the messengers come back with the message that Esau is coming with four hundred men, he becomes very scared. His conscience speaks for he has cheated his brother and he knows that Esau wants to kill him. The message from the approach of Esau seems to say that Esau has not changed his view of Jacob. Jacob takes his own measures again. He calculates his chances and plans his strategy accordingly.

There is nothing against taking measures, as long as they are taken at the instigation of a command from God and not out of fear of what might happen. In the latter case, it is self-willed action, on which one relies more than on God. Faith does not plan plans, but trusts.

Jacob’s Prayer

Jacob uses God as a kind of emergency aid. He prays when need is high, but only after his own initiatives to avert evil. In the appeal he makes to God as the One Who has instructed him to go back to his country and his family, something of a reproach may lie to God. It may seem that it is God’s guilt that he is in this situation.

His attitude in Gen 32:10 is beautiful by the way. In it he acknowledges the favor and faithfulness of God in his life so far. He left as a lonely man and now he has become so rich that he has become two armies. He alludes to the two armies of angels he has seen in Gen 32:1-2. For the expansion of his family and possessions, he gives glory to God.

In his fear of Esau, he called to God to save him. He told God what Esau was planning, that is, what he thought Esau would do. He foresees a ruthless slaughter among his family, in which the mothers and their children are not spared. The conscience of a person who does not fully trust God also sees the death in threats.

A Present for Esau

Even after his prayer Jacob continues to take precautions. This shows that he doesn’t really trust that the LORD is able to protect him. Jacob and also the people must learn that rescue from danger is done by faith in God and not by giving a present to an enemy to appease him.

The attitude he adopts toward Esau is overly submissive. This is the result of an impure conscience. He calls himself “your servant” before Esau (Gen 32:4 ; 18 ; 20). If there had been fellowship with God, he would not have to be afraid. But for that to happen, there must be a Penuel in his life.