Reconciliation According to God | Genesis 33

This week we will explore Genesis 33 together, Reconciliation According to God. 

Here are four basic truths that I have learned in life:
Relationships are essential.
Conflict is inevitable.
Ongoing conflict is miserable.
Reconciliation is beautiful.
Let's face it...relationships are hard! It is nice to talk about love, fellowship, forgiveness, and reconciliation but they are so hard to live out in our daily relationships. 

We can irritate one another, disagree with one another, argue with one another, and even hurt one another.

Jacob and Esau have been fighting since they were in the womb. They were different personalities with different interests going in different directions. And, unfortunately, their parents took sides which made their conflict with each other even more magnified. 

For twenty years, Jacob and Esau never talked with each other. They lived separate lives. They pursued different goals. 

But as Jacob heads back to Canaan, he is motivated to seek peace with Esau. Perhaps he is motivated primarily by fear...but he is also changing in his character and he knows that this ongoing conflict with Esau needs to be resolved. Especially since Esau at one point had wanted to kill him!

Things are tense. Jacob sends a message of peace. He receives the news that Esau is coming with 400 men. Jacob is tied down with a large company of women, children, and flocks. There is no escape. They are going to face each other face-to-face again.

What will happen? Will Esau execute his plan of vengeance? Will Jacob try to run? Will there be a cold reception? Will there be a fight? Will there be a war? Will there be a slaughter?

What happens is not necessarily what anyone expected, particularly Jacob. 

Esau runs full speed to Jacob and embraces him with the love of a brother. 

They both break down in tears.

It is a beautiful scene of restitution, restoration, and reconciliation.

But, at the same time, is not the movie type ending. Esau and Jacob still have their issues. They still have their differences. They are still headed in different directions. And Jacob has to navigate a precarious situation with every step with his brother.

There are so many principles to learn in this passage about relationships, about forgiveness, about reconciliation, about practical wisdom. We will explore these principles on Sunday.

May God fill our hearts with His grace, wisdom, and peace so that we can relate to one another with the unity of the Spirit and the love of Jesus Christ!