Esau, the firstborn son who had lost his inheritance and his blessing (Genesis 25:29-34, 27:35-40), had vowed that he would kill his brother Jacob (27:41). Twenty years later, Jacob sent messengers to tell his brother he was on his way home, and the messengers brought back the information that Esau was coming to meet him, accompanied by 400 men (32:6).

This news frightened Jacob, and he arranged his family and goods into two separate groups, saying “If Esau comes to the one company and destroys it, then the company that is left will escape” (32:7-8). He sent both companies forward, and stayed at the back himself: thus, if he lost both companies, he himself would still be able to get away (32:22-23).

<A brief note about chronology>

But when Esau arrived with his four hundred men and saw Jacob, “Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept” (33:4). Jacob was determined to give his brother an extensive gift, to win his favor (32:13-15, 33:8), but Esau was not interested: “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself” (33:9). In the end he only accepted the gift because Jacob urged him so strongly (33:11).

As we have seen several times – with Hagar, with Pharoah, with both Abimelechs, and now with Esau – the person outside the covenant often proves to be more devout and virtuous than the member of the covenant family. It adds up to the conviction that the children of the covenant are not any better than the rest of the world, and frequently are worse: we are not chosen on the basis of our goodness, which is frequently lacking, but on the basis of God’s own gracious mercy.

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We belong to you, O Lord, because you chose to claim us: not because we had earned it, not because we deserved it. You saw us, and loved us, and called to us in grace: and though we are so often slow to respond, we are grateful for all your care and blessing.

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