Genesis 33 Devotional

Welcomed Instead of Punished

“But Jacob insisted, “No, please! If I have found favor in your sight, then receive this gift from my hand. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing the face of God, since you have received me favorably.”Genesis 33:10 (BSB)

Jacob approaches Esau bowing to the ground seven times, ready for the worst. Twenty years earlier he had stolen his brother's blessing, and Esau had sworn to kill him. Instead, Esau runs to meet him, embraces him, kisses him, and they weep together (33:4). Jacob presses his gifts on Esau and tells him that seeing his face is like seeing the face of God, because Esau has received him with favor (33:10).

Jacob had just seen the face of God at Peniel, and now he sees grace in the face of the brother he wronged. God had answered Jacob's prayer for deliverance (32:11) in a way he could never have arranged. Jesus would later tell of a father who ran to his returning son, embraced him and kissed him (Luke 15:20), a picture of how God receives sinners who come home. The chapter ends with Jacob building an altar to the God of Israel (33:20). Because God has welcomed you, you can take the risk of seeking peace with those you have wronged.

To think about: Is there someone you have wronged that God may be preparing you to approach?