Read: Genesis 33:1-17⤒🔗

What does a man who has come face to face with God do when he must face a new day? We receive a good answer to this question when we watch Jacob limp from Peniel into the embrace of Esau (Gen. 3:4).

God's grace had pursued Jacob for a long time. We see evidence of it when Jacob, the fugitive, lay under the starry sky at Bethel (Gen. 28). We see it when God appeared to him in Haran and re-opened the land of Canaan to him (Gen. 31). At Peniel God graciously spared his life while revealing His face to Jacob. As a man who had received God's grace, he could not but acknowledge God's grace in past providence, perceive God's grace in present providence, and rely on God's grace in future providence.

Jacob Acknowledged God's Grace in Past Providence←↰⤒🔗

This was a different Jacob than the Jacob who finagled the birthright and blessing from Esau. Then he had schemed his way through life. Everything he thought he had, he had eked out of life. He was Jacob after all, the supplanter, and the deceiver. He had earned that name from the way he had entered into the world — taking Esau by the heel (Gen. 25:25).

1When God appeared to Jacob at Bethel he was beginning to teach him that it was God's sovereign right alone to give blessing and prosperity (Gen. 28:13-15). If Jacob were to have this blessing, it would be in the divinely appointed way and at the divinely appointed time.

During his stay with Laban, Jacob had learned two lessons. First of all, he learned what it was to be on the receiving end of schemes. Secondly, he learned how God blesses the soul that waits on Him, no matter how subject to schemes he is (Gen. 31:5). This lesson was forcefully brought home to Jacob at Peniel. There, through weakness, he was made strong. This also taught him the language of "grace."

In Chapter 33:1-15 Jacob uses the word "grace" five times. Having tasted God's grace at Peniel, his mouth now spills over with grace. First, we see that he views his children as gifts of God's grace. When Esau asks him: "Who are those with thee?" Jacob credits the grace of God: "The children which God hath graciously given thy servant" (33:5).

He sees the past with new spectacles. When God gave him his children, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, etc., He had done so graciously. Jacob had not deserved these children. It was unmerited favour for God to entrust to him even one child, let alone eleven. He had not earned the right to be a father. At Peniel Jacob had learned something about himself and something about God. Considering who God was and who he, Jacob was, the gift of children was an undeserved gift.

Has grace put new spectacles on our eyes? Do we see what we call our own as tokens of God's grace. We have not deserved the least of God's blessings. Gifts, small and great, are evidences of unmerited favour.

Jacob Perceived Grace in Present Providence←↰⤒🔗

When Jacob had last been near Esau, Esau had been his sworn enemy. He had purposed to take his life. When they meet now, Esau embraces him, kisses him, and weeps. What has changed? Was it simply that time had healed old wounds? Had the gift that Jacob had sent ahead appeased Esau? Had the sight of a few hundred cattle made him forget his fury?

Jacob had another explanation. He ascribed this change in Esau to the grace of God alone. He said: "I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wart pleased with me" (33:10). The radical change that he had witnessed in Esau's attitude is so great that he could only compare it with something divine. Calvin explained this verse as follows: "Esau being thus changed, was no obscure figure of the favour of God." Jacob ascribed the radical change in Esau's demeanour to divine power. Solomon elsewhere put this truth in proverb form: "When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov. 16:7).

Prior to this realization, Jacob seemed to think that his gift would evoke some favour from Esau (vv. 32:5; 33:8). However, after he realized that something has taken place that is inexplicable on the human plane, he changed his tone. No longer was the gift intended to evoke favour, but only to confirm it. Before, he had said: "These are to find grace in the sight of my lord" (Gen. 33:8). Now, however, he changes his words: "if I have now found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand" (v.10). There is a significant difference. In the first instance, the gift was to merit favour to be displayed. In the second instance, it was to confirm an already displayed favour.

During the night at Peniel, Jacob had been changed. He had to lose himself and all his strength in order to receive freely everything that God wanted to give him. When the sun rose upon him as he passed over Peniel, Jacob stepped into a new day. This new day brought with it providence only explicable in terms of God and His grace. Jacob began to perceive grace in present providence.

Jacob Relied on Grace for Future Providence←↰⤒🔗

2We saw that Jacob mentioned "grace" five times in this chapter. Esau never spoke once about grace. This is telling. Jacob would need to live by grace alone all the days of his life. Whereas before, Jacob had wrung things out of Esau, here he freely handed them out to Esau. Jacob didn't need his cattle to make ends meet. He became a generous man. Grace makes a person generous (2 Cor. 9:8). The child of God can trust God's provisions for the future. Jacob doesn't need Esau's protection (Gen. 33:15): "What needeth it?" he says. God's providence will send grace sufficient for the day, sufficient for all his needs.

There is another difference between Jacob and Esau. This does not appear in the English translation of the Bible, but the original proves it. In the English both Esau and Jacob say: "I have enough" (vv. 9, 11). But in the Hebrew, Esau says: "I have enough" (v.9) but Jacob says: "I have everything" (v. 11). Here are two perspectives on life. Esau's is quite amazing. Society tells us we never have enough. However, Jacob's is even more amazing. He tells Esau: "I have everything." Paul echoed Jacob when he said: "Shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Rom. 8:34). Elsewhere Paul says: "All are yours" (1 Cor. 3:22). The Christian has all things in Christ. And so he can rely on grace for every future providence.

Questions:←↰⤒🔗

1. Read verse 5. How does this view of grace in everyday life change the way we look and deal with our children (our parents, our families)? Do we use our families and things God has given us to speak to others about the grace of God?
2. Mention biblical examples of how the experience of grace makes one a gracious person. Discuss this principle for practical life.
3. Read 2 Corinthians 9:8. What does Paul mean about "grace abounding"? How does "grace abound" in a person's life?
4. How practically does a person go from seeing God's face to looking into the face of an enemy or a difficulty?
5. Esau appeared changed from when we last heard about him. Yet, he has not been changed like Jacob. Jacob's conversation did not seem to affect him. Can you infer his view of providence in this passage? How do we see providence?
6. Read 1 Corinthians 3:22. How does this further explain Jacob's view of providence in Genesis 33:11?