a person of peace
Last night I was reading the passage in Genesis 33 where Jacob and Esau meet up after years of separation. In that passage you see one man acting like a brother who has missed his brother passionately. Esau "ran to meet Jacpb and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept."
And you see Jacob, the brother who is treating Esau like a lord and he, his servant. Jacob bows down seven times before his brother. He brings him a gift and says, "For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably....for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need."
Esau's response at seeing his brother is generous and loving. But Jacob approaches him fearfully and cautiously. And when he is received, there is immense joy for Jacob.
This is what I take away from that passage: to be reconciled with someone you have wronged is like seeing the face of God. It may be for both persons. His light displaces the darkness of sin. There is true intimacy. To humble yourself can bring favor and reconciliation. And to speak about the graciousness and goodness of God in your life brings glory to Jesus.
And I find it really interesting that even in Jacob's cautiousness at their meeting, the passage says they both wept.
If you are reconciling with someone who has hurt you, who you have hurt, are you vulnerable enough to let yourself weep with them? I don't know that I am. Reconciliation - yes, my heart totally involved - probably not.
There is a reason this passage is in the Bible. We might like to leave it as a heart warming story of two brothers. But it's much more personal than that. God's grace and favor personified. It exemplifies what forgiveness and restoration look like. The two brothers travelled together for a while after their reconciliation, restoring the bond they shared. They didn't want to leave one another just yet. Their obedience to God led to greater things together than what they each had alone.
Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
there is a future for the man of peace.
Psalm 37:37 (NIV)
My prayer tonight is that I can be a person of peace. That the Lord will continue to teach me how to do this. That I will be true to what He is showing me.
And you see Jacob, the brother who is treating Esau like a lord and he, his servant. Jacob bows down seven times before his brother. He brings him a gift and says, "For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably....for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need."
Esau's response at seeing his brother is generous and loving. But Jacob approaches him fearfully and cautiously. And when he is received, there is immense joy for Jacob.
This is what I take away from that passage: to be reconciled with someone you have wronged is like seeing the face of God. It may be for both persons. His light displaces the darkness of sin. There is true intimacy. To humble yourself can bring favor and reconciliation. And to speak about the graciousness and goodness of God in your life brings glory to Jesus.
And I find it really interesting that even in Jacob's cautiousness at their meeting, the passage says they both wept.
If you are reconciling with someone who has hurt you, who you have hurt, are you vulnerable enough to let yourself weep with them? I don't know that I am. Reconciliation - yes, my heart totally involved - probably not.
There is a reason this passage is in the Bible. We might like to leave it as a heart warming story of two brothers. But it's much more personal than that. God's grace and favor personified. It exemplifies what forgiveness and restoration look like. The two brothers travelled together for a while after their reconciliation, restoring the bond they shared. They didn't want to leave one another just yet. Their obedience to God led to greater things together than what they each had alone.
Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
there is a future for the man of peace.
Psalm 37:37 (NIV)
My prayer tonight is that I can be a person of peace. That the Lord will continue to teach me how to do this. That I will be true to what He is showing me.