Trying to Control

Trying to Control

Genesis 32: ¹³ So he lodged there that same night, and took what came to his hand as a present for Esau his brother: ¹⁴ two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, ¹⁵ thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals. ¹⁶ Then he delivered them to the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass over before me, and put some distance between successive droves.” ¹⁷ And he commanded the first one, saying, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going? Whose are these in front of you?’ ¹⁸ then you shall say, ‘They are your servant Jacob’s. It is a present sent to my lord Esau; and behold, he also is behind us.’ ” ¹⁹ So he commanded the second, the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, “In this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him; ²⁰ and also say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.’ ” For he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” ²¹ So the present went on over before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp.

 

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In a desperate effort to control the situation, Jacob figured he would try to control the situation by making Esau rich. He arranged to give Esau hundreds of animals with the ability to breed more and more.

 

My Observations:

• Jacob tried to prepare for Esau’s arrival by staging a welcome full of gifts.
• Jacob tried to reenter his old country on his own terms.
• Jacob tried to control the outcome by thinking of what Esau would say and do.

 

As if to say “If I were Esau….” Jacob planned for any eventuality. But his plan had a flaw. He did not ask GOD “How should I prepare myself to reenter the land?” His plan included bribery and self-protection, hoping to ease the blow of Esau’s anger. Jacob had not factored in GOD’s protection, so he tried to control the situation.

 

Jacob was used to planning his own protection. He had done this for years. He set his camp at the back of the gifts, thinking Esau would be greedy like Laban and possibly himself. He was looking at the situation through the world’s lenses. BUT GOD had the situation under control.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD tell Moses about Jacob’s plan?
• Have you ever been faced with a situation and tried to control it without asking GOD?
• Will you place your current situation before GOD and allow the HOLY SPIRIT to guide you, knowing you “are” protected?