Trusting God or Just Talking to Him: Genesis 32:13-21
In difficult times, life is best lived following God’s plan rather than trying to solve our own problems. That feels like a platitude. Of course God’s way is better than our way! The problem is that in life, we don’t always do what we know to be true in the moment. The objective truth doesn’t always feel obvious in the subjective moment.
After his prayer, Jacob gets up, takes some of his wealth, and sends it ahead of him to his brother. He’s genuinely offering it as a gift. It’s probably more correct to say that Jacob is offering up the servants and animals as a bribe. He’s trying his hardest to make Esau look like an absolute jerk should he attack.
Say what you will about bribes. There is no denying that Jacob is trying to manipulate Esau into taking a favorable position when they meet. If Jacob gives lavish gifts to Esau and Esau still attacks, it will raise questions about Esau’s character. If Esau was upset that he missed out on the birthright and the blessing, but Jacob then shares his wealth with Esau, then Esau will come off as greedy and savage when he attacks. Jacob’s using communal perception along with the actual wealth to force Esau into a particular stance. From the perspective of the world, Jacob is being incredibly shrewd.
From a godly perspective, our opinion of Jacob should not be quite so glowing. What Jacob is doing is absolutely understandable from a worldly perspective, but it raises concerns about him spiritually. Didn’t Jacob just finish a prayer to God in which he asks God to protect him? Didn’t Jacob just finish a prayer where he reminded himself about God’s provision and God’s calling?
If Jacob’s prayer meant what it should to him, why does Jacob scheme after going to God? Where in this act does Jacob show trust in God? Where does Jacob show a response to God’s direction? Jacob may believe in God. Jacob may have taken God as his own God. But, we’d be hard-pressed to say Jacob is following God here. The best we can say is Jacob uses God as a shield.
I’m not judging Jacob, because God is my witness that I’ve acted the same way all throughout my life. There are times – especially when life is hard – I’ve tried too hard to solve my own problems rather than seeking God’s direction through the solution. Usually, I end up looking like a fool and having to go back to God and ask forgiveness for not trusting in Him. Usually when I use God as a shield – a last defense in case I can’t solve my own problems – I end up returning to God and confessing His plan through the difficulty was better than my plan. I’ve been where Jacob is, and I’ve frequently gotten it wrong. In difficult times, life is best lived following God’s plan rather than trying to solve our own problems.
