Genesis 33:10
And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.
Jacob humbles himself before Esau and urgently presses him to receive the gift from his hand as a sign of favor and reconciliation for his offense. Esau at first declines because he has abundance, but Jacob's urging prevails until he takes it, calling it a blessing because God has dealt graciously with him and given him enough. To behold Esau's kindly, welcoming and pleased face after their conflict feels like beholding the face of God, with divine kindness and forgiveness shining from him now that revenge is gone. This meeting belongs to Jacob's return and the crisis in which he becomes Israel, having been met by angels, wrestled at the Jabbok at Peniel, and received a changed heart, a changed name and a new character in conversion and full surrender. God Himself touched Esau's heart and took away years of revenge and murderous anger, so Jacob was preserved from four hundred armed men without sword or army, having power with men because he had power with God.
Jacob's Plea to Esau
Genesis 33:10 belongs to Jacob's return to Palestine and to the crisis in which he becomes Israel, coming after he was met by angels and after his wrestling at the Jabbok at Peniel. That wrestling brought conversion and full surrender, with a changed heart and a changed name, a new character and with it power with men because he had power with God. The chapter also holds Esau's change of purpose through God's intervention and the dedication of Jacob and his household to God. God touched Esau's heart and took away years of revenge, malignity, and burning murderous anger, so that former enmity was gone and he met Jacob friendly and welcoming.
Jacob humbles himself before Esau and urgently seeks his favor and reconciliation by offering a gift to make amends for the offense, pressing him to receive the present at his hand as a sign of grace and favor. Esau at first looks with pleasure on Jacob's possessions yet declines the present because he already has abundance, but Jacob's urging prevails until Esau takes it. Jacob calls his present a blessing because God had dealt graciously with him and given him enough, and in this he returned to Esau the possession blessing recklessly sold for a meal.
To see Esau's kindly, welcoming, pleased face after their conflict feels to Jacob like seeing the face of God, expressing gratitude that Esau has received him favorably. The malignity and revenge were gone from Esau, and divine kindness and forgiveness shone from his face, with Esau's favorable reception taken by Jacob as a sign of God's grace toward him and of God's hand in his dealings with him. Jacob's appeal reveals one who is a prince with God yet subdued and humble as a little child. The supplanting, scheming Jacob is gone and in his place stands a humble, kind, truly noble prince of God, leaving no ground for quarrel.
Jacob's attitude at the meeting shows his view of his former conduct concerning the birthright. After this affecting meeting, Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, ten or eleven years after he rejoiced under God's blessing at Peniel.
Forgiveness Through God's Power
The verse belongs to the reconciliation of Jacob and Esau after Jacob was met by angels and received a changed heart and a changed name, and it shows forgiveness between brothers and calls for the spirit of forgiveness in the heart. The affecting meeting shows the Lord's power to change men's hearts, after which Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, ten or eleven years after he rejoiced under God's blessing at Peniel. Jacob's deliverance from Esau came without his using the sword, and his protection and reconciliation showed that God could preserve him from his enemies by divine power rather than by force. It was the result of conversion, for having wrestled for a change of heart and made full surrender Jacob received a new character and with it power with men because he had power with God, so that he had no use for an army to meet Esau's band of four hundred armed men. When the brothers met, Esau's burning, murderous anger was gone and he was friendly, because the supplanting, scheming Jacob was gone and in his place stood a humble, kind, truly noble prince of God, leaving no ground for quarrel.
Jacob saw Esau's favorable reception as a sign of God's grace toward him, for Esau's face, once feared, now seemed like the face of God because Esau was pleased with him, and his words show gratitude and recognition of God's hand in his dealings with him. After Jacob became Israel by wrestling at the river Jabbok and leaving his trouble with God, God touched Esau's heart and took away years of revenge, so that when they met the next morning Esau's face looked like God's face because the malignity and revenge of a demon was gone and divine kindness and forgiveness shone from it. This proves that leaving troubles with God quickly removes difficulties and gives true prevailing over others.