And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
Jacob went ahead of his family and company to meet his brother, bowing himself to the ground seven times until he came near to him, approaching him with humility. He came thus just after wrestling through the night and receiving God's blessing, with that blessing shining in his countenance. He came bowing and halting upon his thigh, having fallen crippled and helpless upon the breast of the covenant Angel and having received the victory of conquering faith and the title of prince with God.
Esau had been marching against Jacob with an armed band of four hundred men to kill him. While Jacob wrestled that night, God moved upon Esau's heart in his sleeping hours so that he could not harm him. Esau dreamed that he saw angels of God around Jacob, and saw him as an exile from his father's house for twenty years from fear for his life, sorrowing to find his mother dead, and humble, and dreamed that he had no mind to harm him when they met. When he awoke he told his men his dream, recognized that Jacob was with God's angel, and commanded that not one of them should injure Jacob because the God of his father was with him.
Jacob's humble approach was therefore met in peace, and the armed bands were stilled before him. Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, fell on his neck, kissed him, and they wept. Jacob then urged Esau to take his blessing as a peace-offering, because God had dealt graciously with him and he had enough. Surrendered weakness thus becomes strength that disarms enemies. The yielding of the will to God is profitable because the will is received back purified and refined and linked with the divine, exchanging the lower for the higher, the earthly for the spiritual, and the perishable for the eternal.
Jacob went ahead of his family and company to meet his brother, bowing himself to the ground seven times until he came near to him, approaching him with humility. He came thus just after wrestling through the night and receiving God's blessing, with that blessing shining in his countenance. He came bowing and halting upon his thigh, having fallen crippled and helpless upon the breast of the covenant Angel and having received the victory of conquering faith and the title of prince with God.
Esau had been marching against Jacob with an armed band of four hundred men to kill him. While Jacob wrestled that night, God moved upon Esau's heart in his sleeping hours so that he could not harm him. Esau dreamed that he saw angels of God around Jacob, and saw him as an exile from his father's house for twenty years from fear for his life, sorrowing to find his mother dead, and humble, and dreamed that he had no mind to harm him when they met. When he awoke he told his men his dream, recognized that Jacob was with God's angel, and commanded that not one of them should injure Jacob because the God of his father was with him.
Jacob's humble approach was therefore met in peace, and the armed bands were stilled before him. Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, fell on his neck, kissed him, and they wept. Jacob then urged Esau to take his blessing as a peace-offering, because God had dealt graciously with him and he had enough. Surrendered weakness thus becomes strength that disarms enemies. The yielding of the will to God is profitable because the will is received back purified and refined and linked with the divine, exchanging the lower for the higher, the earthly for the spiritual, and the perishable for the eternal.