May the mumbling commence!
Sometimes, it’s easier to give than to receive. Jacob had to plead with his brother Esau to
take the gift offered to him. But when
Esau offers a gift to Jacob, Jacob flatly refuses. It’s part of Jacob’s relational make-up. I say that because it involves a true and
trusting relationship with his brother – something he’s apparently not ready
for. Read from Peterson’s The Message:
Then Esau said, “Let’s start out on our way; I’ll
take the lead.”
But
Jacob said, “My master can see that the children are frail. And the flocks and herds are nursing, making for
slow going. If I push them too hard,
even for a day, I’d lose them all. So, master, you go on ahead of
your servant,
while I take it easy
at the pace of my
flocks and children. I’ll catch up with
you in Seir.”
Esau
said, “Let me at least lend you some of my men.”
“There’s no
need,” Jacob said. “Your generous welcome is all I need or
want.”
So Esau
set out that day
and made his way back to Seir.
And Jacob left for Succoth. He built a
shelter for himself
and sheds for
his livestock. That’s how the place came to be
called Succoth (Sheds).
And that’s
how it happened that Jacob arrived all in one piece in Shechem
in the land of Canaan
– all the way from
Paddan Aram.
He camped near the city. He bought the land where he pitched
his tent from the sons of Hamor, the father
of Shechem. He paid a hundred silver
coins for it.
Then he built an altar there and
named it
El-Elohe-Israel (Mighty Is the God of Israel).
(Genesis 33:12-20)
Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:
Then Esau said, "Let us be on our way; I'll
accompany you."
But Jacob said to
him, "My lord knows that the children are
tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young.
If they are driven
hard just one day, all the animals will die.
So let my
lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly
at the pace of the
droves before me and that of the children,
until I come to my lord in Seir."
Esau said, "Then let me leave some of my men with
you."
"But why do that?" Jacob asked. "Just
let me find favor in the eyes of my lord."
So that day Esau started
on his way back to Seir. Jacob, however, went to Succoth, where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his
livestock. That is why the place is called Succoth.
After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he
arrived safely at
the city of Shechem in Canaan and camped within sight of the city. For a hundred pieces of
silver, he
bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, the plot of ground where
he pitched his tent. There he set up an altar and
called it El Elohe
Israel. (Genesis 33:12-20)
How did Esau couch his offer to Jacob? Peterson suggests that Esau wanted to
lead. The NIV speaks of Esau accompanying
Jacob. Which is closer to the
truth? Various translations go with one
or the other. There’s no consistent
voice. Perhaps the tension should be
there.
It’s a little of both.
But the call to fellowship and the offer of protection is clear. And Jacob refuses both offers.
True to his name, Jacob lies. Jacob deceives Esau again. Though Jacob tells Esau that he will follow
him to Seir, Jacob settles instead outside of Shechem.
It seems little has changed in Jacob. Maybe that’s why he isn’t referred to as
Israel in this passage. He’s still doing
Jacob-like things.
And his sons are watching… and learning. Soon they would grow into great deceivers in
their own rite. But that’s a series of
stories for the following days.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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