As Genesis 33 opens, fear lingers in the air but not for long. Verse 4 states, "But Esau ran to meet him (Jacob) and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept." This verse of scripture embodied 1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." And 1 John4: 20-21, "If any says, I love God, and hates his brother, is a liar; for he who does not love his brother who he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother." As you may recall, these two twin brothers had a remarkably interesting history, which included death threats and betrayal. All to end with an embrace and not punishment. As you continue to read chapter 33, we come to verse eighteen, "And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram, and the camped before the city." Today the land of Canaan is known as Israel, aka the promised land.
Jacob experience fear, covered by the love of God and reassurance of His promise from Genesis 28. As Jacob continues his journey, he experiences the safety and guidance of the Lord; we can all walk away from this chapter with the reassurance that God keeps His promises to us. Regardless of our circumstances, God is working. When we don’t see things moving in the natural, that is exactly when fear ventures in. And we try to plan and put steps in a place like Jacob in verses one -three, then a but God moment appears in verse four. And your fear turns to praise and another reminder of the hand of God on your life. This week I was reminded of a friend who lost her loved one while in a coma. Imagine waking to the devastating news of the death of your love while you were fighting for your life. As my friend struggles to adjust to this new chapter in life, the one thing that is clear to her is that God is faithful, and His promise to never forsake her is even more evident. I want to encourage someone today amid the unexpected roller-coaster moments of life. God plans to work them for your good if you are still connected to Him. Genesis chapter 33 ends with El-Elohe-Israel, which means God, the God of Israel. Stay in the word of God. His words will always comfort you.
Remember, God Loves you, and so do I