In this chapter, we are presented with the Divinely inspired account of the meeting of Jacob and Esau, after they had spent the last 20 years separated from one another. Jacob greatly dreaded this meeting, but he had wisely and piously prepared for it. He had sought and received guidance from the Lord on this most fearful occasion, and he had prudently made arrangements for the protection of his family and his property. Now he fearlessly advances to meet his brother, who was leading a band of 400 men.

Perhaps the sight of the generous gift of livestock which Jacob had sent ahead to Esau had subdued all the feelings of resentment in the heart of the latter. Whether or not that was the case, it is clear that in one way or another, the heart of Esau had been acted upon by the Spirit of God. No sooner did Jacob approach his brother with all the submission of a lowly servant than “Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him!”

What a delightful conclusion to 20 long years of estrangement and alienation! What a satisfactory result of Jacob’s prayers and efforts! But are we not also able to speak of times in our own lives when the greatest anxieties and most dreadful events have been brought to a happy ending, when they have been faithfully committed into the hands of our prayer-hearing God? Does not our experience fully support us in saying that when we have thus committed our cause into the hands of the Almighty, we have always been delivered from the dangers and evils which we have dreaded the most? Has not the Lord dispelled the clouds at the moment when they looked the darkest and the heaviest? Or if He has not done that, has He not guided and strengthened and consoled us, so that we have scarcely felt the fury of the storm?

Few will disagree with these statements while reading them. But the moment to recollect and profit by them is when the horizon begins to darken, and the dreaded cloud is seen in the distance, and the roar of the thunder is beginning to be heard. It is then that we must summon up our recollections of the past, and let them give strength to our petitions, and wings to our prayers concerning the foreboding future. We may rest assured that in every emergency, we may firmly fix our trust upon God; we may always possess the same abundant grace that He gave to His servant Jacob, when he faced the prospect of meeting an angry brother whom he had wronged.

There is something that is deeply moving in the parting of the reconciled brothers, as well as in their meeting. Esau desired that Jacob and his party would continue to travel with him. This was declined by the prudent and tender care of Jacob concerning his family and flocks – reminding us of the Good Shepherd of our souls, Who carries His lambs in His arms, and gently leads those that are with young (Isa. 40:11). Esau then wished to leave a part of his large retinue as a guard for his unprotected brother. However, this kind offer was also refused, and so these two men of such different lifestyles and pursuits separated until they met once more to bury their father Isaac. When God’s grace has planted new feelings and new motives within our hearts, there will be many persons who will neither understand us nor participate with us. In such situations, traveling together as close friends is very dangerous. We may politely say, as Jacob did, “Take, I pray thee, my blessing.” But it is best for us to act like Jacob as well, and to continue our journeys apart. It is a good thing when the Christian, under such circumstances, is enabled to decline the benefits and friendships of those with whom he cannot safely travel. After all, like Jacob, we may ask, “What needeth it?” Do we not have a God Who is all-sufficient? Under His guidance and protection, we can refuse the help and favor of the world; for in Him, we may find the simple pleasures and delights which He freely gives His people. In Him, we may obtain all that we need for the safety and comfort of our pilgrimage through the wilderness of this world, until we reach our heavenly Canaan!

This chapter concludes with Jacob arriving safely in Canaan and purchasing a piece of land outside the city of Shechem. There we see that he did not content himself with merely giving words of thanks for the Lord’s favor to him, but he also gave real thanks. Moreover, he kept up the worship of God in his family by building an altar on his property. Wherever we establish our homes, the Lord must have an altar so that He may be faithfully worshiped there. Jacob dedicated his altar to El-elohe-Israel – meaning, “God, the God of Israel.” It was devoted to the honor of the only living and true God, Who had established His Covenant with him. And blessed be His name – He is still the mighty God of Israel! May we praise Him and rejoice in His love during our pilgrimage here on earth, and forever in the heavenly Promised Land!

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