Of all the issues followers of Jesus face in 2014, which are
the most important to address? poverty, war, interpersonal conflicts, anxiety and fear,
addictions and hidden sins, spiritual dryness, denominational divisions, stress? A few highlights
from Genesis 33:10 may give some insight.
Context: Jacob is
uprooted - traveling from a place he called home for 20 years, homeless, and in
major transition to find a new home. He is taking a major risk with all
he holds dear...should Esau be coming to take revenge. He has been
experiencing spiritual distress - wrestling all night with the pre-incarnate Christ.
He has great anxiety and fear of being killed by his brother Esau due to the
bitter conflict between them (Gen. 32:7). He sent on ahead a huge number of
gifts, perhaps mindful of the Middle Eastern proverb "Bravery without
foresight is like a blind horse."
But when the two hardened desert men come together, they
weep and embrace. There is a very Eastern orientation of this passage - three
times Jacob urges Esau to accept the gifts, and Esau finally accepts them after
the third time. Esau warmly calls Jacob "brother" but Jacob, as the
younger, demonstrates humility and shows honor for Esau, calling him "my
lord" and bowing 7 times as one did before an important leader in ancient
Eastern culture.
Structure: Doublets are a
Hebraic way to emphasize that something is true or is certain to happen.
Hebraic thought often shows the main point in the middle of a section, not at
the end as in Greek linear thought. Genesis 33:10 has a chiasmic
structure, 5 times saying nuances of the same thought with the major emphasis
in the middle.
A "If I have found favor in your sight
B Then accept my present from my hand
C For I have seen your face
B' Which is like seeing the face of God
A' and you have accepted me."
Meaning: In Hebrew,
"seeing the face of God" is a Hebrew idiom which carries the
connotation for being in right relationship with God, having personal dialogue
with Him, being accepted by Him, experiencing his presence (Exodus 33:12-23).
This verse is connected to Jacob's seeing God's face just a few hours before
(32:30). The phrase "finding favor" is the same as being
accepted. Most English Bibles elsewhere translate "His
face" with "His Presence." 1 Finding God's
favor is NOT experiencing the western definition of success in our work. It's being accepted by our Heavenly Father and experiencing his
presence.
In Eastern culture, the face mirrors the character and
feelings of the heart (Proverbs 15:3, Dan 8:23). Once Jacob personally
saw God after a night of struggle, he was able to see God reflected through the
one with whom he had the most conflict. Jacob and and Esau are finally in
right relationship and at peace with each other. Through them, we see the depth
and quality of our personal relationship with God impacts how we interact with
othes. Do our words help point others to the true heart of our
heavenly Father?
It's significant that Jacob's struggle with God happened
right on the edge of a major transition and spiritual breakthrough. "Whenever
our historical memory becomes dim, the forsaken Spirit shakes us, and we know
once more that we are servants by the grace of God. Faith is the art of
responding to God in moments of divine revelation and as God's servants, of
bearing witness to God in moments of divine silence."2
The pattern for growing more resilient, increased spiritual
awareness, grasp on eternal reality, and firmer faith from this passage seems
to be: a struggle with God, a touch of healing pain
in the deepest, strongest place, awareness of the reality of the scars of the
struggle (Jacob's limp), and improved ability to see the unseen in the seen3
(2 Cor. 4:17-18). Who do you see?
If we see the wrong God, we're serving an idol.
Practical Shepherding: As pastoral encouragers, we see that many followers often have a difficult time applying the Gospel
message to themselves. Here are a few questions we often ask folks:
·
How is God working in you through this difficulty?
·
If God's resurrection power would enter this overwhelming challenge
or conflict, what could it look like...how would it change?
·
If you were walking on a street of heaven, and you overheard God
talking around the corner about you, what would he be saying about you?
Many have often never considered these questions and
many find it almost impossible to see how God's power can change their complex
and overwhelming situations. We've seen men and women respond by
sobbing as they see the lies they've been believing brought into the
light.
Seeing the wonder of the reality and permanence of God in
his holy glory reigning on his throne with his feet propped up on his enemies
(Psalm 110:1 ; 1 Cor.15:25) will help the saints endure another day of mundane
details and awesome challenges We're praying his Bride to more clearly see God’s face.
1. A Collection of Hebrew
Idioms: Understanding the Language of Heaven, Lecture notes by Bob Gorelik
2. Approaching God: The Way
of Abraham J. Heschel, by John Merkel
3. Faith Development and
Pastoral Care, by James Fowler