Reflections: What Just Happened? Jacob and Esau Part Five Genesis 33
According to wikipedia a plot twist is “ a change in the expected direction or outcome of the plot f a novel, film, television series, comic, video game or other work of narative.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot_twist) The director M. Night Shyamalan has pretty much based his career on using plot twists. We expect his movies to have a twist at the end but we don’t expect this in the Bible.
The story of Jacob and Esau ends with a plot twist. When Jacob flees his home it is because his brother Esau wants to kill him! Over the next 30 years we have the story of Jacob in Padam-Aram but we do not have the story of Esau. We expect Esau to want revenge and try to kill Jacob.
This is not what happens. When Esau meets Jacob he gives him a big bear hug! Esau doesn’t want Jacob’s gifts. Esau wants to help protect Jacob in his travels. This is a plot twist. The mystery is even deeper because we don’t know why Esau has changed so much.
It would seem that in the last 30 years instead of allowing the hurt Jacob caused him fester. Esau has learned to forgive. Esau let go of the pain caused by Jacob. Esau let go the feelings of betrayal caused by Jacob. Esau let go of his hatred of Jacob. Esau learned to forgive. This must have been a hard lesson to learn but Esau learned it.
When we first met Jacob and Esau they were not the kind of people we would hold up as examples of how to live as one of the LORD’s people. Now at the end of their story they have become the kind of people we would point to as examples to follow as we try to live as the LORD’s people. How are you living? Are you the young Jacob and Esau or are you like the older mature Jacob and Esau?
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