Esau asked, “What’s the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met?”
“To find favor in your eyes, my lord,” [Jacob] said.
But Esau said, “I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.”
“No, please!” said Jacob. “If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably. Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.” And because Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it. [Genesis 33:8-11]
So here we are… Jacob, who deceived his brother, Esau, into giving up his inheritance, finally comes face to face with his rival. Make no doubt about it, he’s scared to death of what his brother might do for revenge. So what was his strategy? A bribe. Jacob sends his herds and flocks ahead of him as a gift to his brother, hoping that it would appease whatever wrath he may have. But Esau rejects Jacob’s offer to buy his forgiveness; he gave it freely. What is Jacob’s response to this… seeing Esau is like seeing the face of God.
What a beautiful picture of God’s grace. Often times I try to earn God’s favor… to appease his wrath… to win his forgiveness. But He’ll have none of that. He gives it to me free of charge. Do I see my service to God in the same way? Do I see it as a response to His goodness and not as a bribe to earn His goodness?
Now, don’t get me wrong, just because He gives it for free doesn’t mean it didn’t cost anything. Just like Esau’s forgiveness cost him his inheritance, God’s forgiveness cost Jesus His inheritance. Christ gave up everything He was entitled to so that we could become co-heirs with Him. All it takes on my behalf is to repent and accept it. Then I can realize that because He gave everything for me… the only proper response is to see that He deserves everything from me. Which, when you think about it, shouldn’t actually be that hard if I grasped the fullness of what it all means. For what is anything I have when compared to seeing the face of God?
