以扫迎接雅各
在这一切之后，雅各看到了以扫，他勇敢却谦卑的走到前头去见他。三节说，“他自己在他们前头过去，一连七次俯伏在地，才就近他哥哥。”就一面说，他对妻子和孩子很诚实忠信，走到前头领路。雅各这样迎见以扫，使以扫大感惊讶。“以扫跑来迎接他，将他抱住，又搂着他的颈项与他亲嘴”（创三三4）。雅各和以扫都哭了。由此我们看见，雅各所有的恐惧都是他自己忧虑的产物，他所作的一切都是徒然的。他无须将人口分作两队，无须作最好的祷告，无须呈献九群牲口给以扫为礼物，无须和在人形状里的主摔跤，也无须把妻子、孩子和使女再次分开。他若真的认识神，并且信靠祂，就会一直在平安中，说，“我不因以扫忧虑，因为神已经应许把我带回我父亲之地。祂甚至告诉我要回去，因此我有平安，祂会带我到那里。”
我们都必须从雅各的经历有所学习。我们不必作这么多。我们不是今日的雅各，蒙拣选的人么？当然是的。主没有给我们祂的应许么？的确给了。天使没有围绕我们么？我们必须相信有。也许我们以为某些人是我们的仇敌，仇敌撒但可能把关于我们的拉班和以扫的思想注入我们的心思里。所有这样的思想都是徒然的。回想你的已往，你岂没有作过许多事，最后证明是无用的么？凡我们所作的都是徒然的。当然雅各从来没有梦想，以扫会带着这样热切的爱来见他。以扫并没有带着憎恨或复仇的意愿来见雅各；相反的，他带着温暖的弟兄之爱而来。以扫已经忘记雅各给他的痛苦。但雅各这抓夺者，并没有忘记他对哥哥所作的。在这里我们看见神美妙的作为。
我们是蒙拣选的人。既是蒙拣选的人，主的应许、祂的目标和定命，就都是为着我们的。主已经嘱咐我们众人向目标迈进，前往我们父的地，在那里我们能为着主永远的目的享受祂的丰富。所以我们只需要在祂里面享受平安，不可被任何一位拉班或以扫所困扰。无论发生甚么事，只管安息在祂里面。
这两章是一幅图画，启示我们的神是怎样的神。我能为祂的慈爱和信实作见证。无论我们的境遇怎样，主总是在这里。我们的确有祂，有祂的应许、祂的目标和祂的军兵。忘记你应付局面的技巧和能力罢。雅各很有技巧，把他的人口首先这样分，然后又那样分。他第二次把人口分开是照着他的心愿，以保全拉结和约瑟。但他所作的，没有一样有用，一切都是徒然的。今天这对我们真是一幅好图画。
信息重点: 雅各惧怕以扫，作了许多安排；然而最终，以扫并没有报仇，反而跑来拥抱他。事实证明，雅各所有的忧虑、计划和挣扎，几乎都是多余的。
应用祷告: 主耶稣，求你释放我脱离忧虑和惧怕。帮助我相信，你早已走在我的前面，许多我所害怕的事，都在你的手中。
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Jacob’s Discipline — Fear of Esau (5) — Gen. 33:4
Esau Meets Jacob
After all this, Jacob saw Esau, and he went forward boldly yet humbly to meet him. Verse 3 says, “He himself passed on before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.” This shows that, on the one hand, he was sincere and faithful toward his wives and children, going ahead of them to lead the way. Jacob’s manner of meeting Esau greatly astonished Esau. “Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept” (Gen. 33:4). Both Jacob and Esau wept. From this we see that all of Jacob’s fear was merely the product of his own anxiety, and everything he did was in vain. He had no need to divide his people into two camps, no need to offer his best prayer, no need to present nine droves of livestock to Esau as a gift, no need to wrestle with the Lord in human form, and no need to divide his wives, children and maidservants again. Had he truly known God and trusted in Him, he would have remained at peace the whole time, saying, “I will not be anxious about Esau, for God has already promised to bring me back to my father’s land. He has even told me to return; therefore I have peace, and He will bring me there.”
We must all learn from Jacob’s experience. We do not need to do so much. Are we not today’s Jacob, the elect ones? Certainly we are. Has the Lord not given us His promise? Indeed He has. Are angels not encamped around us? We must believe that they are. Perhaps we think certain people are our enemies; the enemy Satan may inject thoughts of our own Labans and Esaus into our minds. All such thoughts are in vain. Recall your past — have you not done many things that in the end proved useless? All that we do is in vain. Certainly Jacob never dreamed Esau would come to meet him with such warm love. Esau did not come to Jacob with hatred or a desire for revenge; on the contrary, he came with warm brotherly love. Esau had already forgotten the pain Jacob had caused him. But Jacob, the supplanter, had not forgotten what he had done to his brother. Here we see the wonderful work of God.
We are the elect. Being the elect, the Lord’s promise, His goal and His ordination are all for us. The Lord has charged all of us to press on toward the goal, going to our Father’s land, where we may enjoy His riches for His eternal purpose. Therefore we need only enjoy peace in Him, and not be troubled by any Laban or Esau. Whatever happens, we simply need to rest in Him.
These two chapters are a picture, revealing to us what kind of God our God is. I can testify to His lovingkindness and faithfulness. Whatever our circumstances, the Lord is always here. We indeed have Him, His promises, His goal and His heavenly army. Forget your skill and ability to handle situations. Jacob was very skillful, dividing his people this way and then that way. His second division of his people was according to his own preference, to preserve Rachel and Joseph. But nothing he did was of any use; it was all in vain. Today this is truly a good picture for us.
Message’s Main Points: Jacob feared Esau and made many arrangements; yet in the end, Esau sought no revenge but ran to embrace him. This proves that nearly all of Jacob’s anxiety, planning and struggling were unnecessary.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, deliver me from anxiety and fear. Help me believe that You have already gone before me, and that the many things I fear are already in Your hands.