Relational Restoration

“But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.”

Genesis 33:4 (NIV)

It is tragic to consider how the sin that was first embraced in the Garden of Eden would come to negatively affects relationships thereafter. When God confronted Adam about taking and eating forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil Adam immediately deflected personal fault to Eve. Adam should have been stirred to protect his wife and absorb some, or all, of the guilt in her place. Instead, Adam willingly put Eve in God’s holy scrutiny and sought to shield his life from the consequences of wrongdoing, all at the expense of his spouse. A generation later, Cain took offense with God’s approval of his brother’s sacrifice, as well as the Lord’s rejection of his offering. God warned Cain to guard his heart because wickedness was ready to overtake him and lead him to engage in ill-advised activity. But Cain ignored the Lord’s heeding and killed his kinsman (Abel). Sadly, in the first four chapters of Genesis we find:

·         A broken fellowship between man and God (signified by God’s removal of Adam and Eve from His presence in the Garden of Eden)

·         A damaged relationship with man and woman (signified by Adam’s selfish blame-casting towards Eve)

·         A fractured bond between man and man (signified by Cain’s willingness to slay his own brother)      

All of these upended affiliations were a direct consequence of sin, confirming that iniquity does not draw people together; it pushes them apart and upsets the harmony that God destined us to enjoy. And so it is with this train of thought that we contemplate the relational wedge that separated Esau and his twin brother Jacob (Genesis 25-28). It is hard not to sympathize with Esau in some respects. After all, the normal privileges conferred to a firstborn son in the ancient world were maliciously and deceitfully snatched from Esau by Jacob, the younger sibling. To make matters worse, Esau and Jacob’s mother (Rebekah) consented to the theft of Esau’s blessing. But realize there were some character-flaws present in Esau’s life. For example, Esau purposefully searched for and married a woman of Canaanite descent because he knew how displeasing Canaanite women were to his father (Genesis 28:6-9). Such malevolent behavior was not indicative of a son who sought to honor his father or his family. Instead, it revealed that Esau was someone who cared little for principles, values, or integrity, at least in his younger years.       

Needless-to-say, Jacob’s underhanded receiving of Esau’s blessing prompted a rift between the brothers, a rift that presumably would never be reconciled. Isaac, Esau and Jacob’s father, sent Jacob away shortly after Jacob took Esau’s blessing. Time passed and God blessed Jacob’s endeavors, which primarily consisted of shepherding for an uncle named Laban. Eventually, Jacob married two of Laban’s daughters, Leah and Rachel, and amassed a substantial net worth through livestock and servants. One day, God commanded Jacob to go back to his homeland. There was tension between Jacob and his uncle and it was becoming increasingly clear that their mutual business partnership had run its course. Jacob subsequently left with his family, animals, and workers in tow. But Jacob knew that there was one looming concern upon his arrival back home: Esau.   

Jacob had no clue as to the emotional state of Esau when he set out. Was Esau still steaming mad over Jacob’s past actions? Was Esau ready and willing to strike down his brother over egregious relational transgressions? Or had Esau forgiven Jacob of his hasty scheming? Jacob simply did not know. But he trusted God with his life and the lives of his family. Jacob’s compliance to God’s command to return home was an act of courageous trust in the Lord. And it produced one of the most incredible events recorded in Scripture. According to Genesis 33:4, Esau ran to Jacob, hugged him, kissed him, and wept with him. It was a moment for the ages. There were no terse exchanges; there was only a tender embrace. There were no words of admonishment; there was only a wave of affection. There was no criticism; there was only compassion. There was no retribution; there was only reconciliation. No longer was Jacob an enemy of Esau – he was a brother.

The benevolent reunion of Jacob and Esau highlights the tremendous power of relational restoration. In God, wrongs can be let go. In God, hurtful words and unkind actions can be forgiven. It only requires the spiritual valor to choose the Spirit of God over the spirit of man. Embrace the supernatural power of God and much is possible. In summary, time does not heal wounds; God does.