Daily Devotional | Family Reunion

Have you ever had a broken relationship you thought could never be mended? Jacob and Esau had a lot of barriers to their reconciliation. Their personalities and interests were polar opposites. Esau was favored by his father, while Jacob was his mother’s favorite. Most significantly, Jacob had stolen Esau’s blessing and place in the family.

Genesis 33 tells the story of the brothers’ unlikely reconciliation. Notice the differences between them. Esau approached Jacob with 400 armed men. Jacob’s entourage was comprised of women and children (vv. 1–3). Jacob carefully arranged his approach to his brother. He ensured that all his children would bow before their uncle (vv. 6–7). Jacob called Esau “my lord” (v. 8). All this seems to be a reversal of Isaac’s blessing over Jacob (Gen. 27:29). Furthermore, Jacob’s actions display a changed heart.

Esau, by contrast, simply “ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him” (v. 4). There is an openness to Esau and a lack of guile. He also seems changed. He no longer carried anger and resentment toward his brother but was ready to forgive and restore the relationship. To Jacob, Esau’s forgiveness was a model of God’s love: “For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably” (v. 10).

Yet, Jacob still did not completely trust his brother. He refused Esau’s help and protection (vv. 14–15). He also claimed he would join his brother in Seir, but instead made his way to Canaan (vv. 14, 17). God had commanded him to go to Canaan, not Seir. But he could have been more upfront about this with Esau.

Go Deeper

Have you experienced the mending of a broken relationship or are you praying for that to happen? How does a reconciliation between people remind us of the way God “reconciled us to himself” (2 Cor. 5:18)?

Pray with Us: Jesus, today, as we read the story of Esau and Jacob’s reconciliation, show us how to mend broken relationships in our lives, how to be honest in reaching out to others. “Blessed is the one...in whose spirit is no deceit” (Ps. 32:2).

BY Ryan Cook

Dr. Ryan Cook has taught at Moody Bible Institute since 2012. He earned his bachelor of arts in Bible and Theology from Moody and his master of arts in Old Testament from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. He has worked in Christian education and served as a pastor in Michigan for seven years. During his time as a professor at Moody, he earned his doctorate from Asbury Theological Seminary. He now lives with his wife, Ashley, and their three children in the Chicagoland area.