Genesis 32:3-12

"And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the field of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye say unto my lord Esau: Thus saith thy servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now: and I have oxen, and asses and flocks, and men-servants, and maid-servants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in thy sight. And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and moreover he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. Then Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed: and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks, and the herds, and the camels, into two companies; and he said, If Esau come to one company and smite it, then the company which is left shall escape. And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Jehovah, who saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will do thee good: I am not worthy of the least of all the loving-kindness, and all of the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two companies. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the mother with the children. And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude."

Reassured by the vision of angels, Jacob took the initiative in his projected confrontation with Esau. He sent a message, which is a model of humility, making clear that he desired a friendly reception. However, he was greatly distressed and filled with fear when the word came back from his messengers that Esau was indeed coming to meet him with four hundred armed men! When Jacob left home, his mother Rebekah had promised to send word when Esau's anger had cooled, but no word ever came. Thus Jacob naturally felt the greatest alarm. It is of interest that the messengers were able to find Esau so easily, indicating that Esau had become a mighty chieftain, known throughout the area where he chose to live in Seir, "the field of Edom." This was the region south and eastward from the Dead Sea. Esau's presence apparently so near where the brothers met might have resulted from his being on some kind of military mission against his enemies.

Jacob did two things:

1. He took every possible precaution human wisdom could suggest, dividing the companies, etc.
   
2. Then he prayed one of the greatest prayers of his life, consisting of "an invocation (Genesis 32:10), thanksgiving (Genesis 32:11), petition (Genesis 32:12), and appeal to the divine faithfulness (Genesis 32:12), a classic model of O.T. devotion."[3] His confession of unworthiness should be included (Genesis 32:10). One is surprised that anyone could find fault with this prayer, but Unger wrote: "Jacob uttered it only after his own plans and schemes were exhausted."[4] So he did, but we think that Morris made a better evaluation:

   "He realized that they would require God's protection, and he fully intended to call on the Lord. But he realized it was wise, as well as in keeping with God's will, to take what natural precautions were opened to him as quickly as possible, after which he could pray in good faith, knowing that he had done all that he could and that the Lord would have to take over the rest of the way."[5]

"The mother with the children ..." "This was a proverbial expression descriptive of a total annihilation from which no one would escape. It is equivalent to our statement with no survivors."[6] The sins of Jacob, committed long previously, were the basis of his pitiful fear, a condition that always results when sin is committed. As a matter of fact, Esau had long ago forgiven Jacob and had probably longed to see him. Josephus preserved the tradition that, "When Esau received the messengers from Jacob, he was very glad."[7] Of course, Jacob did not know that.