VaYishlach, And He Sent
B’resheet (Genesis, In Beginning) 32:4 – 36:43
ObadYah (Obadiah, servant of Yah) 1:1-21
Hoshea (Hosea, salvation) 11:7 – 12:12
MattitYahu (Matthew, gift of Yah) 26:36-46
His time was running out. He was about to face off with his big bad brother and his 400 tough guys. It was CRUNCHTIME!
Nothing had changed with Esau – he still hated Jacob and wanted to kill him as far as he knew. Ever since Jacob pretended to be his hairy brother, tricking his father to bless him for the firstborn birthright, Esau had a chip on his shoulder. The time had come to settle the score.
There was no way for Jacob to shuck and jive, trick and manipulate his way out of this encounter! Dad and mom weren’t around to preside over this match. No longer were the brothers under their parent’s roof, Jacob would have to meet Esau on his turf – in the field.
The time to meet his brother face-to-face was coming soon! What does the heel holder do now?
Help!?!
Some of us are facing inevitable encounters that require ‘HELP!?!’ Some of us are facing tough decisions with judges in court over divorce, property foreclosure or tenant evictions, mounting bills with due dates to pay by, family members being taken from one home and put into a stranger’s, family breakups, health crises requiring emergency help, and they’re not letting up!
It’s even tougher when a person has done wrong, getting into big trouble with another party in the first place. For me, my toughest encounters have been with a close relative whom I’ve wronged in the past. It’s not easy facing someone who’s been hurt by something I’ve said or done that is still an issue with them.
That was the case with Jacob. He had wronged his brother by tricking his dad out of his brother’s birthright blessing. He couldn’t just shake it off and move on with a clear conscience. He had to somehow make it right and he needed help from God Himself.
The bigger issue was how he was going to face the God of his forefathers. Was the same God going to forgive and let go of the wrongs of his past and bless him as He had blessed his fathers? Could he be sure he even qualified for that? Could he count on the favor of the Almighty when crunch time came?
To make wise decisions on how to face a crunch time encounter, consider this sage saying by a tough guy cowboy named – John Wayne
Wisdom From Our Fathers
But thank God, we don’t have to make a stupid mistake at that critical juncture in life when we could learn from the wisdom of the Torah and our Deliverer Yeshua.
Because we have a merciful Savior, the stupid things that got us into trouble don’t have to haunt us and handicap us at crunch time.
Jacob faced his past wrong against his brother, yet he calls on the God of his fathers for help.
And Jacob said, “Oh God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, YHWH, who said to me, ‘Go back to your land and to your kindred and I will deal well with you.’” Genesis 32:9
Notice Jacob doesn’t call YHWH his God at this time, but the God of his fathers. Was he not sure God was on his side? We have an insight into this issue with Jacob’s heart when he tells the God of his fathers:
“I am not worthy of all the mercies and all the truth which You have done for Your servant.” Genesis 32:10
Is this not the same issue we all face when we need divine help? We tend to think we’re not worthy of even His mercy on us. We’re not sure God is on our side when we really need Him when crunch time comes.
Added to that, I certainly don’t always measure up to His truth, especially when I’ve wronged someone. Looking back, I know that Yeshua wouldn’t have treated the other person the way I did. Read on with Jacob’s prayer for help:
“Deliver me, please, from my brother’s hand, from Esau’s hand, for I’m afraid of him that he’ll come and strike me – the mothers with the children.” Genesis 32:12
Knowing the God of our forefathers is merciful and forgiving, I can always call on my Elohim to deliver me. Mercy wouldn’t be mercy if I deserved His favor. Mercy is mercy when I don’t deserve it. Mercy means He doesn’t give me the consequences of what I really deserve, even if it were at the hands of a close relative that I had done wrong.
Because He loves me and keeps His promises, He won’t reject me for confessing my fears to Him. It doesn’t pay to pretend like there’s nothing wrong anyhow.
Wisely, Jacob then says what his God said to him. He reminds YHWH of His promise to him:
“You said, ‘I will most certainly do good with you, and will make your seed like the sand of the sea that cannot be counted because of its abundance.’” Genesis 32:12
Now Jacob is leaning on the promise that He’d do him good!
Now that was the smart thing to say! Jacob knew that God was true to His Word and would perform it, not because Jacob was worthy, but because of the covenant made with his fathers. Same with us – we’re not worthy of His help, or His delivering us at crunch time. But because He is merciful and promises to multiply and prosper the seed of Abraham, He will deliver us from being destroyed by those who hate us. HalleluYah!
Wrestling with Whom?
Was Jacob trying to prove he was a tough guy too and could wrestle down the Man? Was he trying to demonstrate and even prove to himself he was man enough to take down his tough-guy brother Esau if it came down to it? I don’t think so.
Jacob wrestled all night long with a Man, Iysh, Whom the Man Himself called “Elohim, God.” (Gen 32:28). And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, because you have wrestled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
Not only did the Man Who wrestled with Jacob reveal to him his new identity by his new name Yisra’el, but he revealed His own identity – God! The Man who wrestled with Jacob was God Himself! According to the Gospels, we know the Man to be none other than the pre-incarnate Messiah Yeshua. Here is just another proof that Yeshua is God.
We know that Divine Man to be none other than Yeshua HaMashiyach Himself! He is the Good Shepherd Who hooked Ya’aqov with His staff of authority to save him.
As Ya’aqov was pulling stakes to take off, the Messiah grabbed hold of Ya’aqov to turn him around and face Esau. Ya’aqov was born wrestling with his brother and now was the divine time to settle the score. Realizing that he’d have to face his brother again, Ya’aqov turns the wrestling match into an effort to obtain a blessing.
What blessing was he wanting? The blessing of protection and salvation not just for himself, but for his whole family and his promised descendants after him.
A Change in Name
This Divine Man had changed the name of Ya’aqov, Jacob, said to mean ‘he deceives, supplants or manipulates.’ That’s not what his loving mother implied by this name, but what his hateful brother accused him of. His mother witnessed baby Ya’aqov reaching out with his hand holding the heel of his aggressive brother Esau, who was trying to kick his head in and destroy him coming out of the womb! Rebekah called him ‘heel holder.’
It was Esau, not his parents, who accused his brother of being named Ya’aqov for taking him by the heel twice by tricking his father out of his blessing. He said this to his father’s face! Was this a true allegation before his father Isaac?
And he (Esau) said, “It is because his name is called ‘Jacob,’ and this twice he took me by the heel; he took my birthright and, behold, now he has taken my blessing.” Genesis 27:36
Let’s be clear. Esau twisted the meaning of his brother’s name around. It wasn’t because Jacob grabbed the heel of his brother Esau to steal away his birthright that he was named ‘Ya’aqov.’ His mother named him ‘Ya’aqov’ because her younger baby boy was trying to spare his own life from being kicked in the head by his tough guy twin brother coming out of the womb. Instead, Esau used Jacob’s name to ruin his reputation.
Yet many scholars, even believers, perpetuate this accusation even today – that our forefather Jacob was named and characterized to be a manipulator, huckster and deceiver all his life. Contrary to popular opinion, Jacob had a tough life and had to hold off the enemy from destroying himself, his family, and his seed. He also had to hold off Laban from taking his wives away. Holding the heel meant holding off the destroyer!
Satan wanted Jacob dead from the womb. We see the same attempt with Jacob’s wife Rachel, who would be weeping for her dead children because they were no more at the time of Yeshua’s birth (Mat 2:18). Esau and his seed want Jacob and his seed dead.
Jacob's Big Turn Around
Being renamed by the Divine Man, Ya’aqov (Jacob) had then matured into a new identity as Yisra’el, meaning ‘he who prevails with Elohim.’ This was a turning point in Yaakov’s life. His life was being turned around for the purpose of Yah’s Kingdom to be advanced.
The root word for Yisra’el is ‘yashar,’ meaning to be straight or upright. It is the same root word for ‘Yeshurun,’ a title we identify with as the people of Yisra’el standing upright before Him. In the Messiah, we are upright before our God, not based on our own merits, but because of the Divine Man Yeshua in Whom, we put our faith and confidence.
Does anyone characterize you in a negative light for wrongs done in the past? I know I’ve had to wrestle with thoughts and feelings of unworthiness for the relationship sins of my past. But thanks be to Yeshua for His atoning sacrifice and His cleansing blood that cleanses even our very consciences! I’ve had to hang on to Yeshua’s nail-scarred hand!
Why the Limp?
The Messiah striking his thigh so that he limped meant that Yisra’el would no longer be able to lean on his own virility to get the upper hand. Limping every time he walked, he would never forget the time he went from the heel holder in the flesh, accused of being a manipulator, to the man of the Spirit who prevailed with Elohim as a prince. He would always remember what Yah had done in Him to change him from a man bearing the guilt of accusations, guilt, and fear for his life and that of his family. He would remember how he finally got a hold of the blessing of salvation from the Divine Man, the Messiah.
In this vein, we find in the Brit Chadashah portion, after wrestling with the will of the Father all night, Yeshua asks for the cup of suffering to part from Him, but then submits to the will of Abba and says:
“…yet not as I will, but as You will.”
The Messiah then wakes His disciples and warns them: “Watch and pray, that you do not enter into temptation (adversity). The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41
Yaakov still limps today but is spiritually willing, watchful, and strong as Yisra’el.
The kind of blessing that Yisra’el was wrestling for is what the Torah promises – that YHWH will be with His people, fight our battles for us and give Israel victory over our enemies, even our own old man, old Adam’s sinful nature. The new name, Yisra’el, which prevails as the Mighty One, tells us that he spiritually received that covenantal blessing within his heart and soul. The battle of the will of the Father won over the will of the flesh.
The Crunch Time Encounter
With the breaking of a new day, Yisra’el arose victoriously from the wrestling match with a new confidence and authority in who he was as a mature son of the Father in Heaven. So why did he act so totally subservient to Esau when he met him at crunch time?
One difference in the actions of Yisra’el was that in this encounter with Esau, he did not split his family into two camps. Instead, he kept the whole family together in his approach, showing that Israel trusted his God to protect and preserve his whole family.
Israel’s whole family went through a mikvah, an immersion in the Brook Yabbok, which means “emptying.” Yisra’el, as the priest of his house, was emptying himself of all his conniving manipulations and deceit; he put away their idols and they came forth as washed, clean vessels before his brother. By walking in faith in YHWH, Yisra’el was beginning to overcome his fear for his whole family, including his favorite wife and son.
Crunch Time Reconciliation
Israel’s actions in the face of his brother at crunch time demonstrate to us what Yeshua taught us about the ministry of reconciliation. One reason we don’t understand why Israel bowed before Esau is that we lack an understanding of how to do Matthew 18 and reconcile with a brother. Do we see ourselves approaching one who holds an offense against us, humbling ourselves, and offering gifts? What did Rabbi Yeshua say?
But I say to you, “Love your enemies, and bless anyone who curses you, and do good to anyone who hates you, and pray for them who carry you away by force and persecute you, so that you may become sons of your Father Who is in Heaven…” Matthew 5:44-45a
According to Rabbi Yeshua, doing the ministry of reconciliation is how we become mature sons of Elohim. Human nature has it that we put off this difficult task until crunch time for reconciliation until we’re faced with a confrontation at a crossroads in life.
Yisra’el was making his relationship right with his brother Esau from when he was known to be the deceiver and manipulator when he was still called Ya’aqov. Bowing seven times before Esau was a gesture of completely offering the blessing of authority and power back to Esau and his descendants. This was an act of making up, reconciling with his brother for how he had gained the power blessing by deceit and manipulation.
Why Seven Times?
So why did Yisra’el bow seven times? Why seven? Remember how YHWH ceased from His works on the 7th day of creation. Yisra’el was demonstrating to his brother that he ceased being the man who manipulates and gains blessings through his own works.
Yisra’el insisting on his brother taking a minchah offering represents the gracious transfer of the blessing of wealth (Gen 27:28) back to Esau as an act of reconciliation. It is significant that the word minchah, offering, is found five times in the narrative.
Yisra’el had learned that all sufficiency and blessing came from YHWH, Who grants it to those who trust in His promises and walk uprightly in a covenant relationship with Him. Yisra’el had learned the hard way that obtaining blessing by man’s manipulations reaps the consequences of adversity and suffering. Yisra’el grew in his faith and confidence in El Shaddai as His only source of blessing. He learned the paradox of giving your all and even losing your life to gain the blessing of abundant life in Him.
We can understand this principle from a foundation in the Torah and by faith in the Messiah. Yeshua laid down His life, forgiving even those who hated and murdered Him. Sha’ul declared what it means to pick up the cross and to follow Him when he wrote:
But these things which were once a gain to me, I have counted a loss for the sake of Messiah. Philippians 3:7
What about Esau? What happened to his hateful resolve to kill his brother? If Ya’aqov would have come across to him as manipulative and conniving, he probably would have killed him. Instead, Esau met a changed man, a brother who would lay his life down to make it right with his brother out of love for his enemy and submission to God.
Yisra’el had a breakthrough in his relationship with his brother Esau when he demonstrated selfless love and a willingness to generously restore anything, even his blessing back to Esau. For the sake of doing the will of the One with Whom he wrestled, Yisra’el trusted and obeyed YHWH to reconcile with His brother, regardless of the cost.
The Controversial Kiss at Crunch Time
However, the controversial kiss of Esau on his brother’s neck had a stigma attached – 6 dots on top of the 6 letters of the word “and he kissed, vayishakahu.” It’s one of the jots and tittles of Moses (Matthew 5:18). The two sides of the root word nashaq are touching in love with the lips or in battle with weapons (Ancient Hebrew Lexicon). As much as Esau wanted to bite his brother in the neck and kill him, love restrained him.
Even though Esau reconciled with his brother, his descendants would not. Six is the number of men. Esau hadn’t crossed over from the realm of the carnal man to the spiritual rest by the faith of the spiritually mature like Israel did. Neither would his descendants.
Six dots may also represent that in the sixth millennium, his descendants would carry out his murderous hatred for Israel. However, in the Haftorah, Obadiah prophesied that no survivor of Edom would be left after the day of YHWH. Esau will not prevail over us!
Seeing this story prophetically, I believe we are on the brink of seeing the end of a carnal man ruling by violence and hatred. The Man-child is about to be birthed (Revelation 12) and will prevail despite the man of the flesh trying to kick in his head again! Destroying the authority that brings chaos is the paleo-meaning for shalom, the blessing we will all enjoy in the 7th millennium when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is YHWH. The violent and hateful will not enter the millennial reign of the Messiah.
May we all mature to be the sons and daughters of Elohim, who pursue reconciliation and peace with our fellow man, despite the cost, as long as we gain the Messiah. Blessed be the peacemakers. May our trust rest in YHWH Who fights our battles for us and delivers us from every affliction, even the hostile encounters we face at crunch time!
BaShem Yeshua HaMashiyach,
David Klug