Embracing your identity as a worshiper of God - Genesis 33
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Genesis 33
Embracing your identity as a worshiper of God
INTRO
The passage we are studying through today is Genesis 33….which is the
continuation of what Nathan led us through last Sunday. When he and I spent
time reading through and studying the passage together,…we wrestled a bit with
how to go through it,…for chapter 32 and 33 are one account broken up into 3
parts. We weren’t sure if we should tackle the whole account in one setting.
Covering both chapters together….Another thought was to preach through
each of the 3 parts, over the course of three separate Sunday worship service
gatherings. JACOB wrestling with God being the middle one. OR, if we ought
to just take each chapter individually. Chapter 32 last Sunday and chapter 33
this Sunday. Which is what we did.
I say all this to begin our approach to chapter 33 with the whole account in
mind,… for I believe that will help us move through it with clear direction. SO
let’s start with an aerial view. These two chapters together place before us the
main take home for today…and that is - Embracing your identity as a
worshipper of God.
Embracing your identity as a worshipper of God.
In chapter 32 we see JACOB encounter,…what we all must encounter if we
are to embrace our identity as a worshipper of God and that is,…our fears.
His is pretty clear here. When he fled his home and people in the land of
Canaan 20yrs ago his brother ESAU was determined on killing him. And now
he finds himself returning to the same very place and therefore the fear of his
brother,….weighs heavily upon him…… for good reason. There has been
nothing communicated to Jacob to assure him that his brother has changed his
plans to kill him. And so, we see Jacob taking these steps of Embracing his
identity as a worshipper of God by, #1
- Prayer - There is recorded, as Nathan stated, a model prayer by one pouring
his heart out to God. It is indeed a model prayer that opens in praise and
adoration, then moves to recounting Gods’ faithfulness to him and ends with
petitions to God on the basis of God’s faithfulness to him;….that it would
not depart but continue as he faces the deadly threat of facing his twin
brother Esau.
Following the prayer is -
- Preparation - JACOB wisely makes preparations for this. He has a thought
-out - plan, Actively putting together efforts to essentially walk (Micah 6:8)
out. “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require
of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your
God?” JACOB makes great measures of preparations to rightly love his
brother Esau with kindness and to do so in a very humble manner. And then,
right before stepping forward in faith he obtains something that is of upmost
importance when one faces their fear head on….and that is…
- The Presence of God -, the presence of God. When facing your fear head
on it is of upmost importance to have the presence of God with you. JACOB
wrestles all night with God without fail till rest is found by God blessing him,
or in other words, assuring him that HE - God will be present and not break
His promises to him as JACOB faces his fear head on.
And this now brings us up to where we are today….with Embracing your identity
as a worshipper of God. And Our First point leading up to that…Embracing
your identity as a worshipper of God….leading up to that reaching it’s
consummation is:
Obedience to God’s call on your life; found in (verses 1-2)
BODY
1)
FIRST POINT - (Genesis 33:1-2).
Obedience to God’s call on your life
Obedience to God’s call on your life…..In other words - DOING that which God
tells him to do. JACOB could have gone all the way up to this point in this
process of Embracing his identity as a worshipper of God,….to then, at the
sight of Esau and the 400 men with him as (verses 1-2) tell us,…to at that
point….turn and go a different direction altogether. What direction we don’t
know but one thing for sure - not in the direction of his fear. NOT in the
direction of ESAU. JACOB could have changed course, veered a different way,
by any and all means fled from his brother Esau…i.e… - Fled from his fear.
This is no doubt a temptation we have correct? God is calling you to do this or
that and commonly what accompanies it…is….difficulty. Difficulty to varying
degrees that we would rather not have in existence. But this doesn’t change
God’s calling on your life? It remains and so does the necessity of your
Obedience to it, if you are to Embrace your identity as a worshipper of God.
What does JESUS say about following him in (Luke 9:62) “No one who puts his
hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Like JACOB here, we are not to look back but instead be Obedient to God’s call
on our lives, if we are to Embrace our identity as a worshipper of God.
JACOB remains obedient to God’s call on his life….and faithful to walk out
(Micah 6:8) in doing so. As we progress on here to our second point. He puts
in place all the preparations to rightly love his brother ESAU with kindness and
to do so in a very humble manner. Look at (verse 3) describing JACOB who
places himself ahead of all that is his as he Faces his Fear head on; which is our
Second Point.
1)
SECOND POINT - (Genesis 33:3-11).
Facing your Fears head on
Faces his Fear head on. (Verse 3)….“He himself (that’d be Jacob) went on
before them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to
his brother.”
It’s gotta start there,…when facing your fear head on doesn’t it? To do it with
humble courage. JACOB isn’t at the very back of all his family,…but rather right
in front,…ahead of them all. Humble courage at play here and a beautiful
example to us when Facing our Fears head on. Support is fantastic,….if not
needful in living this out successfully, but in the end….in the end…you must be
in the lead. YOU!…gotta take those steps forward with a heart of courage.
Which is not a self confidence but instead a confidence in God that is present
with you due to what chapter 32 worked out for us.
Humble courage will not come of your own making,….it stems from God as the
source. When this is the case you can say with the Psalmist…(Psalm 62:6-8)
“He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On
God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust
in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for
us.”
With that posture and assurance of God’s presence,..you,….by virtue
of it,…will have an abiding humble courage to face your fears head on.
Are there any fears before you right now that you have yet to face head on?
FOR your well being, confide in,….with a trusted soul what-that-is,…that you
may begin the steps towards receiving this humble courage to do so. For GOD
so often brings His help through one another if we give Him the opportunity to
do so.
What accompanies this humble courage? As we trek through the rest of our
Second point seen in (verses 3-11)?
What accompanies this humble courage?
Immediately JACOB is met with,…the grace of God right at (verse 4).. “But
Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him,
and they wept.” Where did that come from? Anyone hearing this story for the
first time may likely be on the edge of their seat anticipating the potential for a
roaring conflict. But this is not the case.
One of the last things we hear
of Esau in chapter 27, is that he was hellbent on killing Jacob. 20 years go by,
….no interaction between them…JACOB certainly not expecting kindness from
his brother,…makes wise efforts,…to appease his brother’s wrath prior to seeing
him…by way of abundant gifts that came in 3 spaced-out-droves…do you
remember this from the prior chapter?…These 3 spaced-out-droves carrying
along with them the message to the obvious question ESAU would ask when
he met them (Genesis 32:17-18) “‘To whom do you belong? Where are you
going? And whose are these ahead of you?’”
The repeated answer,….as instructed by JACOB…to be spoken by each of the
3 droves when they met ESAU….“‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are
a present sent to my lord Esau. And moreover, he (Jacob) is behind us.’” In all
likelihood a help in the outcome here…but not to be given credit to the most
unexpected sweet exchange between these two estranged - once hostile to one
another -brothers. “Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his
neck and kissed him, and they wept.”
JACOB, in Obedience to God’s call on his life…takes steps of faith to Face his
Fear head on,…with a humble courage,…and is immediately met with the
grace of God. And how fitting this is right? We are not to presume upon God’s
grace but we can rest in knowing He will supply it to the measure we need with
every step of faith taken. He does so here with JACOB and He will do so with
you.
What follows is a gentle resolve to “outdo his brother in showing
honor” (Romans 12:10) by remaining steadfast in walking out (Micah 6:8). From
(verses 5-11) Generosity, Kindness, Gratitude and Humility just saturate the text.
Let’s simply read them,….with a listening ear. - read
WOW…right? What a happening here. Brothers united once again by the
hand of God.
What follows may not be what you expect. It’s what ESAU
expects…but the outcome is different. (Verses 12-20) bring us to our closing
point in JACOB Embracing his identity as a worshipper of God
And that Third and closing point is Making a Distinction in this Life
1)
THIRD POINT - (Genesis 33:12-20).
Making a distinction is this life
(Verse 12) starts us off with what you would expect. ESAU, ready to travel
home together with Jacob,….to where they lived before and dwell in the area as
brothers.
“Then Esau said, “Let us journey on our way, and I will go ahead of you.”
NOW, what I want to give attention to in this very sincere and kind invitation
from brother to brother is first off, what already was spoken to… ESAU says
“Let us journey on our way …our way. As in, “We are together once again and
will dwell in the land where we grew up.” But notice how ESAU closes that
invitation “….and I will go ahead of you” Which is not wrong to consider it as an
escort by Esau and the 400 men with him as a family courtesy in providing
protection and support during travel.
But doesn’t it also give way
to Jacob, yet again coming under the banner of someone else? It’s been 20
years since JACOB has been home. In many ways, he is a stranger in the
land. HIS twin brother ESAU,…on the other hand,…is well established in the
region, has multiple connections and resources available to him by sheer fact
that he has lived there his whole life. This would all be a help to JACOB being
newly returned to the area he left with just a staff in his hand but now has
become two camps….having great possessions, droves of herd animals along
with male and female servants.
Entering along side his now reconciled brother would have served helpful I
believe. But it would also put JACOB in a familiar place…for he has always
been under the care or oversight of someone else. FIRST it was under the
tender care of his mother. Then it was the strong arm of his Uncle Laban. What
is next for JACOB? …To be that distant brother of Esau’s who is now back in
town with the help of his brother? JACOB is not on the same page. In
Obedience to God’s call on His life…taking steps of faith to Face his Fear head
on….JACOB knows it is TIME for him to make a distinction in his life of who he
has now become.
In step with walking out (Micah 6:8),… In (verses 13-15) JACOB politely
declines the offers,…..with an element of question as to whether he is being
completely forthright. For he states quite clearly in (verse 14) …after giving
legitimate concern over the care of his livestock and children in regards to the
pace of travel…he says this…. “Let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I
will lead on slowly, at the pace of the livestock that are ahead of me and at the
pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.”…and I repeat. “..until I
come to my lord (that would be Esau) until I come to my lord in Seir.” Sounds
like a good and honest plan. But then listen to (verses 16 & 17). - read
NOW hold on a minute. Seir and Succoth are on opposite directions from each
other on the map. And JACOB didn’t pitch a tent but rather built houses and.
booths for his livestock….permanent structures…not temporary ones. I don’t
want to make much of this. Perhaps he intended to do as he spoke to ESAU
and then abruptly changed his mind shortly thereafter.
MAYBE he wasn’t being honest. JACOB is a new man but he is still
Jacob,….who bears a long history of deceit. A lot of that garbage is out of his
life…but not all of it. He is still a work in progress like the rest of us. The
important distinction to make….is that JACOB is making a distinction of who
he is. GOD,…the night before gave him a new name… “Israel” (Genesis 32:28).
“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with
God and with men, and have prevailed.” GOD gives him a new name; a new
identity. ISRAEL here, Obedient to God’s call on his life, taking steps of faith to
face his fear head on, is determined to Make his distinction in this life. To no
longer be under the rule of any man but rather under the rule of God alone.
ISRAEL, fully Embracing his identity as a worshipper of God.…goes the
opposite direction of the care and protection he could have received from his
brother ESAU,…to seek out land of his own to live by faith this new identity he
has been given. Under GOD’S care and rule….(verse 18) God safely brings
ISRAEL from Succoth,…. where he has built permanent structures…to
Shechem “…which is in the land of Canaan (the promise land), ……., and he
camped before the city.” The camp being the place at which he is able to
purchase from the people who dwelt there,…showing further progress of God’s
promise to Abraham,…that GOD would give them this land. Abraham made
the first purchase of property in the promise land to acquire the cave to bury his
wife Sarah,…and here,…more of the promise land is taken ownership of,…by
God’s people,…according to His promise made that they would.
How does JACOB…How does, we should say now, ISRAEL…how does Israel
consummate the embracing of this new identity as a worshiper of God here in
the closing verse of chapter 33? (Verse 20) “There he erected an altar and
called it El-Elohe-Israel”. Translation - God, the God of Israel.
CONCLUSION
ISRAEL sets up a place of worship to his God, unapologetically identified as
the God of Israel. The God of his father’s before him, the fear of his father
Isaac, as he said a couple chapters prior….the GOD who has confirmed his
covenant with him time and time again. ISRAEL makes clear distinction,….as a
new face in this homeland of his that he has been away from for 20 years…he
makes clear distinction that he is fully Embracing his identify as a worshipper of
God. The God of Israel.
———
IS being a worshiper of God the identity you embrace? We by default embrace
identities of our own making. Sometimes knowingly…but oftentimes
unknowingly. Meaning, we say our identity is in Christ, that we are a child of
God…a true worshiper of God…YET,..our lives declare otherwise so often at
times. SADLY, this is a truth we all face daily. FOR we live out roles in our daily
living that compete for our identity constantly. Our craft, our possessions, our
positions in the public, in the church,….our type of recreation competes for it,
our bank account balance, our home, our looks, accomplishments, health,
intellect, family (spouse and children alike)… these, and many more,…are false
gods, not bad or evil in and of themselves…but false gods that compete with
where our true identify belongs as a CHRISTIAN…if you bear that name.
(Galatians 3:26-29) “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are
Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise..”
Embracing your identity as a worshiper of God means that the reality of this
works itself out in every facet of your life. It even touches all the false gods that
compete for it. They are not what defines you but become means to express
it,..in the fullest measure you are able,…that you are a worshiper of God.
“….ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with
perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ,
like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)
And because so, in humble glad obedience….let’s “conduct ourselves with fear
throughout the time of our exile.” Throughout our days here on earth till we are
called home to heaven.
- PRAY
COMMUNION - (2 Corinthians 5:14-21)
Identity, Identity, Identity….Perhaps you are pondering that word some more
and wondering “what other passages of scripture captures the essence of that
well to contemplate the Galatians passage?” Another one that the Holy Spirit
led me to which speaks to this effect of our identity in Christ is (2 Corinthians
5:14-21) which I would like to turn to and read for the invitation to come to the
table and partake of the elements of communion.
As you come to the table to partake of the elements…proclaiming his death dill
he returns. I encourage you to
*****Embrace that Identity as a worshipper of God*****
BENEDICTION
(? 62)