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A smile like this picture are always a welcome sign, aren't they? Imagine if Esau had met Jacob with a frown and anger all over his face...different scene would have happened right?

The title from today is the original word used that means an emphatic, sincere change had happened in Esau towards Jacob. Matthew Henry said that after very sincere prayer on Jacob's part God intervened and changed the enemy. The same He can do for us. If our ways please God, He will change things for us along our path. It doesn't mean that Esau indeed was a different man, but God changed the situation for Jacob. He believed that Esau was still not a man of God, so that is why they went separate ways. Jacob did not need to hang around with people that were not believers, so this is why he didn't go along with Esau. Another commentator thought perhaps something happened along the journey that caused Jacob to go another direction. I tend to go along with Matthew Henry, because God directs our path and he directed it away from the non-believers surrounding Esau, so that Jacob would not meet with that hurdle too.

Another thing I learned that the acceptance of the gifts was a sign of forgiveness on Esau's part and acceptance. A sign of friendship between the two brothers. Also, the order in which Jacob sent the people to greet Esau had meaning some commentaries think it was a ranking in the order that Jacob cared for them in case Esau was coming to do battle. Another thought was that he wanted Rachel and Joseph last as his most esteemed treasure, so that it would be a lasting memory in Esau's mine of what Jacob valued the most.

Poor Leah. She was the first wife and it seems she went through her life with not much esteem given to her. Yes, she went along with her father's trick of Jacob, but did she have a choice? It saddens me to think of the journey that Leah had with always being second best and then on top of that you were always second to your sibling sister. I wonder in Jacob's dealings with Leah did he ever think about his own with Esau? Did he show her some form of love or was it all duty? Today, I was left with lots of thoughts of Leah and how Jacob may or may not have treated her.

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

P.S. Pray today that young people will find a church to help them along their path in this world.