Only God

Genesis 33:10

…And what a relief to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the face of God!

I love this! After all, Jacob had wrestled with God in chapter 32 and named the place after this experience Peniel, which means face of God! I just love how God works!

Jacob had wrestled all night long. He was tired from travel, from fighting with Laban, worry had to feel his heart and mind about meeting Esau after all these years, and don't forget all the women that was traveling with him and the kids. Imagine, this could not have been an easy journey. He was up all night long and his life was spared. Imagine, he left limping but I bet he was almost running. You know the feeling - think about it. Think of a time that you wrestled all night long with an issue on your heart and God gave you the answer you needed. Did you not get up ready to go the next day?

Jacob was ready to see his brother, he did all the things to make this visit go easier. He thought about just the right gifts, just the right message and don't forget that at the beginning of Chapter 32 we are told that when he started on his way, angels of God came to meet him! Is this not the coolest? I love this. Wow, Jacob was having a great trip, but not without worries of how is my brother going to receive me?

Esau was so excited that he ran to meet him. He had passed all of these people, animals and he finally gets to Jacob bowing to the ground seven times before him. He ran embracing him, and kissing him and they wept. Now, this is good stuff. What woman doesn't love this story? Imagine, the forgiveness shown in this embrace. God had worked on both of these men for this to happen.

Jacob is truly sorry and Esau accepts. Only God can do this kind of stuff. Only the God that sees or El-Shaddai – God Almighty! A smile is like seeing the face of God what words to hear…

God changed both of these men. Not just Jacob think back about what we read about Esau, he had some issues..Jacob had issues, but we learn through today's reading that God can change a lot more than a name of a man, he changes our whole being.

I didn't catch it in my reading until I was reading a commentary on this particular reading today that even Leah was given a great gift. A gift that might be missed if you were like me and didn't catch it until someone else pointed it out..Look at verse 23 of chapter 35..the sons of Leah, it was her branch that is the lineage of Christ. The commentary showed me to go back and remember when Leah praised God it wasn't after her first son, it wasn't after her second son, it wasn't the third, but after her 4^th son that she finally praised the Lord! This is good stuff folks…she praised the Lord and this is the line that Christ was born from and was given for all of us!

Only God…Only God…

Praising God,

Debbie