"Reconciliation: To See the Face of God"

 

"Jacob went ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept."

 

"For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life." Ð Romans 5:10

 

            Genesis ends with three stories of reconciliation and one story of revenge. Jacob meets Laban and they agree to go their separate ways. Jacob meets Esau and they are reunited as brothers. Joseph meets with his brothers who have sold him into slavery, and he is reconciled to them. But when Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, is raped, her brothers take a terrible revenge on an entire clan. The Scripture gives us three models for overcoming conflicts and resentments. But these stories also point beyond themselves, to God who gave his son Jesus, that we might be reconciled to him.

            Reconciliation is an ideal that we believe in, hope for, but often find is hard to actually live out. It is not easy, nor is it always possible. There are some cultural reasons why reconciliation is difficult for us. To seek true reconciliation when you are in a situation of conflict with someone is swimming upstream in our society. We live in a culture of revenge. The world tells us to get even, and if we can't get even, then we should live with a sense of hurt. Everyone should know we have been wronged.

            The other cultural reason that it is hard to reconcile is that we soon learn it is easier to simply "forgive and forget." If we do not seek revenge or live as victims, then we let go of our hurt and simply walk away. I realize that sometimes this is necessary and it is better than living a bitter or vengeful life. But so often people these days make no attempt to reconcile. We live in a consumer culture that says if you don't like what you find in one place, you simply move on down the street. If you have a bad experience at McDonald's, you cross the street to Burger King. If a business causes you difficulty, you try another one. This applies to sports teams, to schools, to churches and even to marriages and families. The operative theme is that "Life is too short." There is little incentive in our society to truly work at reconciliation, which takes considerable courage and hard work. We are taught to simply walk away, to try someone or something new.

            The Biblical emphasis on reconciliation is challenging to us. We would rather not enter into the story of Abraham, Jacob and Joseph. But here were people who struggled with conflicts, resentments and sins, and yet they worked toward reconciliation and peace.

            Genesis tells of a family that experienced moral failure and generational sin. Their actions lead them into conflict and injustice. Abraham at the end of his life has one more task, and it is to find a wife for his son Isaac. He sends a servant back to the homeland in Haran, and there the servant meets Rebecca and her brother Laban. Rebecca is beautiful, helpful and kind. We soon find she is also given to deception and playing favorites. Laban is outwardly hospitable, but later we discover his greed and controlling ways. This generational family trouble results in sins that threaten the continuation of the Covenant, the promise to Abraham. Can this family carry the Covenant of God?

            Twins are born to Rebecca and Isaac, and Jacob is clearly favored over Esau. God makes it clear that Jacob will be the one to carry the Covenant, even though he is younger. Rebecca and her favorite son Jacob do not wait for God to bring this about. Like Sarah and Abraham before them, they scheme to make the promises of God come true. So Jacob exploits his brother's hunger and then he deceives his blind old father according to his mother's plan and instructions. He grasps for the birthright and the blessing.

            The result of this immoral behavior is that Esau vows to murder him, and Jacob must flee, alone and without goods, back to Laban. Laban greets him and pulls him into the family, and then exploits the darkness in order to give Jacob Leah, rather than Rachel, the one he loves. So just as Jacob used the dim vision of Isaac to deceive him and receive the blessing, now Laban uses darkness to carry out a deception of his own.  

            After fourteen years of labor, Jacob decides to depart with his wives, family and flocks. He is pursued by Laban. Now they must talk honestly to each other. They come to peace, and agree to stop harming the other. But they will live far apart. Nahum Sarna notes that from this point on, the kindred ties between the Hebrews and Mesopotamia are forever severed.

            Sometimes this is the only reconciliation we can accomplish. It is not always bad to come to peace, but know we must live apart. There are relationships that can only work at a distance. It is not the best outcome, but it is better than continued struggle and hurt. It is one option the Bible gives us.

            Jacob then has a life-changing encounter. He wrestles all night with a man, perhaps an angel, a being sent from God. He comes out of the night with a dislocated hip. This will slow him down. He will not be able to run from his troubles. He must walk and live with integrity. He also receives a blessing, a new name, Israel. The name Jacob is connected to deception, stealing and injuring others. He is in need of a new name, a new identity, a decisive break with his past.

            This we see in his meeting with his brother Esau, who vowed to kill him when Jacob stole the blessing. In humility Jacob comes before Esau. He does not run. He offers his wealth. Like the prodigal son coming home to the father, Jacob comes in repentance, and Esau runs to meet him. Two brothers are reconciled. Both have found prosperity in the Lord. We do not know what has happened to Esau, but he is no longer harboring thoughts of revenge or murder. God has been good to him. Though not blessed by Isaac, he has clearly been blessed by God. He has come to see a bigger picture in life, and he is able to give thanks and then to forgive. There are times when we wait for human justice, earthly justice, but as we wait we experience something far deeper and more powerful, the blessing of God. To know God and to have hope is far better than to get what we think we deserve from others. God opened the arms of Esau to receive Jacob. Now the brothers are reconciled and the Lord has blessed them both. This is reconciliation brought about by the provision and blessing of God. The son who was wronged let go of his bitterness because he experienced the goodness of God. He let go of his pride and let God care for him.

            The fresh start is immediately interrupted by a great tragedy. The sons of Jacob take murderous revenge on the Shechemites after the rape of their sister Dinah. Jacob says to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me by making me obnoxious to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land."

These brothers will soon find themselves before Joseph, whom they sold into slavery. He will have mercy on them. He does not take revenge, as they did.

            Joseph, then, is the favored son. The family pattern continues. Joseph receives a special coat, a token of favor.  Sarna says it was also a sign of luxury and lordship. The dreams of the young Joseph do not help. The brothers plan to kill him, end up selling him, causing great grief for their father, and a long hard life for Joseph.

            In time of famine they face him, but do not know who he is. Will Joseph exact revenge on them? Will he simply walk away and say "life's too short?" But something drives him to seek reconciliation, to find a new relationship with them. Family ties are powerful, and I suppose everyone would like to eventually be reunited with an estranged family. But I think there is more here. He chose to extend them grace. He chose to trust them. He wept, as Jacob wept when he embraced Esau. So a reconciled family comes to be reunited in Egypt. The reconciliation of grace reunites a family.

            Genesis ends there. Does chapter 50 have anything to do with chapter 1? Do creation and reconciliation go together? Is there a new creation in the heart of God, a plan to make all things new? In Romans 5 we read what God did for us in Christ. In Justice God could have brought wrath upon us. He could have simply abandoned the earth and let it go on its own. But the creator is also the reconciler. He sent his son into our world, his world. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. So we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. When we come to Christ in faith and repentance, we have peace with God, and we participate in the ministry of reconciliation. That is the way to the New Creation. That is how we are to live.

            Amen.