Anglican Daily Fountain Devotional 11 February 2022
Topic: Your Sin Will Find You Out
3. Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
4. And he commanded them, saying, “Speak thus to my lord Esau, ‘Thus your servant Jacob says: “I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now.
5. “I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.” ‘ ”
6. Then the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men [are] with him.”
7. So Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that [were] with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies.
8. And he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the other company which is left will escape.”
9. Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’:
10. “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies.
11. “Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me [and] the mother with the children.
12. “For You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”
13. So he lodged there that same night, and took what came to his hand as a present for Esau his brother:
14. two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,
15. thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals.
16. Then he delivered [them] to the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass over before me, and put some distance between successive droves.”
17. And he commanded the first one, saying, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going? Whose [are] these in front of you?’
18. “then you shall say, ‘They [are] your servant Jacob’s. It [is] a present sent to my lord Esau; and behold, he also [is] behind us.’ ”
19. So he commanded the second, the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, “In this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him;
20. “and also say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob [is] behind us.’ ” For he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.”
21. So the present went on over before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp.
22. And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok.
23. He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had.
24. Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.
25. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.
26. And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”
27. So He said to him, “What [is] your name?” He said, “Jacob.”
28. And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
29. Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell [me] Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why [is] it [that] you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there.
30. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”
Anglican Daily Fountain Devotional 11 February 2022 STUDY
Jacob in his journey home realised he has to cross paths with his brother, Esau. He must have felt very jittery when he was informed that Esau was coming with 400 men to meet him. He must have started recounting all his past dealings with his twin brother – how he obtained his birthright, how he took away his blessings all by craft.
As a human being, he devised means to outwit Esau. He divided his flock in droves and placed them distances apart from each other with the thinking that if Esau attacked any, some would escape. At last, he realised the battle was bigger than he could handle and he had to turn to God and wrestled all night with Him alone. God had to come to his rescue and change his name from Jacob (supplanter) to Israel (prevailer) (vv. 22-28).
What are you covering up today? You have to realise that one day, they will stare you in the face and you may not be able to escape from the realities. You will have to face them alone. Your scheming may not rescue you unless you turn to God. Never allow your sin to find you out before you repent. Today is the acceptable time. Tomorrow may be too late (2 Cor. 6:2).
PRAYER: Prayer: Lord, may you rescue me today so that whatever I may be hiding today will not disgrace me tomorrow.
