From Peniel, “the face of God” (see Genesis 32:30), the place where he had this experience with God, Jacob moves now to meet with his brother. After 20 years of separation, Jacob sees him coming with 400 men (Genesis 33:1). Jacob is worried, and therefore prepares himself and his family for whatever might happen.

Read Genesis 33:1-20. What connection is there between Jacob’s experience of seeing the face of God at Peniel and Jacob’s experience of seeing the face of his brother? What is the implication of this connection in regard to our relationship with God and our relationship with our “brothers,” whoever they may be?

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Jacob bows himself seven times before his brother (Genesis 33:3) whom he calls several times “my lord” (Genesis 33:8, Genesis 33:13, Genesis 33:15, NKJV) and identifies himself as his “servant” (Genesis 33:5; compare with Genesis 32:4, Genesis 32:18, Genesis 32:20, NKJV). Significantly, Jacob’s seven bows echo his father’s seven blessings (Genesis 27:27-29); furthermore, when he bows, he specifically reverses his father’s blessing, about “nations [bowing] down to you” (Genesis 27:29, NKJV).

It is as if Jacob’s intention was to pay his debt to his brother and return the blessing that he has stolen from him (see Genesis 33:11). When Esau saw his brother, against all expectations, he ran to Jacob and, instead of killing him, he “kissed him, and they wept” (Genesis 33:4, NKJV).

Later, Jacob commented to Esau: “I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God” (Genesis 33:10, NKJV). The reason for Jacob’s extraordinary statement is his understanding that Esau had forgiven him. The Hebrew verb ratsah, “pleased” (Genesis 33:10, NKJV) is a theological term referring to any sacrifice that is “pleasing,” “accepted” by God, which then implies divine forgiveness (Leviticus 22:27, Amos 5:22).

Jacob’s experience of God’s forgiveness at Peniel, where he saw the face of God, is now repeated in his experience of his brother’s forgiveness, which he identifies as if he saw the face of God. Jacob lives a second Peniel, the first one preparing for the second one. Jacob has been forgiven by God and by his own brother. Truly he now must have understood, even more than before, the meaning of grace.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

Amen!(1)

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The book of Genesis offers us so many avast topics from which to choose a theme hymn. As we are starting at the very beginning, I would like to give praise to our Creator of heaven and earth in singing
Hymn 320 – Lord of Creation and 
Hymn 2 – All Creatures of Our God and King. The stories that follow creation will lean back toward our amazing God and what He has done for each of us in creation.

Sabbath afternoon’s introduction to this week’s study time reminds us of “the hand of God and His faithfulness”:
Hymn 100 – Great Is Thy Faithfulness.  This is stated again at the end of the afternoon’s reading in “God is faithful to fulfil what He has promised” and we are encouraged to be
Standing on the Promises – Hymn 518.

Genesis 32:10 tells the story of how “Jacob, truly, has a better understanding of what grace was about”: 
Hymn 108 – Amazing Grace and 
Hymn 109 – Marvelous Grace. And yet, in instances we see Jacob did not 
Trust and Obey – Hymn 590 and had to learn to do this along with 
Only Trust Him – Hymn 279 and 
If You But Trust in God to Guide You – Hymn 510, because this truly is the 
God of Our Fathers – Hymn 645.

Monday lets us see the wonder of the forgiveness of sin as the two brothers, Esau and Jacob, hug and weep together: 
Hymn 299 – Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive.

Jacob committed himself to God as we are daily seeking to do: 
Hymn 634 – Come, All Christians, Be Committed. It is with wonder that we view God intervening when Jacob does obey (Wednesday): 
Hymn 590 – Trust and Obey.

Ellen G White writes with clarity in Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 201-203 (Friday) of God’s wondrous mercy: 
Hymn 521 – Depth of Mercy and 
Hymn 114 – There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy.

God’s abundant blessings this quarter as we study through the first book of the Bible which our gracious God has given. May we be faithful and all say “Come, Lord Jesus, come – very soon” so we are able to go to our new home in Heaven, as 
We Have This Hope – Hymn 214.

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing, but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Amen!(0)

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Gone from Laban, Jacob soon has another experience with God. Knowing that his brother, Esau, is coming, and with “four hundred men” (Genesis 32:6), too. Jacob prays fervently to the Lord, even though he acknowledged that “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant” (Genesis 32:10, NKJV). Jacob, truly, was understanding better what grace was about.

And how did the Lord respond?

Read Genesis 32:22-31 and Hosea 12:3-4. What is the spiritual significance of this amazing story?

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Jacob is distressed, understandably so, by what was happening and, after doing what he can to protect his family, he camps for the night. He is, then, suddenly attacked by “a Man” (Genesis 32:24, NKJV). This is a term that can have special connotations, evoking the divine presence (see Isaiah 53:3). Daniel used it to refer to the heavenly priest Michael (Daniel 10:5); it was also the word used by Joshua to depict the “Commander of the LORD’s army,” who was the LORD YHWH Himself (Joshua 5:13-15, NKJV).

Indeed, amid the fighting, it must have become obvious to Jacob that he was struggling with God Himself, as his words, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” (Genesis 32:26, NKJV) revealed. Yet, his fervent clinging to God, his refusal to let go, also reveal his passionate desire for forgiveness and to be right with His Lord.

“The error that had led to Jacob’s sin in obtaining the birthright by fraud was now clearly set before him. He had not trusted God’s promises, but had sought by his own efforts to bring about that which God would have accomplished in His own time and way.” — Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, Pages 197, 198.

And the evidence that he had been forgiven was the change of his name, from the reminder of his sin, to one that commemorated his victory. “Your name,” said the Angel, “shall no longer be called Jacob [the supplanter], but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed” (Genesis 32:28, NKJV).

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Genesis 32:22-31; Hosea 12:3-4; Jeremiah 30:5-7; Genesis 33:1-20; Genesis 34:30-35:29.

Memory Text: “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’” (Genesis 32:28, NKJV).

The family saga of Jacob continues, both the good and the bad. Yet, through it all, the hand of God and His faithfulness to the covenant promises are revealed.

This week follows more of Jacob, now that he left Laban and, returning home, had to face Esau, the victim of Jacob’s treachery. What would his brother, so grievously wronged, now do to him?

Fortunately for Jacob, amid the fear of what was coming, the Lord God of his fathers appeared again to him in an incident that was a precursor to what would later become known as the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (see Jeremiah 30:5-7). And that night Jacob, the supplanter, became “Israel,” a new name for a new beginning, a beginning that would ultimately lead to the creation of a nation itself named after him.

In other words, despite all that happens, the story of the patriarchs and their family is told in Scripture in order to show us that God is faithful to fulfill what He has promised and that He will do so despite what, at times, seems to be nothing but His people doing all that they can to stop that fulfillment.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, June 4.

Sunday–>

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A while back, a woman writing to prisoners for her church ministry asked me if she would be dishonest if she does not use her real name. She wanted to hide her real identity for security purposes. I assured her a pseudonym was not being dishonest. After all, the Bible gives many names for God, so why can’t we have many names? 

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While living in the Dallas area during the mid ’90s Deion Sanders was playing for the Dallas Cowboys, so I decided it would be fun to invent “Deion” as my restaurant name. So for the last almost 30 years now, when waiting for a table or placing an order to be called out, my name has become Deion. Since then I have learned many people use pseudonyms when giving their names at a restaurant. It’s not being dishonest. The restaurants couldn’t care less what your real name is. They just need to know who to call when your table is ready. A pastor friend told me he uses the name “Wild.” That way when his table is ready the hostess calls out, “Wild party of four, your table is ready.” 

Name games can be fun, but the fact is that I love being me. God loves me being me too. I am glad God made me to be me. There is a difference between having multiple names and pretending to be a totally different person than I really am. I don’t need to wear a Deion Sanders jersey with his name on the back. I don’t have to be someone else to be happy. I love who God made me to be. 

While the name game at restaurants is fun, Satan plays a game that is no fun at all. He likes to make us think that the only way we can ever be happy is to be someone other than who God made us. This was his first deception with Eve. 

“God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” Genesis 3:5 NLT

There are two problems here with the serpent’s suggestion. First he is insinuating that Eve cannot be happy unless she becomes someone else. Sadly this is Satan’s deceptive suggestion to many people. You can’t be happy being you. You can’t be happy being who God made you to be. You have to become someone else in order to he happy. In this case Eve needed to be God. The second problem with this suggestion is that Eve was already made in God’s image. See Genesis 1:26. While Eve obviously was not God Himself, she was already created in God’s image, a truth the serpent’s suggestion seemed to deny.

I suppose that, since Lucifer thought he could not be happy just being himself, he suggested that no one could be happy just being themselves, but that suggestion is not true. We can be happy just being who God made us to be.  A lack of trust in God has led others to skew their own identities. In Genesis 12 Abraham skews his identity, claiming to be Sarai’s brother only, instead of her husband. In Genesis 26 Isaac does practically the same thing, changing his identity and relationship with Rebekah. In Genesis 27 Jacob does not trust God to bless him, so he puts his trust in a lie. That lie causes him to change his identity. Jacob thinks he has to be Esau in order to be blessed. 

David appreciated who he was when he exclaimed, 

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. Psalm 139:14 NLT 

David trusted God enough to be who he really was. Do we trust God enough to be who we really are? Do you realize how special you are to God? Friend, you are no accident. You are not just another face in the crowd. With the billions of beings already to grace the face of the earth, God was not content until He made you. He literally loved you into existence!

Don’t fall for Stan’s lie that you cannot be happy until you change your identity. Satan’s biggest lie to Eve and all humanity is that you can’t be happy unless you become someone you are not. Don’t fall for that lie. God is love, and God created you to be you because He loves you being you. Don’t try to become someone or something that God never loved into existence. You are you because you are what He loved into existence. Trust God enough to be the you that He created. 

Amen!(0)

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