God's Camp

Well, I can certainly say it's it's good to be back. I don't know that it was good to be back a few days ago Leaving the Florida climate, but it's certainly good to be back among the Saints this morning here a couple weeks ago as we Worked our way through Genesis 31.

We're reminded that God had called Jacob to leave the land of Haran to leave Laban and his influence and his shadow and to return to the land the land of his own family the land of his inheritance to return to Canaan.

Jacob had spent 20 years under the shadow of Laban weathering the storm. He was not led by blessing nor by trial to depart. He was only led by God's Word by God's command to depart. And now. Of course he didn't depart in the best way as we saw but now having been delivered from Laban in the shadow of the pile.

Of Gilead.

He is returning to Canaan. But as we begin chapter 32 we find our protagonist our twisting Protagonist jumping out of the boiling pot of his encounter with Laban into the frying pan of an inevitable Face-down with his brother Esau for 20 years.

There's been this seething murder plot as far as Jacob knows. And so we're gonna begin chapter 32 this morning. We're gonna look at the first 21 verses in five parts five parts Jacob's path secondly Jacob's panic.

Third Jacob's prayer. Fourth Jacob's present and lastly Jacob's peace. So path panic prayer present peace. That'll get us through verse 21 first Jacob's path we read Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him.

When Jacob saw them he said this is God's camp and he called the name of that place Mahanaim. First notice in verse 1 the text says Jacob went on his way. Of course, we know that this is really not Jacob's way.

This is God's way for Jacob all along. This has been God's path leading him not only to Bethel and on to Haran. But now out of Haran and back toward Bethel back into the promised land itself. So Jacob is on his way and because of God's work in Jacob's life Jacob is also on God's way all along.

If we've been reading carefully We've seen God's work evident in Jacob's life. Step by step, however small and sprouting it may be God's guiding hand has been evident. Now if Jacob had somehow lost sight of the fact that God was guiding him if he had what we call Christian amnesia where we are quick to forget God's blessings and revelations and we're quick to write in cement as Spurgeon would say All of our trials and woes if he somehow had forgotten that it was God's command that he leave Laban.

Or if he had even forgotten that divine intervention that spared him when Laban and his band of thugs Confronted him he would have found God's guidance here in verses 1 2 with this angelic reception Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him.

Now this phrase is significant the angels of God as a phrase. It only occurs here and back in chapter 28 verse 12 so we have bookended his Departure from Bethel where he had encountered God when he was leaving the promised land and now after 20 years He encounters the angels of God again as he returns toward the promised land and so Jacob's vision of these angels is a marker almost a signal of the fact that Jacob is walking in God's will that he is entering into his inheritance.

And also we can see something even more intimate in terms of God's interaction with Jacob. He knows how weak Jacob's faith is. He knows that part of the reason he stayed under the the wretch Laban and the treachery of Laban's dealings with him is because of the fear he had for his wild hunter of a brother Esau and so as he takes these weak steps of faith back toward the land back toward this inevitable showdown with Esau God sends his ministering angels to reinforce his strength.

To comfort him and give him a sense of resolve. You may persevere in this very difficult way. I am with you Jacob. Remember the promise I made to you at Bethel that I would be with you that I would Protect you and bless you that I would be your God.

Well here I am Jacob. We see the truth of Hebrews 1 14, don't we? The writer of the Hebrews says are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation. We read Genesis 32 and we say yes.

Yes, they are. They are ministering spirits. God sends them forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation. It's exactly how these angels are working in the life of Jacob. And that's exactly how angels work in our life.

Now that strikes you as something strange. I think that says a lot more about our views of the divine realm of spirituality and our Christian faith. Perhaps more than it does about the text. I Remember having an assignment some years ago in a course to write a sort of confession of faith.

It was sort of like a 30-page confession of faith and you had to hit all the big issues in systematic theology. And I didn't have too many red marks. Thank the Lord, but I did have one on the very last page, which was you never addressed Angelology, you never dealt with angels.

Don't you know angels are in the Bible? Don't you know that part of God's revelation includes? Descriptions of angels and angelic activity. So why didn't you address it? And I realized it's because they have no function in my worldview.

That's a problem because they have a function in God's worldview. They have a function in the world that God has made in the lives of his people. Are they not ministering spirits that God sends forth to minister to us?

Yes, they are. Angels are present even now to minister to us and notice this is in the plural. This is angels. This is not a you get one angel. Well, I want a different angel. No, this is the angel you get.

No, this is angels. We read of the the routing of the Assyrians by night when? 185 ,000 soldiers are killed by the passing shadow of one of these angels. He really only does need one angel. But God is so generous.

So omnipotent. Give him more than one. Give him a whole host. If you go back to the Targums of the rabbis They say well a host that which dwells within the Shekinah glory is never less than 60 ,000 how they arrive at that number who knows so they say here at two camps.

This is a doubling. This must be upwards of 120 ,000. I Don't know if we can go by that. We'll just say it was more than one.

Angels of God.

But knowing even the power of one of these messengers sent on Task by the Lord ought to say something of what God is trying to help Jacob.

Understand.

Those that are with you those that you cannot see Jacob are far more than those that you think will come to get you. Angels are present to minister to God's people in Less than evident ways, but no less real ways.

We may not see them as as they meet with Jacob. But nevertheless God has so ordered his world and ordered his people's lives that they are ministering spirits. Which he sends forth to minister to us. Significantly when we approach Genesis 32 We realize just like Jesus wilderness trial when he endured the temptations of the enemy.

At the very end of that trial after 40 days of deprivation 40 nights of weariness. We read that the angels of God ministered to him and. So even as these angels ministered to Jesus after his trial in the wilderness We see these same angels ministering to Jacob as he's about to approach his trial and we can take this as a theological Pointer.

Angels are not sent to prevent God's trials. Not for Jacob not for Jesus not for us. Angels are not sent to prevent God's trials, but rather to minister to those that God is trying. Though we cannot see the activity.

Being so weak in the flesh so slow of heart to believe so stubborn so imperceptive. The reality is the same in the life of the Christian. Angels for Jacob are like a chapter division quite literally they mark out this great episode.

That's about to unravel in chapter 32. God wants Jacob to know how much he cares for him. It's it's psalm 91 embedded within Genesis 32. He has so commanded his angels that harm will not come to you Jacob.

So take up faith take up courage gird yourself like a man. God is with you. The God of Bethel is with you. You're in God's camp. And that's what Jacob confesses, isn't it in verse 2 this is God's camp.

Maha, Nayeem, that's a Hebrew noun. Hebrew is interesting. You don't just have singular or plural nouns like in English. You also have a dual form and this is a dual form. So it's it's a double camp and he says this is not just my camp.

This is God's camp. And so the angels are marking out for Jacob that he's in the right place at the right time. He's where God intends for him to be as painful and as fear-inducing as it may be. Jacob is on the right path.

This is God's camp indeed. And as David could report in psalm 34 It's what Jacob could say this poor man cried out the Lord heard him. Saved him out of all of his troubles. The angel of the Lord and camps all around those who fear him.

The term camp here is not camp manad knock. Right. It's not summer camp. It's not Recreational in the Hebrew here. It's it's often used to be the staging area the encampment for some military Endeavor and so the forces assemble and they camp before some battle before some Engagement.

This is the staging area. It's also used as a as you would expect it even here a staging area for the next leg of a long journey. But significantly as we'll see not only this week. But next week. Maha Naim is also God's staging area in the life of Jacob.

God's staging area for the culmination of the deep work. He's been doing for 20 years.

God's.

Military encampment for the Battle of Faith that's about to unfold. Now in God's camp for Jacob and for us in God's camp. There's a lot of unknowns. There's a lot of unanswered questions, there's a lot of unresolved issues there's attention.

There's a lot of heartache. There's a lot of concern, but it's still God's camp. You you may not have Angelic visitors telling you that you're in the right place at the right time. But don't take your circumstances of the adversity or the trial you're facing to somehow mean that you're outside of God's will.

The trial in fact shows that you are in God's camp you are in the staging area for the work that God is doing in your life and. For Jacob though, it's been in the back of his mind. Perhaps deep down in the layers of his conscience.

He knows that there's a 20 year old debt that remains unpaid and he's about to pay it in full. Genesis 32 beginning in verse 3 Jacob sends messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of seer the country of Edom and He commanded them saying speak thus to my lord Esau.

That's your servant. Jacob says I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now. I have oxen donkeys flocks male female servants I've sent to tell my lord so that I may find favor in your sight.

So.

We have Jacob approaching the land and now he's sending messengers to deal with this unpaid debt. This unresolved issue with Esau and we find Esau in the mountains of seer. John Gill 17th century Commentator he reminds us that the land of seer Takes its name from seer of the whole right Esau married into that family.

And so he's sort of taking his possession that which belongs to him now by marital right and He gives it the name Edom. That is Moses gives it the name Edom. I don't know that it was called Edom initially until after Esau had taken possession of it.

So we read for instance in Deuteronomy 2 verse 12 the Horites. All right. These would be the the people that descend from seer the Horite. The Horites formerly dwelt in seer but the descendants of Esau Dispossessed them and destroyed them and dwelt in their place.

So this is what Esau has been doing for 20 years. You know, he's been taken domain. He's been dispossessing the sons of seer. He's been kicking them out and setting up his own inheritance in the land that becomes Edom.

Edom Being a play on his name Esau. And we asked the question why. Why didn't Esau just stay in Canaan for 20 years? He could have basically recovered his inheritance in Canaan. He could have stayed under the influence of his father Isaac but as Calvin says In order to pass his life free from authority Esau chose to live in a state of separation from Isaac he disregarded the inheritance still and He left it by God's will for his brother.

So in God's providence Esau has no interest in Canaan no interest in his father Isaac's household. Even though he could somehow fight for that and grapple for that. He's already abandoned it. He has still no concern no interest for that spiritual lineage of Abraham.

He's off in the mountains of seer Dispossessing the whore rights and this is part of God's providence. Calvin says Jacob's coming to an empty homestead he can claim it now much more readily and Clearly we see God's providence in this not only do we see God Invisibly as it were Guiding Esau away from Canaan away from the inheritance of Jacob we also see God guiding Jacob toward Canaan and Significantly Jacob does not take the easiest path back to Canaan.

Geographically if you're returning from Haran and you're taking this long journey Southward and where we're going after Penuel is Bethel. Well, then you just need to stop kind of in the northern part of the promised land, but he's going far south out toward Edom.

He's taking a much longer route around the promised land well beyond Bethel in order to address his brother Esau. And so you can see there's no reason that Jacob would go past the promised land Southward towards seer unless he was attempting to deal with Esau his greatest fear the biggest threat out of hand and Derek Kidner points out this very sequence is in fulfillment of Matthew 5.

Remember what the Lord Jesus said there that you cannot go to bring your offerings to the altar of God when you remember that your Brother has something against you. Leave the offerings go address your brother and having reconciled with him.

Then go bring your offering to God. Well Jacob as it were is being led by God into Canaan when he gets to Canaan. He's gonna build altars and he's gonna worship God. He's gonna bring gifts of sacrifice to his God.

But on the way there he remembers my brother has something against me and so he does not enter. He does not build the altar. He goes to reconcile with his brother. Before he comes to worship the Lord in Canaan.

This is kingdom ethics in the life of Jacob. Something we have not seen very often. 20 years before this when he was fleeing with nothing but a staff in his hand. Esau had sworn to murder him. But look at Jacob now.

Not only does it go well beyond Bethel to reach out to Esau. He doesn't reach out to Esau in a belligerent way. Doesn't say hey, it's me. The one that dad said would inherit everything. I just want you to know how much I have going for me and I'm sorry if that means any no, what does he say?

Your servant Jacob my Lord Esau. This is not the twister we saw 20 years ago. Before Jacob had fled he was lording it over Esau doing whatever he could to pinch and squeeze the birthright. And the blessing into his own hands, but now.

The one who it was prophesied that his elder would call him Lord is saying no. No, no, my elder brother is my Lord and I'm his servant. Once more there's kingdom ethics here. Remember in Matthew 20 the sons of thunder the sons of Zebedee.

It doesn't say in the text, but it has to be this way. They put their poor old mom up to going to Jesus and saying can you please give my boys the best of the best in The kingdom. Can't they sit on your right in your left?

You know, hey mom, come on, you know do us a solid go up to Jesus and ask this for us. And of course when this comes out of the hat Jesus addresses that it almost shows the fact that he knew it was from them and not from their poor old mother.

Are you able to drink the cup that I'm to drink? Yeah, we're able. You don't even know what you're talking about. And then it all opens up to the other ten and now there's this division in the group. And so Jesus calls them all over to himself he says you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and Those who are great exercise authority over them not so among you.

Whoever desires to become great among you. Let him be your servant. Let him be your slave. Whoever desires to be first among you. Let him be your slave. This is what Jacob's essentially doing. He will become greater than Esau.

He will become Lord over his elder brother. But as a result of 20 years of God's patient work of grace in his life. He comes to his brother not lording it over him, but saying I'm your slave. You're my lord.

Command as you will. That God's Word may be true in my life that I might be first and preeminent over you. I will be your servant and More than this you remember it's a reversal of what Isaac's blessing was though.

He thought at the time he was giving it to Esau. Truly indeed Jacob shall be blessed and the blessing was that the elder would serve the younger. But as a result of God's grace the younger seeks to serve the older and so as a result of God's work in Jacob's life.

He's he's preparing to give the blessing back to Esau. Now that's not really up to him indeed He shall be blessed. Isaac says God's Word will stand true. But as far as Jacob is concerned whatever I can give whatever I can do to undo the damage and manipulation that I've done I'm willing to do it.

You're my lord, and I'm your servant. Let's get back to how it was meant to be as much as that depends upon me. If it's not obvious here that he's seeking as it were to give back the blessing. We'll see it later on.

I'll make mention of how Jacob refers to his president chapter 33. Jacob is now subservient. Not manipulating for the edge. There's no spirit of Laban within him. Jacob has been humbled. God has untwisted him.

I.

Jacob lists the abundance that God has given him his flocks his cattle his servants, but he doesn't do it to boast. He says I want you to know while I was so journeying under Laban. I want you to know that I've been blessed and I want to find favor in your sight.

He's like I want to pay reparations. I want to give you tribute. I Want to say I'm sorry that I've wronged you. I want to bless you. I want there to be peace between us. I've sent to tell my Lord so that I can find favor in your sight.

This is not the Jacob we knew 20 years ago. Well, the messengers go out beginning in verse 6. And when they return to Jacob, they say we came to your brother Esau. You can imagine Jacob hanging on every syllable that's coming out of their mouths.

What did he say? They can't get it out fast enough. He's coming to meet you. This is good. This is good and 400 men are with him.

Not good.

We read verse 7 Jacob was greatly afraid. This is soul fear. He was distressed. And he takes immediate action. Evasive action. He divides his people divides his whole possession into two. He sets up as it were a Subterfuge a sacrificial camp.

Hopefully, they'll only attack one and the rest of us can escape while they're in the middle of hacking apart this other false camp. And he says verse 8 if Esau comes to the one company and attacks it the other company which is left will escape.

Which company do you think Jacob's gonna be in when that report comes back. Esau's coming for you? 400 men are coming for you. Esau's imagination goes to the worst. You don't assemble 400 men unless you usually have less than noble purposes.

This is Esau's militia for all. For all we can understand their intent is to destroy him and and Esau's not just content to deal with Jacob. He's raised up 400 men to destroy everything that belongs to Jacob.

Remember in Genesis 14 how when that battle between the five kings and the four kings began to rage and then lot was Taken as part of the captive train of Keter lay Omer how Abraham raised up 318 men.

318 that then Defeated the king. Keter lay Omer's armies for armies. He completely gutted them out. They were exhausted from all the battle. And so with 318 men, he decimated their forces and rescued lot.

Well Esau has even more than that. What kind of damage could he do? 400 men. And so what does Jacob do he panics. This is the panic of Jacob. When Laban confronted Jacob and he had a force that was up to no good God so intervened that Jacob had courage and he rebuked Laban to his face.

And I think he had that courage because he knew not only that God was intervening that God was protecting but also that he was in the right and So there was a courage that came from that conviction that righteousness he could rebuke forthrightly Laban to his face, but He's not on the right with Esau.

Part of Jacob's panic is isn't this is what I deserve. Isn't this justice. The fact that he didn't have this righteousness toward his brother. It took away his courage and even the angels of God that met him at Mahana.

He they they didn't take away this panic. Esau is coming to kill him. He's convinced of it. Remember how Rebecca when she sent Jacob away. She said it will just last a few days and when your brother's rage is subsided.

I will send for you to return. And that was 20 years ago. Rebecca never sent. As far as Jacob knows his brother's been plotting his murder for 20 years. And now the time has come. It's the reckoning. This is the showdown.

Esau is about to exact his revenge. It's unavoidable. I was watching a video. This was some time ago of Of a state trooper and it showed the whole dash cam. There were calls coming in. It was I forget what part of the country it was in.

That a a driver presumably drunk was going in excess of 80 miles an hour the wrong way on a four-lane highway. And so without hesitation the state trooper pulled off on the exit got on to the highway ahead of where this driver was coming and Parked as best as he could in the middle of those lanes trying to take up as much as possible.

And he knew at any moment as these lights beamed across the horizon at 80 miles an hour. He was about to get slammed. It was unavoidable. There was no dodging it there was no time to get out of the door.

There was no time to do anything but park and wait for about three seconds. How do you prepare for something like that? Jacob is Bracing for impact. The headlights of Esau's rage are screaming toward him.

400 men behind him. How do you brace for something like that? Well Jacob gives into that panic. He's filled with fear of the prospect of what Esau will do not only to him. But to the mother to the children to everything that he has he's gonna be decimated.

Now that fear in and of itself that fear is not the problem. You're not human if you don't have fear in this circumstance, right? Fear is not the problem. So many Commentators and preachers fault Jacob for being fearful.

He shouldn't have been afraid. Did he not see the angels? He shouldn't have been afraid. It's like are you kidding me? Yes, he should have been afraid. Who would it be afraid? Jesus greatly feared in the garden of Gethsemane.

He sweat drops of blood. Fear is not a lack of faith. Fear in itself is not sinful. The problem is what the fear led him to do. I love what Calvin says on this. They who fancy that faith is exempt from all fear.

You know pure faith has no fear within it. Have never experienced the true nature of faith. Faith in the midst of fear. That's true faith. Calvin is saying God does not promise that he'll be present with us in order to remove us from danger.

He promises that he'll be present with us in the midst of danger that he'll preserve our faith. So that despair and terror will not overwhelm us. That doesn't mean it won't feel like you're treading water.

Doesn't mean you'll have some sense that it's all gonna work out splendidly. And again the fear in and of itself is not the problem here. It's what the fear causes Jacob to do. We sense that he loses that trust.

He loses that faith in God's protection as soon as his first reaction is to say, okay. What can we do about this situation? Let's split up the camp. This camps gonna have to be the camp that everyone gets killed.

But at least if that's starting to happen, we can all run for it. You just get the sense. No. No Jacob. This is not the way you should be thinking. This should not be your first Jacob. You're going back to your old ways.

Fearing the worst he splits his whole group in half and when he divided his camp in half. He was prepared to lose half of his livelihood. He was prepared to lose half of his God-given abundance. He was prepared to lose half of the loving relationships that he enjoyed.

And when he made that decision, he lost half of his trust in God's protection. I think we can say Jacob should have trusted God to protect all that he had. It would have been a fearful thing no matter what.

But he could have said here we stand we can do no other. You know, so help us God. This is my camp. This is my abundance from God and I I had to trust that God will protect it. And that God will protect us.

I think we have a misstep here genuinely a Stumble a backslide into old ways, and I feel more confirmed in that because of what remains in the chapter. Apparently Jacob's gonna need even more of an encounter not just with God's angels, but with God himself.

There's more contending and untwisting that God is going to have to do before Jacob goes over the yabbak. But in the meantime, we can say this God's patient work has not been wasted. And in what happens beginning in verse 9, it's as if that weak trembling fearful foot recollects.

And cautiously goes out and and takes another step forward. He sort of recovers his balance. He he's like Peter sinking in the Galilean waters he prays Panic gave itself over to the old paths, but but then there's a recovery and this is the fruit of God's grace, too.

He almost catches himself. And he prays Jacob said Oh God of my father Abraham God of my father Isaac the Lord who said to me Return to your country and to your family. I will deal well with you. I'm not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth, which you have shown your servant.

I crossed over this Jordan with my staff and now I've become two companies. Deliver me. I pray from the hand of my brother from the hand of Esau. I fear him lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children for you said I Will surely treat you well.

I'll make your descendants like the sand of the sea which cannot be numbered for multitude. Jacob's panic gives way to Jacob's prayer and just look at the anatomy of this prayer. He begins by invoking God.

Oh.

God and Notice it's not just with the name God. It's not just with who God is but he invokes God also on the basis of what God has done. Oh God of my father Abraham the God of my father Isaac. In other words the God who has been faithful to his covenant a Covenant of which I am standing in and then he brings that covenantal faithfulness from his grandfather to his father.

Right down to himself the Lord who said to me Return to your country and to your family. Well, here I am. I'm back in the country. Here I am. I'm back with my family. And you said you'd deal well with me.

So he's recounting God's promises to him here. The reference returned to your country into your family. I will deal well with you here. This is the promise that we just read in chapter 31 the promise at the end of the 20 years.

But when he recounts God's faithfulness, it's not done in this attitude of merit. It's not done as though God coldly is obligated to Jacob. As he begins to recount the promise that God had given him the promise that he's been shakily.

But genuinely walking after by faith. Begins to melt his heart into humility. Verse 10. I'm not worthy. I love that. It's not this blame. Oh God of my father and my grandfather and you said to me return to your country.

How could you let this happen? 400 men are after me now. This is ridiculous. I should have met. No, what does he do? He recounts the promises and he says I'm not worthy. That's like taking a huge step out of the situation and just saying Everything that has happened to me up to this point.

I have not been worthy of I Have been worthy of the least of your mercies. He's like that incessant widow that keeps begging the judge. And now that Jacob has addressed God's account God's faithfulness God's goodness.

He begins to recount his own journey. We begin as it were going from the end the promise of 31 and now we're gonna end up kind of retrograding all the way back toward Bethel. I Crossed over this Jordan with my staff When I fled From my brother 20 years ago.

All I had was a walking stick and Here I am again 20 years later and look it. I have four wives. I Have sons and daughters. I have flocks and cattle. You have blessed me. I ran away with nothing you brought me back with everything.

And then we find that thankfulness Turns over to the plea how interesting that he first addresses God. Then he addresses God not just in terms of who God is But what God has done then he recounts the faithfulness of God and as he recounts that he humbles himself and confesses Where he has been and what God has done in his life and it's not until he gets that Thankfulness up toward the Lord in his prayer that he turns to the plea brothers and sisters.

How often do we just go? Oh God plea. Oh God plea. Rather than taking the time to say The God of my father's. The God who has blessed me the God who's been patient with me a servant who deserves nothing and has been given everything.

Until we tune our hearts by his grace to be thankful. We should not enter into the plea even though he's panicked. He's cognizant of the fact that he must praise God and thank God before he asked God to intervene.

And when he asked God to intervene look at his heart deliver me. I pray. From the hand of my brother from the hand of Esau and now he becomes boldly honest. He's not hiding his genuine feelings toward toward God.

Even though God knows him knows his frame knows his heart knows how he feels. He he just puts it out there. I'm afraid I fear him. Yeah, I know I was big stuff when I dragged that wellstone off to impress the ladies, but I'm afraid of my brother.

He's to put me in a headlock and never let me go until I cried uncle. He's a wild hunter of a man. I'm afraid of him. Lest he come and attack me not just me lest he kills My wives and my children. And then how does he end his prayer at the conclusion of this?

He once more returns to the very promise of God. Which shows that he will not allow his mind to circle over this dilemma. He will not let his thoughts which they naturally want to do. Go round and round in orbit around the crisis and around the fear.

He forces his mind in his heart to put his thoughts in orbit around God's promises. So he's not recounting his fears so much as confessing them. But what he is recounting Continuously are the promises of God you said I will surely treat you.

Well and make your descendants like the sand of the sea which cannot be numbered for their multitude. He's in this precarious vulnerable position and yet by grasping on even by feeble fingers the promises of God he's given peace and.

So though his prayer is filled with this genuine expression of fear. Even when he recounts the promises this is meant to bring a salve to assuage his fear. He's essentially saying don't let my descendants be killed.

Don't let my infant sons be dashed by my vengeful brother. I'm afraid Lord. I can't stand against him. I can't withstand his anger. Don't let my seed be cut off from the earth. In fact, you promised that my seed would go on to bless the earth.

Remember Lord what you promised and he's essentially saying remember. Oh my soul what the Lord has promised. And so when he says the promise of the seed he's now Recounting the promise of chapter 28. He began his prayer at the end of 20 years.

But in the midst of the prayer, he went all the way back to 20 years before. Between verses 9 and 12 Jacob is encompassing two decades of God's work in his life. The grace of God's work between Bethel and Haran and here he is on his way back to Bethel.

And in his prayers this echo of God's promise at Bethel reinforcing the weak man of faith. The rehearsal of God's promises in orbit in his mind helping this feeble disciple who at this very moment is saying Lord I believe but help my unbelief.

And we have not only the echo of Bethel's promise but here in the language of the seed the echo of Abraham's promise and therefore the echo of God's Unchanging unfailing covenantal faithfulness. You can fear Jacob.

You can fear Isaac. You can fear Abraham. But God is faithful and what more could grip us in the panic of our trials brothers and sisters. Then rehearsing the promises of God laying hold of them even by feeble hands.