Let's take our Bibles and turn
back to Genesis 32. Genesis 32. Jacob and Laban has finished
their meeting and they've left in a covenant agreement. And
the scripture says in verse one of Genesis 32, and Jacob went
on his way. You know, we as believers, we
have a way. We have a way that the Lord has
instructed us. The apostle Paul said, I finished
my course. I fought a good fight and we're
walking through this world, following after the Lord. The Lord has
a way for his people. He who is the way, we walk by
faith in his way, and therefore it's our way. And this is what
Jacob is doing. The Lord has instructed him to
go back to his home where he came from, and that's what he's
doing. It's an amazing exhibit of the
Lord's promise to never leave nor forsake his people. It's
an amazing exhibit. It's given in these verses that
we're going to look at. Scripture says that Jacob went
on his way and the angels of God met him. Now, all that has happened to
Jacob, all that happened before the time he was born, until this
very hour, all of his dealings with his father-in-law, which
was his uncle, his marriages to Leah and Rachel, one thing
has been made apparent. The Lord loves Jacob. Jacob have I loved, and the love
of the Lord for his people. It's like we just sang that song.
It never changes. He said, I'm the Lord. I change
not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob. And what a precious, precious
title that is. sons of Jacob, those that God
loves, those that have been made to know something about who they
are. Sons of Jacob are not consumed. So Jacob has escaped now the
persecution of his father-in-law, but now he's getting ready to
meet his brother Esau. He goes from one fight to another. He sees this coming and without
a doubt, he's anxious. You can only imagine. He's been gone now 20 years. And the thought of meeting his
brother is heavy on his heart, I'm sure. And while he's going,
he, He sees something visibly that, as a general rule, we're
never able to see. Scripture says that the angels
of God met him. Now, as I just said, often, not
often, virtually never, I suppose, There's no visible help for the
people of God. With our natural eyes, we don't
naturally see angels. We don't see them. But by faith,
we walk with the assurance of God's Word that the Lord has
provided for his sheep, the sheep of his pasture, his people, before
and after their conversion. This is what he's provided. Ministering spirits, this is
Hebrews 114, ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them
who shall be heirs of salvation. God sends These ministering spirits
to His sheep. He knows His sheep. And they
do His bidding. They do the bidding of the Lord.
And these ministering spirits come sent forth of God to the
sheep of God. And they watch over us. I'm absolutely convinced that
the Lord is here. He said that two or three are
gathered together. I am in the midst of you. And
I'm absolutely convinced that according to the scriptures,
he sends forth these ministering spirits to minister to them who
shall be heirs of salvation. And they're here. They're here.
There's another dimension. but we can't see with our natural
eye. That doesn't mean they're not
here. They're here. So angels are present with God's
people, ministering according to the Lord's will, watching
over, protecting while they continue to walk in this world by faith. And when Jacob saw them, verse
two, he said, This is God's host. And he called the name of that
place, Mahanaim. Two hosts, two camps. Now these angels, they may have
only been seen by Jacob. The wording says when Jacob saw
them. It doesn't say that everybody saw them, but Jacob saw them.
And he acknowledged their presence. He said, this is God's, this
is God's host. This is God's camp, this is God's
encampment. He's asking what the word host
means. And he called the name of that place, Maia Naum, two
host. Surely referring to the two host
of angels and now whether they were one on one side of his family
and one on the other, one in front and one in back, I don't
know, but there was two host. And how beautifully, We behold
the truth of the Lord's Word to be with His people. I know
He's here. I know He's here. He's got angels
that are here. And when He's pleased to exercise
His people with these extraordinary trials that they're going to
have to deal with, Jacob is getting ready to meet Esau. We're going
to look at it in just a minute. But he's getting ready to meet
his brother. And when the Lord's pleased to
exercise these trials, whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth and
scourgeth every son that he receiveth. But in the midst of the trial,
according to the mercy of God, he protects us and watches over
us. And as long as it's not our time, I heard one man say, we're
invincible until God's pleased to call us. Often there is no way of knowing
how often We have been delivered protected ministered to Whenever
the Lord was was in the desert in the wilderness temptation
40 days 40 nights fasted tempted of the devil You know, you know
the story how Satan tried to tempt him different ways and
after the devil left him. It says an angel came and ministered
to him. Ministered to him. If he ministers
to the Lord, thank the mercy of God that he'd send angels
to minister for his people. Watching over. I've said this
before. It still amazes me when I think
back of the protection that Almighty God has for his people, but for
me. I mean, I think at times, I mean,
just how many times, how many times? I don't know. But the
promise of God to send these ministering, these creatures
that he made, he made them, made them to do his bidding. And so
here's Jacob and he sees them and he's there acknowledging
that they're there. Two bands are there to minister
to Jacob and his family. And beloved, as Jacob is going
on his way, this is what we're doing. We're going in our way. All of God's sheep, we're traveling
home. The closer we get to being home,
the more the Lord will prepare us to go home. And he's watching
over us. And by the grace of God, Jacob
saw, he saw the host of the Lord, he saw these angels. To be a comfort to him, I'm sure,
to be a ministry to him. So the Lord said that he, send
these angels, watch over him. In the day of our departure,
these angels that have watched over us all this time. minister
to us in ways I don't even know. I don't know how to, I don't
know. I mean, I, I can read commentary and they say, well, these, these
angels are doing this, that, and the other. I don't know what
they're doing, but whatever they're doing, they're doing it according
to the Lord's bidding. But whenever Lazarus, the rich
man that fared sumptuously every day, and Lazarus set his doorstep,
you know what the scripture says? When Lazarus died, he was delivered
by the angels. into the bosom of Abraham. The
angels took him home. Whenever God's sheep are ready
to die, God calls them home. Angels take them home. Angels
take them to the Lord. Jacob sees these ministering
spirits. And here we behold this truth. Psalm 91, 9, 11. speaking expressly
of the Lord himself, but for us who believe and are found
in him, this scripture also is for us. It says, because thou
hast made the Lord, because thou hast made the Lord, which is
my refuge, even the most high thy habitation. There shall no
evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling,
for he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee
in all thy ways. We thank the Lord for the provision
of his ministering spirit. We don't worship him. Their ministering
spirit's been in the book of Revelation. I can't even think
of it. I wish I'd have thought of this before I wrote my notes
out, right? But it was one of the angels,
one of the servants was speaking to John, and John bowed down
to him. He said, don't bow down to me.
He said, I'm like you. I'm a servant of God. Don't bow down to me.
We don't worship these angels, but we thank God for them. and
thank the Lord that he's provided for us. Then the scripture says
in 3 to 5, and Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau, his brother,
unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. And he commanded them,
saying, Now thus shall you speak unto my lord Esau. Thy servant
Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there
until now. And I have oxen and asses, flocks,
and men's servants, women's servants, I have sent to tell my Lord that
I may find grace in thy sight. Now, Jacob sins. He's been gone, as I said, been
gone 20 years. When he left, he left under the
instruction of his mom and dad You go back and you stay at Laban's
house. You go to Heron and you stay,
his mama told him, you stay with my brother, Laban. His daddy
told him, he said, you take a wife from Laban's house. But you did. Now he's getting
ready to go back home. But now when he left, he left
with his mother, Rebecca, telling him, you need to leave because
Your brother wants to kill you. Your brother wants to kill you.
And so he did, he left. Now here he's coming back. Now
he has the assurance of God's word. The Lord had told him,
you go back to your home. I will be with you. I will do
you well. He's seen these angels, the angels
of the Lord. He's seen them, he's visibly
seen them. And now he's getting ready, and he sends a messenger,
sends some messengers to his brother Esau. But he sends a
very, very kind and humble message. He says, the Lord is directing
me to come back, and this is what he said to him. He said to his servants, you
say this to Esau. thy servant, a word, a title
for actually a slave. He said, you say this to my Lord,
Esau. That's a word recognition of
superiority. Now this is his twin brother,
but his twin brother's older than him, just a few minutes.
But Esau is the elder, and Jacob is speaking to him, in a very,
very humble and kind way. He's showing no glory for himself. The Lord gave me the blessing,
which he did. The Lord loved Jacob, which he
did. He hated Esau, which he did.
And Jacob is speaking to him in a kind way. We are who we are by the grace
of God. We have nothing in which to glory
for ourselves. The scripture says, 1 Corinthians
4, 7, for who maketh thee to differ from another? And what
hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive
it, Why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? Let us not fail to speak respectfully
to others, especially to those that oppose us. Those that oppose us don't yield
to the temptation of the flesh. And I'm saying this, I'm talking
to me. Jacob has been gone these many
years, and now he's going to give Esau a short account of
himself. He told him that the time that
he's been gone, he said, I've not been wandering like a vagabond. He said, I've served, I'm been
sojourned, I'm sorry, I was looking for it in verse four, sojourned
with Laban. He said, I hadn't been out rambling.
I've been at our uncle's house working, stayed there until now.
Served in his house, and he said, I'm coming home. I'm not coming
home begging for anything. I'm not coming home like the
prodigal that wasted all of his substance on righteous living,
one that's destitute of the necessities of life, I'm not calling you,
sending forth this message so you'll know I need a little help. I could sure help a little. I
need a little help from my brother. He said, I've got oxen and asses
and flocks and men's servants and women's servants. What he
wanted, he wanted to make amends with his brother. In a very,
very respectful and humble approach to his older brother, he sends
this Goodwill and friendship and harmony and brother love.
That was Jacob's hope. That's what he wanted. He remembered
how he left. Now he's coming back and he's
speaking in a very kind way. And the scripture says in verses
six to eight, the messengers returned to Jacob saying, we
came to thy brother Esau and also he cometh to meet thee.
400 men with him. Then Jacob was greatly afraid
and distressed, and he divided the people that was with him
and the flocks and herds and the camels into two bands. And
he said, if Esau come to the one company and smite it, then
the other company, which is left, shall escape. Now, Jacob hears
from the returning messengers that Esau's coming to meet him
too. He's going to meet Esau, but
they said he's coming to meet you too. And he's coming with
400 men. Now you can only imagine what
Jacob thinks. You know, Jacob is going to assume
the worst. And remembering how he left,
when he left, state of the family when he left, now he figures
surely that Esau is coming He's going to have some revenge. He
knows it. That's what he thinks. Jacob,
like all that know the Lord. Here again, I wanted to remind
myself, he had the word of God. God had told him, go back home. I will be with you. I will be
with you. He's leaving. He's met with Laban. Got that. They met a covenant
of that. That's gone. He got these angels with him.
And still, he's plagued with the presence and the frailty
of this old man. He's still there. Though he witnessed
these angels, he remembers. Scripture says he was greatly
afraid and distressed. Now, you know, we read this situation
and we think, how could he have struggled after having the Lord
talk to him, seeing these angels? How could he have struggled like
that? Well, let me ask you this. How do we struggle? Just like
that. We behold the miracle of God's
hand every day. We behold the miracle of God. That sun is going to come up
in perfect order. In the morning, it's going to
come up at the same time and in the same place that it did
one year ago. Same place. It's going to go
down exactly at the same time as it did one year ago. Those
constellations, they're going to be there at certain seasons,
same place. All of this is being sustained.
We witness the miracle in creation. I'm witnessing right now, and
you are too, the miracle of God's grace that we're still here,
that we haven't left. that God has kept us until this
moment, right here. You're witnessing a miracle of
God's grace. You that know Him, a miracle
of God's grace. That Almighty God, before the
foundation of the world, would choose a people of His love and
affection, and choose them in Christ. And Christ bore, according
to the Scriptures, here is a miracle of God's grace. He bore. of all of the dead, of all of
his sheep, for all of time, and in one sacrifice for sin, has
perfected forever. Ever. They have that belief.
What a miracle. He said, I give my ministering
spirits to you. And we believe him. We believe
that. And I still doubt. And I still
struggle. Something comes up, I'm still
afraid. I still see myself wavering. Here is a struggling, frightened,
frail creature of God's mercy. doing what he's doing as he's
warring with the flesh. He's doing what seems right to
do. What did he do? When those messengers
told him Esau's coming, he's got 400 men with him. What did
he do? He split his family up. God is
a God of means. He believed God. He believed
God. The means that Jacob had in his heart in protecting his
family. I'm gonna split you up. I'm gonna
do something. God uses means. Somebody here needs a job, I
tell you what I would recommend. If you need a job, go somewhere
and go apply for a job. Don't sit at home and just sit
there and say, I'm going to just wait until the Lord sends me
a job. I'm not going to do it. Go see
somebody. God uses means. But while the
Lord uses means, this is what Jacob did. What did he do immediately? He split his family up and he
says, I'm gonna split you up, and if Esau goes after this one,
this one right here, by God's grace, will be preserved. If
he comes here, this one will get away. He won't get us all.
He did what was right in his mind. God Almighty gave us sins,
but while he was doing what he was doing, look what he did in
verse nine. And Jacob said, he immediately,
went to the Lord. He's going to pray, O God of
my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which
said unto me, return unto thy country and to thy kindred and
I will deal well with thee. Here Jacob is calling upon the
covenant God. He's going to do what he can,
what he can to preserve his family. He's going to split them up.
But then he calls unto the God of his father Abraham, the God
of his father Isaac. This was the Lord who revealed
himself to Jacob in a vision. The latter goes to heaven. And
he called upon him who'd been pleased to show mercy to the
vessels of his choosing. elect according to God's will
and purpose, and he called upon the God of his father, Abraham,
with an oath. He reminded God what God had
said. That's the safest prayer that
we could do, the best way to pray. I told you before, I don't
know anything about prayer. I want to pray. I try to pray.
I desire to pray. I'm shamed when I'm praying. because of my wandering mind
and asking the Lord, even while I'm praying, Lord, forgive me.
I'm so sorry. Reminding the Lord what the Lord
has told us about prayer. You don't know what to pray.
I think to myself, how many times have I said, Lord, I don't know
what to pray. I don't know what to ask for. I don't know what to
say. I don't know how to say it. Lord,
help me. But when we're praying, Here's
Jacob, and he's casting himself upon the mercy of God. What else
can he do? Esau's coming. He's got 400 guys
with him. Jacob's got his two wives, he's
got their handmaids, and he's got his boys. They're all kids.
Esau's got 400 men. Oh, God. We call, we remember
who we're calling upon. the God of promise, God who has
loved us, everlastingly loved us, raised us up together to
sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. This he did
that in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches
of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. And Jacob, in a spirit of humility,
reminded the Lord where he was now. Or just turn back to Genesis
31.3. Where is he? 31.3. The Lord said unto Jacob, return
unto the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred, and I will
be with thee. And here he is. He says in verse
nine, Lord, middle part of that verse, The Lord which settest
unto me return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will
deal well with thee. He said, Lord, I'm doing what
you told me to do. I'm in trouble. I'm in trouble. And I'm where you sent me. This
is where I want to go. This is what I wanted to do.
This is what I've obeyed, and knowing that the Lord leads his
own and orders their steps. Let us pray to that effect. Think
about praying for you. Lord, you've called me to pastor
this church. Lord, help me. Lord, help me, teach me. Lord,
you've instructed me to study these scriptures. Lord, give
me understanding here. I'm gonna stand before you and I'm gonna
try to preach. Lord, would you bless the word. Would you bless
the place that you've sent me? Jacob said, Lord, I'm going home
where you told me to go. And then he says in verse 10,
I'm not worthy of the least of all the mercies and all the truth
which thou hast shown unto thy servant. With my staff, I passed
over this Jordan, and now I'm become two bands. I'm not worthy of the least of
your mercies. Lord, I'm not worthy of the food
you gave me today. Of the water, I'm not worthy
of the air that you allowed me to breathe. I'm not worthy. I'm
not worthy of that, much less the spiritual blessings in heavenly
places. I'm not worthy for the physical
food, much less, Lord, that you would bear my guilt in your own
body and be made sin for me. I'm not worthy. I'm not worthy
of the least. of your mercies. Lord, you called me out of Beersheba
20 years ago, and I crossed over this Jordan right here with a
staff in my hand. All I had was a stick. Had a stick. Now, you've blessed me with all
this, I'm not worthy of this. I know I'm not. He acknowledged
his unworthiness. Is this not our confession? Anybody here think they're worthy
of the least of God's mercies? Think back where the Lord found
you. I do a lot of reflecting on that. Not where he found you,
where he found me. He brought me. We all think about,
here we were, we were all children of wrath against God, even as
others. But God, who is rich in mercy,
called us out of the darkness of sin and unbelief. Took this
low-life Cajun, pulled him out of swamps of Louisiana He granted me the privilege to
be able to stand before His people. Preach the glorious gospel of
God's grace. Tell them what God's done for
unworthy sinners like us. I'm not worthy of this. I know
just a little bit about where I came from. What He called me
out of. Reveal the truth. to us that
he had everlastingly loved us and chose us in his precious
Son, redeemed him by blood, listen to this, and made us heirs of
God, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. Whatever he
gets, we get in him. We get the same thing, Mike. Jacob said, I came across this
river with just a staff, run out of my home, no friends, no
money, no servants, no livestock, just a stick. And I had these
two bands. And God had richly blessed him
with, yes, worldly goods, but all the spiritual blessings. and the mercy that was sought
by Jacob was according to God's covenant and will and pleasure
to have a people. He said, verse 11 and 12, deliver
me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand
of Esau, for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me and
the mother with the children. And thou saidest, and here he
is reminding God again, Well, I tell you what, have you ever,
your kids, you parents, you ever tell your kids something and
they remind you of it? Something you promised them?
You say it, you say it, you know. Sometimes I wonder if I said
it, Pat, but I know they, if I told them something, they remembered.
Thou saidest, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed
as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered. Lord, my
brother, my brother Esau, the one that has wanted to kill me. Lord, you gave me the blessing.
I'm not worthy of it. Lord, you set your affection
on me. And now, Lord, I'm coming back home according to your direction. Coming back home because you
told me to go home. And Lord, this is what I'm doing. And my
brother's coming after me. That's in his mind, that's what
he's sure of this. He's coming after me. He's got
400 men. He gonna settle this thing right
now. He's gonna go ahead and get it over with, I'm sure. He
split up his family. Maybe one half of them will escape. But he said, Lord, you promised. that you were gonna bless. You
told my grandfather, my daddy, and me that you was gonna be
with me and that we'd be as more than the sands of the sea. Lord,
only you can deliver me. I believe you. I'm calling and
I'm asking. Prayed unto the Lord. I pray
God bless this to our hearts