BRAGADAHJAY 110

It is no small point of interest that soon after Jacob encountered the hosts of God’s angels encamped around, that he found the courage to confront his estranged brother Esau; so he put together a small delegation and sent them to his brother who dwelt in the land of Seir, which is in the country of Edom. Accordingly we see that Esau was an Edomite; and we know or shall see later that the Edomites were a people who had no love for God. This may help to explain why the Bible says that God hated Esau, although the word hate must not be interpreted in the same way, and was not used in the same way as we would use it today. Jacob sent his messengers before him with a special message for his brother. Addressing his brother as his Lord, Jacob commanded them, say unto him “My Lord, thy servant Jacob says unto you, I have dwelt with Laban and have been with him all this time until now. I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and man servants, and women servants. And I have sent to inform my lord, that I may find favor in thy sight.” It is trite knowledge that if you are a leader, even just head of household, you should be well versed in the art of diplomacy at least. Jacob stood before his brother with his wives and children, his servants and farm hands. He knew he was no match for his brother and was not prepared for a fight. His brother on the other hand stood before him with 400 no doubt battle hardened men. So what does Jacob do? He humbled himself; but more importantly he informed his brother, firstly, he himself was Laban’s servant; he was no soldier and had no fighting skills or experience; and secondly he was a farmer, had been a farmer all those years. He was not trying to impress or bribe his brother by mentioning his animals. He was simply saying, I am an animal farmer and here is the proof. The import of Jacob’s message was, I am not a fighter. I am not trained to fight. So be assured my brother, I come in peace. More