In my series of biblical reflections based on the book of Genesis, I already covered chapter 25 verses 19 to 34. The theme was about hostility but I presented it in the context of healing and restoration in family relationships by the power of God's grace. I divided the topic into several parts:
In this article, I just want to continue the "hostility" theme. However, this time, I will pick up the next chapter, the 26th from verses 1 to 35.
In the family healing series, I made three points about the power of God's grace as a remedy to hostility. We saw from the life of Jacob how hostility had been cured by past grace, been cured by continuous grace, and would be cured by future grace.
The grace of God is powerful enough to change a deceitful person like Jacob into a model of humility. By the power of the same grace, hostility with his brother Esau ended up in forgiveness and reconciliation.
We have seen the same power of God's grace even today. Many people testified to this power with their changed lives. As emphasized in the above series, I believe that the same grace remains the only solution to all kinds of human hostility from the past to the present and even to the future.
The "hostility" theme started in the life of the patriarchs even earlier than chapter 25. You can trace this theme back to chapter 3 where the serpent introduced hostility between God and man and between Adam and his wife. Since then, the history of mankind has been filled with bloodshed starting from Cain's murder of his brother, and Lamech's arrogant murder of a man that culminated in a world full of violence in the time of Noah. Even Nimrod, the founder of Babel was a man of war and the city itself reminds us of man's hostility against the plan of God.
And so the calling of Abraham can be seen as God's way to reconcile mankind back to God. But even within this covenant family, hostility was not absent. We have seen this between Isaac and Ishmael, the descendants of Ishmael themselves (Genesis 25:18), between Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25:19-34), between Isaac and the Philistines (Genesis 26:1-33), and between the Hittite wives of Esau and Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 26:34-35).
Building on this biblical background, I just want to share with you the grace of God in its diverse forms that remains the cure to all kinds of hostility, whether it is in the way man relates to God, to himself, and to his fellow human being. The same grace can heal hostilities in international politics, economic conflict, and even within the family.
The key word here is protection. Specifically, what we mean by the word is divine protection. We need to have faith in divine protection whenever we feel our life is threatened in whatever form. Instead of lingering in fear, faith in divine protection can drive out fear that aggravates hostility among men.
In the case of Isaac, we find in our story that he was afraid for his life due to his perceived hostility from the Philistines. This fear caused Isaac to repeat a past mistake, the mistake of his father Abraham. Instead of looking up to God for protection, both Abraham and Isaac resorted to man-made ways to protect their lives.
This is a natural human instinct. Whenever we feel our lives threatened through a betrayal of either a close friend or our loved ones, our tendency is either to flee or to fight.
When Israel was a young nation during Moses' time, it faced a national threat not only from Egypt but also from surrounding nations. The decision they had to make amid such a threat was to choose between their way or to keep trusting God for protection.
The church too, the Bride of Christ has faced similar types of threats throughout her history. The two most notorious forms that threatened the life of the church were persecution and the world's friendship. And these two forms of threat are so obvious in our time. Under an extreme Islamic regime, we now see a deadly military campaign to annihilate the church.
On the other hand, in democratic countries, we see the use of legal procedures to silence the voice of the church. But despite this hostility from Satan and a humanistic world, God has remained faithful to protect his people.
I think the church has been repeating the same mistake committed in the past. In times of peace, the church tends to compromise. In times of persecution, the church returns to its true self.
This is also true in the case of an individual. Whenever, you see a past mistake revisiting you at present, instead of being afraid, focus on God's protection.
The key word here is provision. Particularly, we mean the provision that comes from God. As we put our faith not in man-made ways but in God's protection when our lives are threatened, we should also not be so anxious but rest in God's provision whenever we face an economic threat.
Fear and anxiety belong to one family. Unbelief is their father. Anxiety will not do you anything good but make you look old early. Too much anxiety leads to a stressful life and gradually destroys your health. If it is not arrested by faith in God's provision, it will lead to the destruction of one's life.
In our story, the Philistines' hostility was expressed in terms of filling up with earth the wells that the servants of Isaac's father, Abraham had dug. The Philistines also quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen over two other wells in the Valley of Gerar, Esek and Sitnah. Interestingly, the very names of these two wells signify hostility, dispute, and opposition. It was Isaac's wealth that made the Philistines envy him and caused them to quarrel with him over these wells.
Envy is a monster that destroys wealth. In our time, this monster has become the public policy of most politicians. Some people are envious of the success of others which causes them to turn to politics to prevent such success. They hate competition. They want to have a monopoly over human wealth. These people even use services for the poor as their propaganda. Karl Marx was their patron saint.
Moses' generation repeatedly faced such economic threats. But instead of asking God for provision, they complain. As a result, God was angry with them. Except for Joshua and Caleb, the entire generation of Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land and died because they failed to believe that God was able to provide their needs even in the wilderness.
In the New Testament, God has already given us his Son to deliver us from the power of sin. That is why the apostle Paul asked:
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all - how will he not also along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32).
And the author of Hebrews gave this solemn warning:
Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you'(13:5).
And so whenever you face an economic or a financial threat or uncertainty, instead of worrying, it is best to trust God for your provision.
The key word here is reconciliation. It is a fact that conflict and hostility exist even within the family. However, this domestic hostility should not end in bitterness and grief, but in understanding, acceptance, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
The marriage of Esau with the Hittite women brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah. Instead of becoming a source of blessing and joy for his parents, Esau due to his wrong choice of wives brought pain and grief upon them. I imagine the conflict in such a family, with two different principles and worldviews clashing against each other. A person with faith in the true God living with someone who does not know this God would certainly result in a very unhappy situation.
Besides his marriages, Esau also had a hostile relationship with his brother, Jacob. It was good that this hostility ended in reconciliation during the lifetime of Jacob after he had been separated from his brother for 20 years.
However, the children, or I should say, the nation that descended from both of them did not continue in such a peaceful co-existence. When Israel was in the wilderness in Kadesh Barnea and was marching into the Promised Land, they asked permission from the King of Edom to pass through their territory. But the King of Edom denied them. Instead, they threatened Israel with war (Numbers 20: 14-21).
In the life of the church, there are also those whom the apostle Paul described as "false brethren". They are supposed to help fellow believers in times of distress, but instead, they join the world in inflicting pain on those who desire to sincerely follow Christ. Without experiencing the love of God, it is very difficult to understand, accept, and forgive such people. However, there is no other way to bring healing to a broken family relationship except by way of love and genuine reconciliation.
In continuing the hostility theme, we covered that grace in the form of faith in God's protection, provision, and reconciliation is the only power in existence that can cure all kinds of hostility. Whenever we face uncertainties in our lives and for our future, remember that instead of being afraid, it is best to put your faith in God's protection and provision. Whenever there is a broken relationship in the family, the way of love and acceptance is the road to reconciliation.
