32:9-12
Having made all the preparations he can think of doing, Jacob now turns to the Lord. He was returning to his country because God had told him to, and had promised to “do him good”. Jacob recognises his unworthiness, and knows that God has prospered him over the past twenty years. He went down to Laban with little, and left with two camps. So he now asks God to deliver him from the hands of Esau. He is also explicit about his fears. He then reminds God, or reminds himself, of the promise God made to multiply his offspring.
32:13-21
It seems that Jacob was staying behind while the two camps went on ahead. He had a “present” for Esau, hoping to placate him. The “present” was quite substantial, including many livestock. This is an indication of the level of wealth that Jacob had attained. Even with this, Jacob had his servants go on ahead of him. Jacob was very much staying in the rear, rather than leading from the front. He also gave his servants instructions on what to say to Esau. While Jacob was staying in the rear, it may have been a sensible move. Most importantly, he did meet with the Lord, as we shall read about in the next section.
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