06.6.5. The Journey to Canaan

V. -- THE JOURNEY TO CANAAN, AND CHANGE OF NAME Genesis 32:1-32 and Genesis 33:1-6

JACOB’S departure from Padan-Aram is an important step, and yet but a step, towards entering the promised land. After Laban is left, it still remains in the face of Esau to go up over Jordan. Leaving outward things is not possessing heavenly things. Not a few have left the world, who are not come to the good land; and yet forsaking the outward world is one stage, and most necessary, for all who at last attain to heavenly things.

Here Jacob, escaped from Laban, is seen, hastening with his children and flocks to enter the promised land. At this point Esau again appears, as determined to stop his entrance into Canaan, as Laban had been to oppose his departure out of Mesopotamia. As fulfilled within, the scene represents the opposition which is offered by the carnal mind to the efforts of the spirit to set our affection on things above: as fulfilled without, it shews the resistance of carnal professors to the efforts of true servants to bring those whom they have won out of the world into the enjoyment of heavenly things. It is a scene of deepest interest; for here, in, and partly by, this trial, in sore wrestlings of spirit Jacob becomes Israel; and the man, whose "hand laid hold," at last in weakness is made a "prince with God." The opposition here proceeds from Esau. Laban had been the hindrance to Jacob’s leaving Mesopotamia; for it is our outward man which stands in the way of our spirit’s departure from outward things; but it is the carnal mind within which threatens to stop our attempts to enter heavenly things. (Note: Respecting Laban and Esau, that they are the outward man and carnal mind, respectively, see on Genesis 28:1-22.) And thus after we have turned from the outward man, and have left his old ground between tradition and reasoning, another opponent, more closely related to our spirit, remains, in that carnal mind, which grows within us even out of the true elect. And this Esau now threatens our way, if he can, to oppose our possessing the promised land. To prepare the spirit for such opposition, the Lord here vouchsafes a vision of angel guards. "Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him; and Jacob said, This is God’s host" (Genesis 32:1-2). Some such perception of heavenly help is yet vouchsafed to make us persevere. But the vision soon fades away, and the unseen hosts, because out of sight, are in measure out of mind; while the strength which is against us is felt distinctly, and the fact, that, spite of the spirit’s fruitfulness, the carnal mind is yet strong. We cannot journey this path without most painfully feeling that the flesh as Esau is yet "my lord Esau." In outward things this may be forgotten. The fact meets us in its painful reality as soon as we are set on entering heavenly things; and our spirit, which should rejoice, if not in the hosts of the Lord, yet in the Lord of hosts, is cast down by the evil which is so sorely felt, and which outweighs at times the fact of heavenly help. Hence the elect is perplexed and full of fears. He knows not how, with such an unwearying enemy so near him, he shall ever find rest. "Jacob was greatly distressed." Again and again he repeats the bitter words, "My lord Esau" (Genesis 32:4-5; Genesis 32:18-19, &c.).

This, coming here, is very striking. Why should he, who at an earlier stage neither feared nor courted Esau, now feel such dread of him? Because in the first joy of learning God’s purpose, believing the promise that "the elder shall serve the younger," our spirit never fears the flesh, not knowing its own weakness or the might of the carnal mind. If we can get the blessing, we think that we can use it. It never occurs to us that a certain preparation of spirit is needed for the right enjoyment of what God has promised us. Esau therefore, though he may affect our course, is not thought of. We have yet to learn the difference between "apprehending" and "being apprehended" (Php 3:12). So we go and toil to subdue the outward man, and as we toil we learn our weakness and foolishness. We are forced to confess that Esau is lord. Our fruitfulness has not given us power over the carnal mind. The elder does not yet serve the younger. To effect this, planning Jacob must become halting Israel.

Yet it is here, in painful, abject weakness, -- when we most feel the power of the flesh, and that our spirit cannot govern it, -- here, when Esau most clearly is the stronger, -- here in self-despair is Jacob made a "prince of God:" not while toiling in outward things, -- not until the humiliating fact is plain past all question, that the carnal mind is far too strong for us, -- not till this is confessed, openly confessed once and again, and this while spite of all opposition we yet press on to heavenly things, -- is our spirit out of weakness made strong, and we learn that to have God’s power we must ourselves be powerless. So much for the time of this change. For the means, the greatest of all is prayer, persevering, wrestling prayer. Jacob does indeed what he can by prudence to escape and calm down Esau’s enmity, giving up to Esau some of the flocks (Genesis 32:13-20), that is, allowing some of the animal emotions which have been won from the outward man to fall under the power of the carnal mind, -- a step, the faith of which I will not judge, -- but his hope is not in this, but simply in God alone. So he prays, "O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee; I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth which thou hast shewed to thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands. 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 saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude" (Genesis 32:9-12). Thus he prays, and turns again to prayer, wrestling alone in spirit until the shadows flee away (Genesis 32:24); taking God’s word against all that seems like opposition, saying, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me." For God had said, "I will surely bless thee;" and Jacob, with his will for God’s will, holds God to this His own will. This is the trial yet, -- Can we believe, that when He says, "I will surely do thee good," He really wills it? Can we back this His "I will" by our "I will," in the confidence that when we will with Him we must be conquerors? Then, though we may have much to ask, even of the name of Him whom we would not let go except He blessed us (Genesis 32:29); and we wake up, as the darkness breaks, to think how little we have known of Him whom we have wrestled with, and who has given Himself into our hands "in the likeness of man," (Note: "There wrestled a man with him," Genesis 32:24. Cf. Php 2:7.) and that He may have a new name involving far more than anything which has as yet been revealed to us (Revelation 3:12); (Note: Augustine dwells much on this, taking the words, "Let me go," as meaning, "Let me go in the form you have known me, that you may know me in a higher and more spiritual way;" Serm. v. Class. 1, § 6.) though we may feel all this, the change is wrought: Jacob is now Israel, for "as a prince we have power with God and man, and have prevailed." (Note: Hieron. in Psalm. cxiii. "Anima videns Deum," is one of the translations which Jerome gives of the name Israel; but he confesses elsewhere, (Quoest. Heb. in Gen.) that our common rendering, "a prince with God," is more correct, as derived from sarah [H8280] and el [H410].) But a price has to be paid for this. Jacob, to have God’s strength, must lose his own strength. The man "whose hand lays hold" is not a "prince of God," until the hollow of his thigh is out of joint (Genesis 32:25). When he is weak, then is he strong. The power of Christ only rests on him in his infirmities (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Who has learnt this lesson of the cross? Are there not souls, who have toiled and accomplished much as respects their outward man, who have served for Laban’s flocks, yet are conscious that Esau, the carnal mind, not only lives, -- for he will yet live, -- but is keeping their spirit from the full enjoyment of heavenly things? Will their fruits give them the power they lack? Never. Would we be Israels? These are the conditions, -- to go up over Jordan, and wrestle alone, and be smitten in the fleshly part, and lamed, and halting; so shall we have power with God and man; and because so few will submit to this, there are many Jacobs, but few Israels. (Note: Greg. M. in Ezech. l. ii. h. 2, § 12.)

Such is this stage as known within. Without, it is the experience of those who are toiling on, to take their flocks and children into the promised land. The world now is left behind. Its pursuit has not stopped the elect, who is now close to heavenly things. Then fleshly professors arise, false brethren, like Esau, born in the house of the Son, and yet like him profane men, whose very wrath drives the elect in self-despair to God, till from Jacobs they are transformed into Israels. The details in this view I need not repeat: -- how the elect divide the flocks, by such division hoping to go more safely; -- how, spite of this, some of the rough and animal natures we have won, though freed from the world, are given into the hand of carnal brethren, in the hope that thus the true heirs may be saved; -- how such planning cannot give us rest; -- how prayer is the true and unfailing means of strength; -- how wrestling and darkness must be our experience; -- how in feebleness and pain we meet our carnal brethren; -- how those, who have once bitterly opposed, receive us graciously; -- how the proffered aid of such is declined, lest the babes and flocks be overdriven; for "if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock would die" (Genesis 33:13); -- all this and much more here is known to those, who have attempted to guide flocks out of the world into heavenly places. The way remains the same as of old; and the just shall walk in it safely, though transgressors fall therein.