Blessed Are the Peacemakers - Genesis 32:1-5.

What happens when a once fruitful relationship turns sour? How can it be restored and repaired? If you’ve hurt someone deeply or have been hurt deeply by someone does that automatically mean that the relationship must end with no opportunity for reconciliation?

These past few messages I’ve asked a number of questions regarding our spiritual growth. I’ve asked who has the Lord put in your life for your growth. I’ve also asked what aspects of biblical character is God developing in you?

Now I want to ask another question. Is there someone in your life that you must make peace with? Is there someone who you offended or who offended you and now a relationship that was once healthy, positive and a source of encouragement is now strained, perhaps even broken?

It’s probably been only a matter of days since Jacob confronted Laban and now his thoughts turn to the brother he deceived.

And once more Jacob has to rely on God to do for him what he can’t do for himself. But remember as we said last week relying on the Lord isn’t a passive process. God blessed Jacob abundantly when he was with Laban but that blessing didn’t just drop out of the sky. Jacob himself noted how hard he worked and it was God who blessed his work.

Now Jacob must reconcile with his brother. And though he must depend on God to work on Esau’s heart, Jacob must also take the necessary steps to repair the relationship that he had damaged when he deceived his father to secure the family blessing.

In repairing the relationship Jacob must engage in repentance that deals with the issues that ruptured the relationship. In other words Jacob can’t just go up to Esau and say ‘look, I apologize if I said or did something that you found offensive’. Nor could he even say ‘you know that blessing thing that happened twenty years ago? Yeah that was my bad, can we be cool now? Lastly, Jacob could not even say ‘look you know the blessing was supposed to be mind anyway so you really don’t have anything to be mad about.

What does Jacob do to begin the process of peacemaking and how can that bless us today?

The process began when Jacob acknowledged that he needed to make peace. He couldn’t let this go and couldn’t avoid it. In one sense God is not going to allow him to live in peace in the land of promise until he made peace with his brother. Peacemaking begins for us when we believe and accept that we cannot enjoy peace with God unless we’re enjoying peace with His children.

How do you know that it’s time to start making peace? If the relationship you once had with someone has changed for the worse because of an incident or even supposed incident between you then it is time. If you once had good thoughts and feelings about someone and now have feelings of indifference that border on resentment and can lead to bitterness then it’s time to make peace. Even if you don’t have anything against someone but have reason to believe that they have a problem with you then it’s time to begin the process of making peace.

Jacob acknowledges that he must initiate the process of peacemaking. He doesn’t try to avoid, deceive or try to fight off Esau. He takes it upon himself to send messengers to Esau alerting him of his coming. This is significant because it marks the fact that Jacob isn’t trying to sneak back home with the hope of avoiding this necessary confrontation. Notice he doesn’t send the messengers on a spy mission to locate where Esau is with the hope of avoiding him.
Peacemaking begins when we initiate the process by contacting the person we need to make peace with.

Jacob pursues peacemaking by directly addressing the wound. In getting the blessing Jacob received at least two things that particularly aroused Esau's anger, namely the family lead and the family wealth.
But Isaac replied to Esau, "Behold, I have made him your master, and all his relatives I have given to him as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. Now as for you then, what can I do, my son?" 38 Esau said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father." So Esau lifted his voice and wept.

How does Jacob address this as he seeks to make peace?

He refers to himself as Esau’s servant or even slave. It is a way of placing his life at his brother’s disposal. This is crucial because part of Jacob’s blessing concerned him being the lord or master of his brother. In other words Jacob isn’t coming back to be lord and master of his brother.

He also sought to assure Esau that he wasn’t returning with the intent of cashing in on the blessing. He tells his brother that the Lord has blessed him to the point where the family wealth isn't an issue any longer.

Finally, Jacob tells his brother that he wants to be on better terms than they perhaps had ever been. The phrase translated ‘find favor in your sight’ means to be regarded with grace and acceptance with a view to enjoying good relations. The fact that Jacob is asking for this is a way of acknowledging that he doesn’t deserve it and now in a sense must be blessed by his older brother.
This brings to mind a few things when seeking to make peace.

First, focus on the issue that caused conflict.
Second, always go into a peacemaking situation with the attitude of forgiving sin, asking for forgiveness, granting forgiveness or all three.

Third, believe that the relationship can be put back together and even be stronger than it was before the conflict.

Finally, we must look to our Covenant Lord who took it upon Himself to repair the relationship that we had broken with Him. Genesis 3 tells how God immediately knew that Adam had disobyed Him and thus ruptured their covenantal relationship. Yet is was the Lord who took the initiative to repair the relationship. The Lord immediately put the plan of salvation in place in which the seed of the woman and the blessing of Abraham that is Jesus Christ would come and make lasting peace between Him and Adam's fallen race. And like Jacob our Covenant Lord made peace by addressing the exact issue that caused the broken relationship which was our sin. How did He do this? Jesus Christ Jacob's great descendent lived a perfect life before the Father thus keeping the covenant Adam broke when he rebelled. Following this Jesus went to the cross to die for the sins of all of God's people thus satisfying fully God's anger against our rebellion. Lastly, the Father rose Jesus from the dead proving that He accepted our Lord's sacrifice and that complete and permanent peace has been made.

Questions for reflection:

Is there someone in your life that you must make peace with? Is there someone who you offended or who offended you and now a relationship that was once healthy, positive and a source of encouragement is now strained, perhaps even broken?

What would you need to do to initiate the peacemaking process? Should you make a phone call or perhaps ask someone to lunch or a coffee shop to talk?

Are you aware of the issue that caused the break in the relationship and are you ready to focus on that issue?

Within this situation are you the one who must forgive, ask for forgiveness or grant forgiveness?