Today’s Scripture Reading (June 17,
2015): Genesis 32
On April 18,
1942, the Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle led the “Doolittle Raid” or the “Tokyo
Raid” on the Island of Japan. The intention of the raid was not really to cause
irreparable damage to the island nation, but rather it was a show of force to
display to the Japanese people that their Islands were not as safe a haven as
the Japanese leaders had led them to believe. The raid took sixteen midsized
bombers and sent them on a one way mission. The plan was to bomb Japan and then
land in China. The raid caused very little damage in Japan, and all sixteen
planes were lost, but only seven of the eighty men sent on the mission were
killed – three were killed in action, three were executed by Japan and one died
in captivity. But the attack did accomplish the stated mission; Japan was shown
to be vulnerable to attack from the U.S., the Japanese morale was diminished
and the morale of the average American was increased. Finally, the United
States was in a place to be able to respond to Japanese aggression.
As we read
the story of the preparation for the meeting of the twin brothers, Jacob and
Esau, no one seems to be really sure what is happening here. For some, Esau is
on his way with 400 men to make kill Jacob, and it is only Jacob’s humble
actions that save him from that end. Others argue that Esau was incapable of holding
a grudge for that long; that such an idea goes against his nature. Having said
that, Jacob could hold the grudge that long, and his reaction is proof that
Jacob never really understood the character of his brother. It might even be
that Esau knew of the dangers of the area and had responded with 400 men so
that he would be in a position to keep his brother safe. Another argument is
that Esau could have received the news of Jacob’s return while he himself had
been out in the field dealing with some sort of border dispute. The 400 men
were only there because of where it was that Esau was coming from. But, to be
honest, we just don’t know.
But, what we
do know is that Jacob receives the news of Esau and the 400 man hunting party
and it scares him. He knew very clearly what he would do if he was in Esau’s
position. And so he reacts accordingly.
The rest of
what follows here is nothing more than my personal opinion. I think that the
400 men were largely symbolic. Esau was willing to welcome his brother back,
his anger at his brother had long passed, but Jacob needed to know that he would
be returning on Esau’s terms. He may have missed out on both the birthright and
the blessing, but Esau wanted Jacob to know that the inheritance was firmly in
his hands. Esau wanted his brother to realize that he was both forgiven and accepted,
but that he could also be reached. If Jacob continued to deceive, Esau would
now be in a position to respond. When the two brothers parted, that had not
been true, but now it was. Things had changed and Jacob needed to be understood
that in Canaan, Esau ruled.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis
33
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