https://odb.org/2024/10/28/getting-rid-of-baggage
The forgiveness by Esau of the cunning but changed Jacob is one of the highlights of the book of Genesis and serves as an example of what God expects from us as His children when it comes to our own forgiveness of others.
Jacob committed two major “transgressions” against Esau. The first is buying Esau’s birthright with a bowl of soup – see Genesis 25: 29-43. The second was, with his mother Rebecca, tricked Isaac to give his blessings to Jacob by pretending to be Esau – Genesis 27:1-29. The father’s blessings in Jewish tradition are akin to the last will and testament but encompass more. It includes the spiritual blessing of the covering and goodness of God Almighty. It is reserved for the firstborn. Although Jacob and Esau are twins, Esau was the elder. But Jacob tricked Isaac to give him that and then fled the scene.
Isaac had his fair share of trials and tribulations in facing the trickier Laban, but in the process, he became quite wealthy, perhaps because of the blessings of Jacob opening the heaven’s doors and blessing him. In Genesis 32, he was to meet Esau, and he was fearful and terrified that Esau, with his 400 men, would take his life. But in Genesis 33, God turned the sitiation around for Jacob as Esau forgave him and accepted his atonement for his past transgressions against him.
In our context, it is time as Christians whom God first loved and forgave through Christ Jesus, that we ourselves must move on and leave our past emotional baggage behind. Forgive and even forget. What’s passed is past. Leave them behind. Don’t carry a heavy weight around our neck while we progress in our spiritual walk. God must have had a purpose to allow those things to happen. There’s no point drunking poison, hoping someone else will die. In fact, don’t even pray for God to avenge us. It has happened, and let it be. Because of what we had gone through in the past, God will have better and bigger things for us, even on this side of eternity! Be like Esau – forgive Jacob, and move on.
Have a great week ahead, everyone! May the LORD our God grant us wisdom and discernment in all that we do that we may glorify Christ in all things! Amen!
Ronnie's Thoughts 