Day 1 (Monday)
Genesis 32:3-32; 33:1-20 (Jacob Sends Presents to Esau, Wrestles with God, Jacob & Esau Meet)
Last week, we saw Laban chase Jacob and his household as they fled from Padan-aram, and how Laban accused Jacob of stealing away his daughters and his household gods. We saw Jacob respond, in ignorance, that no one had stolen Laban’s gods, and offer Laban to search all his possessions, laying a curse of death on anyone with whom they were found. Rachel hid the household gods, so Laban and Jacob made a covenant that they would keep peace between the two of them, and Laban returned home. This time, we will see Jacob, now free from the concerns of Mesopotamia, set his face toward a reckoning with his brother.
Jacob Sends Presents to Appease Esau
3 Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, 4 instructing them, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have lived with Laban as an alien, and stayed until now; 5 and I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male and female slaves; and I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.’”
6 The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies, 8 thinking, “If Esau comes to the one company and destroys it, then the company that is left will escape.”
9 And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will do you good,’ 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan; and now I have become two companies. 11 Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him; he may come and kill us all, the mothers with the children. 12 Yet you have said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted because of their number.’”
13 So he spent that night there, and from what he had with him he took a present for his brother Esau, 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty milch camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 These he delivered into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on ahead of me, and put a space between drove and drove.”
17 He instructed the foremost, “When Esau my brother meets you, and asks you, ‘To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you?’ 18 then you shall say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob; they are a present sent to my lord Esau; and moreover he is behind us.’” 19 He likewise instructed the second and the third and all who followed the droves, “You shall say the same thing to Esau when you meet him, 20 and you shall say, ‘Moreover your servant Jacob is behind us.’” For he thought, “I may appease him with the present that goes ahead of me, and afterwards I shall see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” 21 So the present passed on ahead of him; and he himself spent that night in the camp.
Jacob Wrestles at Peniel
22 The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.”
28 Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the hip socket, because he struck Jacob on the hip socket at the thigh muscle.
Jacob and Esau Meet
33 Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two maids. 2 He put the maids with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. 3 He himself went on ahead of them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near his brother.
4 But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. 5 When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” 6 Then the maids drew near, they and their children, and bowed down; 7 Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed down; and finally Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down. 8 Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company that I met?”
Jacob answered, “To find favor with my lord.” 9 But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.” 10 Jacob said, “No, please; if I find favor with you, then accept my present from my hand; for truly to see your face is like seeing the face of God—since you have received me with such favor. 11 Please accept my gift that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have everything I want.” So he urged him, and he took it.
12 Then Esau said, “Let us journey on our way, and I will go alongside you.” 13 But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail and that the flocks and herds, which are nursing, are a care to me; and if they are overdriven for one day, all the flocks will die. 14 Let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will lead on slowly, according to the pace of the cattle that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.”
15 So Esau said, “Let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.” But he said, “Why should my lord be so kind to me?” 16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. 17 But Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built himself a house, and made booths for his cattle; therefore the place is called Succoth.
18 Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram; and he camped before the city. 19 And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, he bought for one hundred pieces of money the plot of land on which he had pitched his tent. 20 There he erected an altar and called it “The God of Israel is God.”
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out three things in this longer reading.
First, everything about Jacob’s preparation to meet Esau emphasizes one point; he is confessing and repenting of his sin against his brother in stealing his blessing, and is, in fact, giving it back to his brother. To see this more clearly, we will recall the core of the blessing that Jacob stole, from Genesis 27:28-29 “May God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.” In calling Esau Lord and sending him rich gifts, he himself gives to Esau the things that he had taken. And it must be noted that the Hebrew word used here for “present” and in Genesis 27 for “blessing” are the same word.
Second, when Jacob wrestles with God, there are echoes of his entire life. The place where they wrestle is Jabbok, similar to his own name, which refers to his grasping of his brother’s leg at birth, and has been prophetic of his character as a deceiver and usurper. As dawn approaches, and Jacob refuses to give in, God touches his leg in turn, putting it out of place, making Jacob weak where he has been strong in his own will to power up to this point. Jacob still refuses to let go, asking now for a blessing; at this point, he finally receives a new name, like Abraham before him, and in that name, entrusting himself to the Lord’s care instead of to his own strength, he will receive the promise of Abraham. We should not ignore the fact that the wrestling, and the receiving of a new name by Jacob, happens at a stream; this is, in effect, his baptism, his rebirth as the faithful heir of Abraham’s blessings.
Finally, we should note how the very last thing that happened as Jacob left Laban and turned toward Esau was that he met angels of God, an assurance of God’s care for him. His own prayer to the Lord expresses repentance and entrusts himself to the Lord’s care…but we should note that he ALSO repents actively, and gives back the blessing to Esau. Some commentators have seen in this an expression of faithlessness on Jacob’s part, that he did not trust God to care for him, but I think we would do better to see here the importance of following up words of repentance and trust with actions of humility and repentance.
As an additional addendum; it is good to compare the way in which Jacob leaves Esau with the way in which he leaves Laban. With Laban, there is need for a treaty; they do not part as friends, but as enemies with an agreement not to continue to fight. With Esau, they part as brothers, fully reconciled. The wound of Jacob’s deceit has been healed.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Day 2 (Wednesday)
5th & 6th Vespers Prayers at the Lighting of the Lamps
At sunset each day, the Church celebrates the service of Vespers, which simply means sunset, or evening. This is built around the very ancient custom of lighting the lamps inside the Church, while Psalms are read that reflect on the coming of the night, the rest that God gives to us, and our expectation of the new day that is to come, and of the enlightenment that we are given by the Lord as He illumines our hearts and our minds. As the service begins, there are seven prayers that are read by the Priest; we will read today the fifth and sixth of those seven prayers.
5th Prayer of the Lighting of the Lamps
O Lord, Lord, Who in Your undefiled palm hold all things, Who are long-suffering toward us all, and consider us in our calamities, be mindful of Your compassions, and of Your mercy; visit us in Your goodness; and grant us during the remainder also of the present day to escape from the manifold machinations of the evil one, and keep our life unassailed, by the grace of Your All-holy Spirit.
By the mercy, and love toward man of Your Only-begotten Son, with Whom You are blessed, together with Your All-Holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
6th Prayer of the Lighting of the Lamps
O God, Who are great and wonderful, Who in Your ineffable goodness, and bountiful providence order all things; Who have both given us the good things of this world, and have assured us of the promised kingdom, through the good things already bestowed upon us; Who have made us during the past portion of this day also to decline from all evil, grant us to accomplish the remainder also blamelessly, before Your holy glory, hymning You our only good God and lover of man.
For You are our God, and to You we send up glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out how these prayers situate us at this time of nightfall, standing in trouble and darkness, looking towards the Lord, in confidence of His care and mercy and love for us. The Vespers service, and the Vespers prayers, use this liminal space of evening to meditate upon our dependence on the Lord. We thank Him for His good care for us up to this point, and entrust ourselves to His mercy and will in the coming night, and in our entire life.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Day 3 (Friday)
John 4:39-54 (Jesus and the Samaritans, Jesus Returns to Galilee, Heals Official's Son)
Last time we saw Jesus finish His conversation with Photini, the Samaritan woman at the well, who responded to the Lord’s knowledge of her sins and brokenness with eager seeking for the salvation that He brought. When the disciples came out of the city with the food and offered it to Him, He said that He was not hungry, as His nourishment was to do the work of the Father. He told them that the fields were full and ready for harvest, and then the people of the city came out, having heard from Photini about the Lord. This is where we will pick up the story.
Jesus and the Samaritans
39 Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”
Jesus Returns to Galilee
43 When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee 44 (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in the prophet’s own country). 45 When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival.
Jesus Heals an Official’s Son
46 Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my little boy dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.”
The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. 51 As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, “Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.” 53 The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he himself believed, along with his whole household. 54 Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that the Samaritans come out to seek the Lord, almost in fulfillment of what He said to the disciples in last week’s reading, that the fields are white for harvest. They are eager to receive the blessings of the Lord; it is interesting to see this juxtaposed next with the statement that the Lord then went to Galilee, where He was welcomed, while “a prophet is not welcome in His own country,” which perhaps is used here to reflect that Jesus was not actually born in Galilee, but in Judaea, which He has now had to leave. The other point we should note is how this tells us that the healing of the official’s son was the second miracle that He had done. This, and the mention of which day it is, shows us that John is framing his gospel within a very tight and clear narrative, and it may be fruitful to go back and note what the itinerary of that narrative is.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?