Genesis 33:12 “And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.”

Genesis 33:13 “And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die.”

Genesis 33:14 “ Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.”

Genesis 33:15 “And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord.”

Genesis 33:16 “So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.”

Hello dear readers, Saturday morning in Adelaide, South Australia. God put something on my heart to write just this morning, and it has to do with God’s leading, and specifically how he leads us in our Christian lives. Maybe you’re struggling to know God’s leading in your life, I know I have been. Knowing God’s leading and being in the will of God is a vital part of the Christian life. And this story deals with God’s leading and making sure we know and stay in God’s leading in our lives. So hopefully this is helpful!

I’ve quoted from Genesis 33, the chapter where Jacob and Esau are reconciled. Of course, we know that this is not a true godly reconciliation, because Esau is not right with God, and so that root of bitterness that Esau has yet remains untaken away, because he never surrendered it to Christ. You can have a root of bitterness or the root of David in your life… which is it? Hopefully Jesus Christ is your root.

What we see here in this chapter is God’s miraculous deliverance of Jacob really. Because Esau was capable of and wanting to kill Jacob. But here we see a reconciliation of sorts between two brothers. Reconciliation is of God, in fact that’s what the gospel is all about… reconciliation to God. But you cannot have true reconciliation without Jesus Christ, because reconciliation with God through Christ is the basis for true reconciliation with fellow man. And godly reconciliation is an unbelievably powerful thing, just read about Joseph’s reconciliation with his brothers, tell me that wasn’t an emotional and amazing thing in the Bible.

Let’s face it, we all stuff up, we all sin, we all do wrong. And Jacob had been guilty about what he had done in pretending to be Esau and stealing his blessing. Even though really, God’s blessing cannot be stolen. God didn’t bless Jacob because Jacob dealt for, bargained and stole it. But God did bless Jacob because Jacob really wanted it. There’s nothing wrong with, and we should be, wanting God’s blessing on our lives. Why would we want a future without God’s blessing? I want a future in God’s blessing. We just need to realize that God blesses us on the basis of his grace and mercy, not on us cutting a deal with him or manipulating it out of him. You try and manipulate false gods with your behaviour, but remember, the true God is not manipulated by man. Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling. And remember that Jacob did a lot of clinging on before God blessed him in just the previous chapter.

And so the brothers get reconciled… but now Esau wants to lead! Hang on a second! And in this chapter we see some real wisdom from Jacob. Just because he’s right with Esau doesn’t mean he wants to company with Esau… or follow Esau. Because he’s not going where Esau is going in life. We need to take note! Because we’ve got to watch who we are aligning with and who and what is leading us in our lives. Who and what are we getting involved with? If it’s an Esau, that’s bad news, like really bad news. Because remember, Esau wants to and will lead!!! And he will lead if you go with him. And there are many people we shouldn’t be around or with because doesn’t matter how much salt and light we convince ourselves that we are… they want to lead and will lead. Many Christians think they’re leading… but they’re being led in today’s society. And many Christians get into very bad yokes, and here is a yoke that Jacob never took on him, and it was a crucial part of his life right here. I think one of the biggest issues with knowing and following God’s leading is… do we actually want that to begin with. Jacob did.

And the context is important here, read for yourself if you want and that would be best… but we know from the context that Jacob has just decided to follow God, he’s left Laban, he’s stepped out in faith and leaving his comfort zone, what he knows to obey God’s voice in his life… but now he’s in danger of being swerved off that path and being lead around by Esau… not by God. To get out from Laban only to get stuck with Esau… that would be out of the frying pan and into the fire proverbially speaking! So following God is something that we need to protect “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.”

But think about how many Christians leave one thing God is taking them out of only to get stuck in another thing they shouldn’t be in. Because that’s always the temptation and trap, to stop following God’s voice and direction in our lives. And that’s why many Christians end up in wrong destinations where they never truly realize the blessing of being in the place where God wanted them to be. There are situations in life we need to avoid, there are people we should never get involved with, there are groups we don’t need to get tangled up with… because they’re going to interfere and contradict how God is leading us, and where God is taking us. And we ask ourselves, do we want to be lead by God? I know I do. Most people truly do not, because it’s more comfortable following Esau than trusting God’s promises.

The thing is, God had spoken to Jacob, God had been leading Jacob, and Jacob knew where God wanted him to go. And Jacob knows that Esau is going to Seir… that’s not Canaan land! But God had said to Jacob to return to “get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred”! So Esau is wanting to take Jacob where Jacob knows God doesn’t want him to go. So who does he listen to? Who does he follow? And remember, he’s just finally left a land he’s been in for a long time, twenty years he was with Laban… and God has moved him out of there finally, he does not belong there anymore, because God’s got a place he wants Jacob to go, and Jacob wants to go there. But if Jacob follows Esau, he won’t be truly following God, and he will never get there, and he will have just got himself tangled up in a mess. I don’t want to make my life and ungodly mess and never realize the place God has for me that is only entered by faith and trusting his word.

And so this is a very prudent answer that we see from Jacob here, and in this prudent answer, we see a great lesson in how God leads us, and I believe it will be a blessing to you as it was to me. Because why do we want anything other than God’s leading in our lives? Look at who Esau truly is, and his horrible character, and look at how Esau leads, and Jacob used the word “overdrive” in here. What does that mean? And does God really drive us? Or does he lead us gently, softly, tenderly? I think the latter. We are meant to follow, not be driven, and driven hard. How Esau would’ve driven wouldn’t have been good for the women and the children, there were plenty of people that wouldn’t have been able to keep his pace. It wouldn’t have been driving with care either, and he didn’t know the requirements of Jacob’s company. It’s why we’ve got to recognize that we really all need God’s personal leading and timing in our personal lives. Only God can lead as God leads.

How much overdriving is happening in Christianity. Overdrive means to drive too hard, or beyond strength. It’s driving people beyond how God wants to take them and where God wants to take them. And so it goes from a blessed journey, to a blasted journey. Does your life feel blasted or blessed? Maybe you’re not in God’s will. Maybe you’re not even going in the right direction. That’s why there is no peace. And look at the destination. Seir is Esau’s inheritance… not Jacob’s inheritance. There’s nothing for Jacob at Seir. Are we pursuing something that ultimately has nothing for us? This long tough journey we can get on not following God and donuts at the end… and then we blame God… but we stopped obeying God and seeking God’s will long ago. And so we all need to look at the direction our life is going, and see that destination afar off, and we might need to plug our re-route into our Google maps! You know, if someone wants you to go one way, and God is leading you another, you should choose God’s way. And of course, we know God’s way from God’s word.

I do thank God for how God has lead me in my life. He has been gentle and tender, and he has known my weaknesses, my problems, and that I’ve needed time. God knew when Jacob needed to go. For Jacob, it took twenty years with Laban. Hopefully it doesn’t take that long for me! We all should be earnestly seeking God’s face in our lives. Jacob needed to be burnt a lot by Laban before he finally left. Why do we ever serve another master than our caring heavenly Father? Why do we place ourselves under people and things that do not truly care for us and bless us like God does? And he is a merciful, gracious, compassionate and kind God. Only God can lead like God leads! He truly knows where we are at. And that’s why we should encourage people to follow Jesus Christ, to be sensitive to his voice in their lives, and that sensitivity and hearing of God’s word comes from reading the Bible, listening to preaching, prayer.

What business did Esau even have leading Jacob and his family? Esau hadn’t done a thing for Jacob’s life. It’s amazing who and what we truly follow. It’s amazing how messed up we get when we leave God’s word and will for our lives. And we’ve got to watch out for anything that will take over our precious sweet walk with God. Remember, Esau is trying to take charge here. Satan wants to take charge of your life. Other people want to dictate your direction. But it was God that had protected and provided for Jacob. Why would you want to be led by anyone or anything but God, who’s done nothing for you? Jacob knew that God was the proven figure in his life. Laban had lied to him… God never had. God had preserved him… nobody else had. God had been with him, so why trade God out? Don’t lose your sweet walk with God, and sweet fellowship, and radiance and shining for Christ by following Esau.

Recently I had been thinking about Samuel the child when he ran to Eli to answer God calling him in his life. This happens so much in Christianity. But it is childish Christianity. It is childish to not know God’s word for ourselves and speak to God for ourselves. None of us are meant to be children forever. We are meant to grow up, and know God’s leading for ourselves in our own lives. I hope that for me and for you. How many Christians rely on other people, when God wants to talk to them personally, but they’re going to other people asking them what God is saying when God is a personal God. But that’s childish. So hopefully we grow up and recognize God’s voice in our own lives, because another person cannot substitute for God’s personal leading in our life. Speak to God!!! And we should be encouraging dependency on God not dependency on other people. Do you want to go to Canaan or not? Jacob knew what God had told him… do you?

No this does not mean we go solo, because God’s word says not to. So following God’s leading isn’t just cherry picking out of the Bible while leaving the full counsel of God’s word. So there is a balance to this. The more you get in God’s word, the more you can know for sure you are in the will of God. Of course, you cannot be obeying God’s word and disobeying God’s word at the same time. God doesn’t contradict himself. And a lot of people cite God’s leading, when clearly the Bible does not validate what they’re saying. But what I am emphasizing here, and what the Bible does teach, is that we need a personal walk with God by faith. That’s what Abraham had, and as children of Abraham, we need to walk in those same steps of faith.

So if we all would just consider what Jacob said here though, and apply it to our own personal lives. God’s word gives us directionality in our lives. And the Holy Spirit’s leading is very personal in each of our lives. If God’s voice is a still small voice, maybe we need to eliminate other distractions and noise in our lives so we can tune into what God is saying to us. Jacob had a lot of time out there with Laban’s flocks to tune in, in today’s world with so much tv, facebook, music, we can literally distract our way all the way to hell.

So let’s know that if we’re following the wrong people or group, we will get overdriven, and we will get to the wrong place. Do we want that outcome? Don’t we want to go to the right place that God wants us? And the thing is, maybe we are being overdriven, because we are not being led by God. Do you feel overdriven? Because God gives us grace for where he’s leading us. And so if we are feeling beyond ourselves, maybe that’s a sign we are on the wrong path and the wrong captain is steering our ship. But thank God that he can and will lead, if we would just hear and obey him. And thank God that his leading is gentle, it is soft, it is merciful, it is tender… and following him, like Jacob did, we will make it to where God wants us, and the place of rest that he has for each of us in our lives.

Blog Bible Christian Direction Esau Faith Following Genesis God God's Will Holy Spirit Jacob Leading