The face of Esau – the face of God

In the previous article, we learned about the fatherly love of Esau and his response of love, forgiveness and acceptance, as recorded in Genesis 33:1-7. Reading through Scripture, something equally or if not even more significant surfaces in the character profile of Esau.

The context is as follows. Jacob shrewdly and deceptively had deprived his twin brother, Esau of his birthright (Genesis 25:29-34) and blessings (Genesis 27:1-40). Fearing for his life (Genesis 27:41), he had fled to his uncle Laban’s place, where God had blessed him. Upon God’s direction (Genesis 31:13, 32:9), he is returning to the land that God had covenanted to give his fathers – Abraham and Isaac. Proactively he sends word with his servants, that he may find grace in the eyes of Esau (Genesis 32:5), hoping to have Esau’s wrath turned away from him. His servants return and tell him that Esau is coming to meet him with four hundred men (Genesis 32:6). Greatly distressed, fearing for the loss of his life and his family’s (Genesis 32:11), Jacob cries out to the Lord for his mercy and protection (Genesis 32:9-12) and then he acts again; this time, making ready an appeasement gift of significant proportions to give his brother Esau to avert his brother’s wrath. He sends his possessions as gifts, drove (flock) after drove. When Esau’s comes close to Jacob, he responds not with hatred, but with an accepting and restorative love, just as the father of a prodigal son did. Then when Esau questions, as to what all these droves meant, Jacob responds by saying that these gifts were to find grace in Esau’s eye. Esau informs his brother Jacob that he has enough and that he was not in need of his gifts. Jacob then makes an interesting statement, which is likely one of the greatest commendations that could be said of any man. Seeing the face of Esau, Jacob expresses that it felt as if he had seen the face of God for Esau had accepted him.

The Bible establishes that no man may see the face of God and live (Exodus 33:20). So how can Jacob make such a bold statement? How does Jacob know what God’s face looks like? Just a night ago, Jacob was in the presence of the angel of the Lord with whom he had wrestled. After he accepted his sinfulness and confessed that he was indeed a Jacob (deceiver), God (the angel of the Lord is likely the pre-incarnate Christ) responded with grace and acceptance and said that his past (as Jacob the deceiver) would no longer be necessary for his identification, for henceforth he shall be known by a new name Israel. He had seen God’s face (Exodus 32:30) reflect forgiveness, grace and acceptance. It was not any gift that appeased God, but his humble confession in repentance. Esau reflects that same character of God – of forgiveness, grace, and acceptance. Just as God had shown grace (unmerited favor), so did Esau.

Points to ponder:
The glory of God is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6) and we have this treasure hidden in us (2 Corinthians 4:7). When people look at us, do they feel the presence of the Lord? In other words, do they see us forgive, be gracious and accepting of those who have wronged us? Simply put, when people see our lives, can they express that they feel as if they have seen the face of God (in us) – the hidden treasure in our jars of clay? Do they God’s grace in us? Do they see God’s face in us?

Exodus 33:8-16 (KJV)
⁸ And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.
⁹ And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself.
¹⁰ And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.
¹¹ Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.
¹² And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.
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.
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.
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.
¹⁶ So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.

2 Corinthians 4:6-7 (ESV)
⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.