He Gives Grace

The relationship between Esau and Jacob started out like any relationship between brothers: they had agreements and disagreements. Many brothers finally become best friends as they grow older, but they didn’t: the disagreements went beyond childhood.

We could take a whole day analyzing who was at fault and who should have been mature enough to forgive, but that’s beside the point. The inter-brother crisis continued even after they had started their own families, to the point that when Jacob sent emissaries to his brother’s place with an offer of “oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants”, Esau still set out with 400 young men “to meet his brother Jacob”¹. The proposed reunion was definitely going to end in bloodshed, and Jacob knew this so he took steps to avoid it.

Now, all Jacob did: dividing the people and property with him into two, and sending set after set of livestock and servants to Esau, were just “to find grace” in the eyes of his brother. Needless to say, he found none. And that’s just the way it is with people.

Humans generally have high expectations from others especially concerning how they should be treated and respected, and so it’s not an easy feat to truly “find grace” in a person’s eyes. They will always look for your imperfections and exploit them if possible.

However when Jacob went to God, in one night all the issues were settled. He wrestled with the angel because he thought he could find grace in God’s eyes by his own efforts, but God showed him that He isn’t human, and doesn’t work that way.

The sons of Korah wrote, “The LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.”²

We don’t get God’s grace because we worked hard for it; we get it because He is good. Look, He gives grace to those who don’t deserve it!

From Noah to Mary, we see ordinary people who found extraordinary grace, not by climbing up a cliff and jumping off, or by secluding themselves in a monastery; but by staying humble and living right God’s grace found them and made their lives extraordinary.

Grace is an abounding gift from God. It is inexhaustible. God is able, and will make all grace abound towards you, so that you can have all you need, to do all you need to.³

The writer of Hebrews shows us that we can come boldly to the throne of grace…to find grace when we need it.⁴

 The reason is also stated: not because of our efforts, but the enduring work of our good High Priest who has died, and lives so we too can find grace. He says, by this same grace of God, Jesus was made to taste death for every man.⁵

It’s obvious then that those who truly find grace are unlikely to misuse it; not just because they know it was paid for with a sinless life, but also because that throne of grace is a holy one, and sin cannot abide there.

1 Gen 32:6

2 Ps 84:11

3 2Cor 9:8

4 Heb 4:16

5 Heb 2:9