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, that I may do you good,’ I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of 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 camps. Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’”
So he stayed there that night, and from what he had with him he took a present for his brother Esau, two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milking camels and their calves, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. These he handed over to his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on ahead of me and put a space between drove and drove.”
Comment: I can see a number of aspects in Jacob’s prayer. a) obedience – he was about to do what God had ordered. b) thankfulness – as he acknowledges God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. This leads to humility. c) supplication – he was needing reassurance and delivery from his fears. d) he reminds God of His previous promises to him, Jacob.
Having prayed, Jacob laid out a costly plan for self protection. 220 goats with workers to look after them; 220 sheep plus their keepers; thirty camels with calves; 50 cows; 30 donkeys, were picked out o the herds and sent widely spaced in front of Jacob. His plan was to weaken down Esau’s animosity until he eventually arrived to meet Jacob. It seems to me as if some of Jacob’s sneakiness was still there and needed to be dealt with – maybe he needs a closer tussle with God!
Prayer: Jesus, You told us to be clever like snakes, and innocent like doves. Please help me to have a balanced mixture of godly characteristics!
As I read it! 