Genesis 31:51 – 32:5

⁵¹ Then Laban said to Jacob, “See this pile and the monument, which I have set between me and you.

⁵² This pile is a witness, and the monument is a witness, that I will not pass over this pile to you, and you will not pass over this pile and this monument to me, to do damage.

⁵³ The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac,

⁵⁴ and Jacob offered a sacrifice in the hill country and called his relatives to eat bread. They ate bread and spent the night in the hill country.

⁵⁵ Early in the morning Laban got up and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home.

^32:1 Jacob started traveling on his way, and the angels of God met him.

² And when Jacob saw them he said, “This is God’s camp!” So he called the name of that place Mahanaim.[1]

³ And Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom,

⁴ instructing them, “This is what you will say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have lived with Laban as an alien and stayed until now.

⁵ I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.'” _________________________________________

another camp

What Jacob had with Laban was hardly a reconciliation, nor was Jacob yet reconciled with his brother, Esau. But this text reveals that Jacob has grown inside. No longer is he simply seeking what he wants, without regard for who he leaves behind. He has begun to show spiritual maturity that is now seeking reconciliation and peace. He is not all the way there yet, but he’s getting there.

Granted, part of what Jacob is now experiencing is simply the wisdom one gains by working with people, and experiencing conflict. He is now wary of Laban, and thus seeks a covenant that offers him protection from his father-in-law. He fears Esau, and wants to get on his good side. He has persistent with men, and is learning how to prevail in his encounters with them.

He is having a similar experience with God. When the angels from God meet him, he recognizes them, but we are not at first told what they said. What we are told is that Jacob recognizes that there are two camps – mahanaim. Jacob is realizing that God’s house is not just at Bethel. It is wherever Jacob is. There are two camps, one in the human realm, one in the divine. God is not someplace else. He is camping with us in the same spot. The things that happen to us are not just social interaction in the human camp; they are also part of our interaction with the LORD.

LORD, teach us the spiritual maturity we need to prevail and get peace – with each other and with you.

[1] mahanaim: two camps.