Good Morning Yamon Ki Yesepar;

Genesis 32:8:  “Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed.”

There is a question that arises in this verse. This verse appears to be repetitious.  He was greatly afraid and distressed. If he was afraid it would stand to reason he was distressed.  The sages teach that Scripture does not waste words.  The verse should simply say that Jacob was afraid and leave it at that.  The verse also says he was “greatly” (mo’ed) afraid. But it does not say he was “mo’ed” greatly distressed.

The word afraid is  yirah.  The yod, resh, and alpha creates a picture of turning away from the message of God. Indeed, the basis of all fear comes when we turn away from the promises of God’s word.  Perfect love will cast out all fear I John 4:18.  Jacob’s first reaction when he heard that his brother Esau was gunning for him, was to fear.  That is only natural.  That bill arrives that you can’t pay, the doctor gives a negative report, you hear you may be laid off – first reaction is fear or even “mo’ed” fear.

But then this is followed by “yeser”  distress.  Yeser, in it’s prime state means to create, devise, imagine, think through, plot, plan.  Well that is the next step, once you get the bad news, what do you do, you start to plot, to work out a plan of escape.  Jacob divided his people into two groups figuring that Esau would only be able to strike one group giving the other a chance to escape.  Well, that explains why Scripture did not put a “mo’ed” in front of “yeser.”   He sure wasn’t “greatly” thinking out a plan.  His plan was to cut his losses and hope he could escape 50% in tact.

Finally, the old boy gets around to praying.  By this time he has made a complete mess of things with his “yeser.”  He now comes to the Lord and is saying to God: “Well, you got me into this fix in the first place. You were the one who told me to return to my home and now a messenger comes and tells me my brother has a price on my head and I am forced to divide my people into two camps. You promised I would be a great nation and now you send me here to die.”

Remember all this fear and distress came about from verse 6 when messengers came to Jacob and told him his brother had 400 men.  Hearing that Jacob became fearful and his yeser, his imagination conjured up that Jacob was preparing a pre-emptive attack and he had to start building a defense.

Remember the prime meaning of fear “turning away from the message of God.”  Instead of listening to the message of God, he listened to his own messengers.  The message of God was one of promise and help, the word of Jacob’s messengers wasn’t even bad, just that his brother had 400 men and Jacob’s imagination (yeser) took over.  Jacob turned away from the message of God, and his yeser led to a plan which would have left him at best 50% in tact, Whereas, had he listened to the message and promises of God (which he finally did in verse 12), he would have been left 100% in tact.

So next time you get that ominous message from the bank, the lawyer, the doctor, the boss etc.,  don’t turn away from the message and promises of God.  That will result in fear and a yeser that will leave you 50% or less in tact.  But clinging to the promises of God you will not end up in fear for His plan will leave  you 100% in tact.

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