There are scholars who believe Jacob was wrong to assume Esau and his 400 men were a threat. Not a few of them presume to accuse the efforts of Jacob to be evidence of a lack of faith. They conclude there isn’t enough evidence to conclude that Esau and his men were armed! Nevertheless, Isaac’s prophecy was that Esau would live by the sword (Genesis 27:40), and, if he and his men were in the land of Seir, the country of the Horites (Genesis 14:6), he was there as a mercenary in the service of the Horites (cp. Genesis 36:21, 29) or as an invader, if Isaac’s prophecy rings true. Moreover, if Esau and his men weren’t armed, what would Esau’s offer of protection mean in Genesis 33:15?
If such an understanding is logical and true, then one could hardly assume Esau and his men weren’t armed, or that they weren’t a potential threat to Jacob. If prayer means anything at all, and, if being called a prince with God, vis-à-vis in prayer (Genesis 32:28) has any meaning whatsoever, then Esau did, indeed, have evil intentions, as he and his army hurried to meet Jacob. Nevertheless, his heart was changed on the way, and however that was done in the flesh, power over Esau’s wrath comes in the form of Jacob’s prayer (Genesis 32:9-12).
With his heart changed, and after he embraced his brother, Esau asked Jacob who the women and children were who were with him (Genesis 33:5). Jacob replied, saying the women and children were the blessings of the Lord, which he had given him during his sojourn in Haran. Then Jacob called for his family, and they crossed the Jabbok and bowed themselves to Esau out of respect, following Jacob’s example (Genesis 33:6-7, cp. verse-3).
After the introductions were complete, Esau asked Jacob about the meaning of the different companies of livestock he met on the way, and Jacob told him they were his present of good will toward him in the hope of finding the same in his sight (Genesis 33:8).
At first, Esau refused Jacob’s gift, saying he had enough, and didn’t need anything from him. However, with Jacob’s insistence that the present was in hope of a witness of good will on Esau’s part, Esau accepted Jacob’s present, as a token of his good will toward his brother. Therefore, Jacob was able to see the face of God in his brother (Genesis 33:9-11), in that the grace in which he was received was a witness to the answer to Jacob’s prayer (Genesis 32:9-12).
Afterward, Esau offered to escort Jacob to Seir, himself, and when his kindness was refused, because it wouldn’t favor the needs of his children or his herds of livestock, both of whom would favor a slower pace than an army of men would desire, Esau offered to let some of his men stay with Jacob for protection on the way (Genesis 33:12-15). Nevertheless, Jacob told him there was no need, because the Lord, who had guided both Esau and Jacob and brought the brothers together in peace, was able to bring Jacob to Seir without an armed guard, so Esau agreed and returned to Seir alone (verse-16). It, therefore, seems that Jacob had taken charge of his present to Esau and brought both his herds and Esau’s livestock to Seir at the slower pace demanded of animals, if they were to survive a long journey.
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