FACING THE PAST
Wayne Wilson
Today’s Scripture: “After that Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing from Isaac. He thought to himself, ‘My father will soon die, and I will be sad for him. Then I will kill Jacob.’” Genesis 27:41, NCV
Theme: Past wounds need reckoning.
FAMILIAL HURTS
In the opening scenes of “The Warrior,” we see a son return to his father after being gone many years. The father had been a violent alcoholic but has now been sober for over two years. The son is still incredibly angry about his father’s previous ways but returns to seek help from his father. Tommy wants to train for a prize fight in mixed martial arts. As he says, training fighters is the one thing his father is good at doing.
In later scenes of “The Warrior,” the father goes to visit his other son, Brendan. Brendan chose to stay with his father when Tommy and his mother left. Since then, Brendan has built a new life and has cut off all contact with his father. In one scene, we can see how angry, hurt, and skeptical Brendan has been of--and still is--his father’s rage and alcoholism.
WOUNDS OF THE PAST
The past leaves wounds that, though we may try and ignore, avoid, or just move past, still need reconciling. This father has caused wounds and both of his sons have deep wounds that have shaped their lives, behaviors, and even personalities. We can see in these scenes from “The Warrior” how, though both have tried to “just move on,” these wounds need to be dealt with or they will continue to negatively shape their lives.
FROM THE BEGINNING
In Genesis, Chapters 27 through 32, we read about two other brothers. These brothers are Jacob (the younger brother) and Esau (the older brother). In this story, Jacob is his mother’s favorite son. She wants him to have the blessing of the father and all that goes with it. By tradition, this blessing should belong to the oldest son. Jacob and his mother plot and carry out a scenario that ends in Jacob getting his father's blessing through deception (Genesis: 27:1). When Esau finds out, he is enraged. I imagine his rage being the kind we see in Tommy in “The Warrior.” Jacob flees, fearing for his life and living with the memory of what he did for many years. After that, Esau hated Jacob because he stole the blessing from Isaac. Esau thought to himself, “My father will soon die, and I will be sad for him. Then I will kill Jacob” (Genesis 27:41, NCV).
Like in “The Warrior,” these brothers are to meet again. When Jacob again meets Esau, “a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day” (Genesis 32:24, ESV). Most theologians feel this “man” was God, and that Jacob was anticipating this reunion and the memory of what he did. This meeting, however, is quite different than Tommy and Brendan’s meeting, the past is reconciled.
Make It Personal: We all have wounds or have wounded others. Do you know yours? Do you know what wounds you have inflicted on others? How are you living in the shadow of those wounds? Do you know how they have and will continue to shape you? They are affecting your life, unless they have been reconciled. This healing is so important to human relationships that God proactively reconciled our relationship with Him by the wounds inflicted on His Son, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (John 3:16).
Pray: God, show me the wounds in my life. Also, show me the wounds I have caused others. Give me the courage to face all of these. Show me and provide the way of reconciliation with those who have wounded me, or I whom I have wounded. I am ready God, for the journey required. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Read: Genesis 27:1-27, 30-35; 32:3-8, 22-30, 33:4-11
Weekly Memory Verse: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13 (ESV)