Jacob's Gift

Jacob’s gift

Hi Bishop,

This morning I was wondering about how much Jacob's gift to his brother would be at the current prices, and I found someone who had made the calculations this last March. 

Here are the approximate modern day market prices of the animals that Jacob gave as a gift to his brother:

• 200 female goats @ $163 = $32,600

• 20 male goats @ $177 = $3,540

• 200 ewes @ $340 = $68,000

• 20 rams @ $541 = $10,820

• 30 female camels with their young @ $15,000 = $450,000

• 40 cows @ $700 = $28,000

• 10 bulls @ $1700 = $17,000

• 20 female donkeys @ $1500 = $30,000

• 10 male donkeys @ $1500 = $15,000

• Total: $654,960

I knew that Jacob was rich after leaving Laban, but I never realized how rich. If he was able to give a gift of over half a million dollars, which clearly was a huge sacrifice, to his brother, imagine how much more he had.

I think this gift is a crucial part of the story because he separated these animals and sent them off in the direction of his brother right before he wrestled with God — I don't think that's a coincidence. We could say this was not only a gift to his brother, but his sacrifice to God. 

Like you have been speaking about, the offering on the altar has no value when we have something against a brother in our hearts. By giving this gift he was cleaning his heart so that his sacrifice would be accepted by God.

The passage also says that this gift was "going ahead of him".... just like our sacrifices do.

“A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.” (Proverbs 18:16)

Bishop David Higgnbotham

How can you know if you are truly making a sacrifice?

Ask yourself these questions:

What is it that you cannot live without?

What are you afraid of losing ?

Jacob fought 20 years to conquer what he had but when his brother was coming to meet him he was greatly afraid and distressed and divided the people into two companies thinking if one is attacked at least one group could escape.  Genesis 32:7,8

He was afraid of losing what he had and his life.

But afterwards we see that even the ones who were with him he sent them over the brook and made them cross the ford of Jabbok symbolising his total surrender, letting go of everything and being left alone.

Sometimes we want to see the greatness of God but we don't want to let go of those things we have in other to conquer something better for example: car, house, family, money, title etc...

It is interesting to notice that the Angel only appeared when Jacob was left alone.

God can only show himself in our lives when we reach the point of not fearing losing what we have because He is the only one we cannot live without. When we are left alone, total surrender, total sacrifice then the transformation will happen.

What about you, are you ready to put on the altar what you could not live without in other to have something more valuable than that?

God Bless you

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