“And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.”
No, please! said Jacob. If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably. The comparison of Esau's welcoming face to the face of God comes immediately after Peniel — Jacob has literally seen God face to face; now Esau's forgiving face carries something of the same quality of grace. The application: the face of a reconciled brother who receives you favorably has something of divine grace in it. The forgiveness on a human face is one of the places where the image of God becomes most visible.
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