Jacob's Cowardice

I'm teaching through Genesis at church and we are in Genesis 32-33 next Sunday. All together, Jacob puts 9 groups of people/animals/wives/children between him and Esau.

1. Messengers (32:3)
2. Servants, 200 female goats, 20 male goats - Rather lopsided (32:14)
3. Servants, 200 ewes, 20 rams - (32:14)
   
4. Servants, 30 female camels, young camels (32:15)
5. Servants, 40 cows, 10 bulls (32:15)
6. Servants, 20 female donkeys, 10 male donkeys (32:15)
7. Zilpah, Bilhah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher (3:2)
8. Leah, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dinah (33:2)
9. Rachel and Joseph (33:2)

Understand that the last thing Jacob knows about his brother Esau is that Esau was trying to decide whether to kill Jacob with a tree limb or a jawbone (or something like that). At the same time, God has just told Jacob that Jacob should return to the Promised Land and that God would be with him there. The last time God said that to Jacob (on the way to Mesopotamia), Jacob did pretty well.

At the very least, we can say that Jacob is doing everything in his power to be at peace with all men, particularly Esau (Romans 12:18).