Ronald Reagan was famous for saying "Trust but verify." This is what I see Jacob doing here. He is trusting God and going forward but he is also verifying that Esau isn't coming with a murderous rage. As I see it God told Jacob to return but God didn't say that he would never face difficulties or loss. Esau is coming out with four hundred men and that doesn't seem like a welcoming party to Jacob or to me either. What was Esau's plan when he loaded up four hundred fighting men? We don't know. Maybe, he knew the dangers of the area and wanted to protect his brother? Maybe his plans didn't include the well-being of Jacob? What I see is Jacob did what he could to prepare for the worst and then trusted God for the rest. This isn't a bad strategy and actually, I think it is a Biblical approach to much of our life. Trust God but prepare.
Side note: Preparing to the point where you are depending on yourself rather than God isn't what I'm talking about.
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