13 So he spent the night there. Then he selected from what he had with him a present for his brother Esau: 14two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 He delivered theminto the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on before me, and put a space between droves.” 17 He commanded the one in front, saying, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks you, saying, `To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and to whom do these animals in front of you belong?’ 18 then you shall say, `These belong to your servant Jacob; it is a present sent to my lord Esau. And behold, he also is behind us.'” 19 Then he commanded also the second and the third, and all those who followed the droves, saying, “After this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him; 20 and you shall say, `Behold, your servant Jacob also is behind us.'” For he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me. Then afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” 21 So the present passed on before him, while he himself spent that night in the camp.
22 Now he arose that same night and took his two wives and his two maids and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream. And he sent across whatever he had.
The two brothers are getting closer yet, and Jacob comes up with a plan. He takes from his flocks some of everything, and sends it on ahead as a present, hoping he can bribe his brother. After all that, he sends his family and the rest of his belongings across the stream, and stays behind for the night. He is really struggling with fear here. He’s already forgotten the promise of God that he himself had just claimed. He should know from his father and grandfather, that he can trust God to take care of him. Instead he tries to take matters into his own hands, and if it works (which he isn’t confident about), it will be a costly solution to the problem. God’s solutions may cost us something, but not as much as if we try to do things on our own. Trust God. Make that your plan.