Di Brother Wey Run

Dust dey rise for far, where land and sky meet. Four hundred men dey come, dem dey come fast. For their front na one man wey get every reason to vex. And di person wey dey waka go meet am, alone and dey limp, na di brother wey do am wrong.

Twenty years before, Jacob trick im twin brother Esau collect their papa blessing. Esau swear say e go kill am, and Jacob run for im life. Now Jacob dey come back home, with big family and plenty flocks. Di night before, near di river Jabbok, e wrestle with God and e comot with new name, Israel, and limp. E don already send hundreds of animals go before am as gift. But gift get where e fit reach. Now e raise im eyes, and see, Esau dey there.

Jacob arrange im family with care. Di two servant women, Zilpah and Bilhah, go first with their children, then Leah and her children, and di last na Rachel and small Joseph. Some readers no too like dat arrangement. Even now, di ones wey Jacob love pass dey back, far from danger. But then Jacob do something new. E no hide behind im family. E waka comot for front of all of dem. And as e dey go, e bow reach ground. One time. Two times. Seven times, e bow low before im brother, e dey limp go front every time.

And Esau run. E no carry sword. Genesis talk say Esau run come meet am, e hold am tight, e fall on im neck, e kiss am, and dem two cry. Twenty years of fear and vex, and e all come out as tears. Then Esau look up, e see di women and di children. Who be all dis people wey dey with you? Di children wey God, for im kindness, don give your servant, Jacob answer. One by one, dem come front and bow. And all dat animals wey I meet for road nko? Esau ask. Na to find favour for your eyes, my lord. Esau shake im head. I get plenty, my brother. Keep wetin you get for yourself.

But Jacob still beg am. Abeg, if I don find favour for your eyes, collect my gift. Because to see your face be like to see di face of God, now wey you don receive me with kindness. Abeg, take my blessing. You hear dat word? Blessing. Many years ago, Jacob steal blessing from Esau. Now e dey try give one back. And Jacob, wey see God face to face di night before, now dey see something of God for di face of im brother wey welcome am. Esau collect di gift.

Esau say make dem travel together so e go protect Jacob. Jacob gently say no; di children still small and di animals must waka slowly. E talk say e go follow come meet Esau for im home for Seir. But for di end Jacob take another road, go Succoth, and then go di town of Shechem for Canaan. Genesis no explain why. Maybe di peace still dey fragile. Jacob buy one piece of land there and build altar. E call am El Elohe Israel, wey mean God, di God of Israel. Di God wey promise say e go dey with am don bring am back home.

Jacob seven bows no be only fear. To bow seven times na well-known sign of deep respect for di ancient Near East. Clay tablets wey dem find for Amarna for Egypt, letters wey local rulers for Canaan send to Pharaoh for di fourteenth century before Christ, plenty of dem start with dis words: I fall for di feet of di king, my lord, seven times and seven times. Jacob dey approach Esau di way servant dey approach king.

Jacob and Esau meet again. You go find am for Genesis chapter thirty-three. Jacob come dey expect revenge, but e find brother wey dey run come meet am with open arms. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Person dey wey you need make peace with, and wetin e go take for you to waka go front and go first?