Through years of hard work, the Hebrew patriarch climbed out of bad character traits and earned his brother's pardon.
He was convinced that his brother wouldn't forgive him. After all, why should he? Jacob had cheated Esau out of everything that was rightfully his—his position as head of the family, his material inheritance, and his father's valued blessing. So more than 20 years later, faced with the prospect of seeing Esau again, Jacob feared for his life.
Truth be told, Jacob had come a long way since he first fled his native land of Beer-sheba, escaping the murderous intentions of his justifiably furious brother. As the book of Genesis reports, Jacob ended up becoming the victim of a few deceptions himself. And that, coupled with years of hard work and the softening influence of marriage and fatherhood, seems to have brought about a change in Jacob's character. But of course, there was no way for Esau to know that.
