Gen 32:22-32
SS Lesson for 09/18/2022
Devotional Scripture: Gen 17:1-8
The image of Jacob wrestling under the night sky with a mysterious individual has captivated thinkers, artists, and writers through the centuries. The sheer number of artistic endeavors that depict this event speaks to the text’s influence. Renaissance painters and modern alternative musicians have all used this event from Scripture to inform their art. However, Jacob’s struggle is more than a provocative backdrop for creating art. Nor is Jacob’s struggle merely a stand-in for the battle between good and evil. Instead, the struggle would define Jacob and his descendants. Today’s text comes from the larger set of narratives regarding Isaac’s son Jacob and his conflicts with others. Jacob’s struggle with his brother Esau began at their birth (Genesis 25:26). Their conflict became more intense by Jacob’s scheming (and meal preparation) when he acquired his brother’s birthright (25:29-34). Later Jacob tricked his father into giving him the blessing set aside for firstborn Esau (27:6-36). Jacob’s scheming destroyed his relationship with his brother. Esau “held a grudge” and threatened to kill Jacob (27:41). In response, Jacob fled to the household of his uncle Laban (28:5). Jacob worked seven years for his uncle to gain the hand of Laban’s daughter Rachel in marriage (Genesis 29:18). However, Laban required that Jacob first marry Leah, leading Jacob to another seven years in service to marry Rachel (29:26–27). Jacob flourished during his time in Laban’s land, but the relationship between the two men soured (Genesis 31:2). This was due to Jacob’s perception of unfair treatment regarding his payment from Laban (31:6–7). In response, Jacob and his wives took all that they owned and left Laban’s household in secret (31:17–21). Ultimately, Laban confronted Jacob and the two agreed to a covenant (31:44). Jacob’s struggle with his uncle had subsided. Today’s text comes as a part of Jacob’s preparation to meet his brother. If Jacob returned to the land promised by God, then he would have to be on good terms with Esau. Jacob initiated contact by sending messengers to request favor from Esau (Genesis 32:5). Esau responded with a promise to appear, along with 400 of his men (32:6). This response brought fear and distress to Jacob. It would appear that the time had come for Esau’s threats to be fulfilled. Jacob responded with alarm: he divided his camp (Genesis 32:7-8), approached God in prayer (32:9-12), and prepared gifts for Esau (32:13-20). Jacob’s fear was understandable; God had promised him descendants (28:14). An enraged Esau would likely not only kill Jacob but also Jacob’s household. Jacob, known for his scheming ways, openly admitted fear of someone else’s scheme. Throughout his life, Jacob’s clever planning had generally paid off in his favor, often to the detriment of others. A mysterious struggle would now define Jacob in unimaginable ways
28 And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed."
32:1-2. God prepared Jacob for meeting Esau by giving the patriarch a vision of angels. Jacob had just left Laban and was about to return to the land and face Esau once again. At this point God’s invisible world openly touched Jacob’s visible world. The encounter is described with striking brevity. Four Hebrew words report the meeting: the angels of God met him. Jacob then named the place Mahanaim, possibly meaning “two camps.” He must have seen the camp of angels as a source of comfort to his own camp as he prepared to reenter the land. A comparison with Jacob’s earlier encounter with angels at Bethel (28:10-22) when he left the land proves most instructive. The expression “the angels of God” occurs only in 32:1 and in 28:12 in the Old Testament. The Hebrew pāgaʿ with b̠e occurs in 28:11 (“reached”) and in 32:1 (“met”). Zeh (“this”) is used four times in 28:16-17 and is an important reference in Jacob’s response in 32:2. (Cf., e.g., “This is the gate of heaven,” 28:17, with This is the camp of God! 32:2) In both cases Jacob interpreted what he had seen before naming it (28:17; 32:2), and in Hebrew the identical expression is used in the naming of both places (28:19; 32:2). And finally hālak and derek (“to go on one’s way,” i.e., “to take a journey”) are used in 28:20 and 32:1. Obviously the two passages are correlated. What took place at the naming of Bethel on Jacob’s way out of the land now took place at the naming of Mahanaim on his way back into the land. His glimpse of the angels of God assured him once again of divine protection accompanying him. And the angels welcomed him on his return to the land of promise. This reassurance came at a time when Jacob sorely needed it. When God’s work is involved, the conflict is spiritual, not physical. This was true for Jacob, it was true for Israel, and it is true today. No human effort can be sufficient for these things. The source of defense and the means of victory come from God’s ministering angels.
32:3-8. Prompted by the idea in the vision, Jacob sent messengers to Esau in Edom. (The Heb. word for “angels” also means “messengers.”) Many key ideas and wordplays are in this section. Jacob had just seen the angels (God’s messengers) and now he sent his own messengers to Esau. He had recognized the angels as “the camp (maḥănēh) of God,” he had named the place maḥănāyim (v. 2), and then (out of fear of Esau who was coming toward him with 400 men) he divided his family into two groups or camps (maḥănôt̠).
32:9-12. Out of fear Jacob prayed to be delivered. Doubtless he recalled Esau’s threat to kill him (27:41). Jacob still would fear, but he would see that God would deliver him from his brother. In fact Jacob’s deep fear shows up in every section of this passage, even in his prayer. Jacob addressed God as the God of my father Abraham and of my father Isaac, and reminded God of His command for him to return to his country and of His promise to bless him. God wants people to remind Him of His word when they pray. This is a motivation to faith. Jacob then confessed his unworthiness of God’s kindness and faithfulness and material blessings. He had the correct attitude in prayer—total dependency on God. Jacob petitioned God to be delivered from Esau because the younger twin was scared. Then he repeated the promise God had made to him about his descendants becoming as numberless as the sand of the sea (cf. 22:17). All this should have built Jacob’s confidence, but his guilt and fear completely controlled him at this point.
32:13-21. To appease Esau, Jacob took a portion of his blessing and prepared a gift (minḥâh) for Esau. A minḥâh was often given to a superior to gain his favor. Jacob sent Esau... goats, sheep, camels, cattle, and donkeys—550 animals in all, not counting the young camels! He thought these five herds sent separately would impress Esau and pacify him (v. 20). Jacob had to learn later, however, that God would have delivered him without such gifts. So too the nation would need to learn that deliverance comes by faith in God, and not by giving tribute to the enemy. This passage closes with a significant wordplay in verse 21 that shows how contrary this gift was to the vision (v. 1) that assured him of protection: The gifts (lit., “gift,” hamminḥâh) went on ahead of him, but he... spent the night in the camp (bammaḥăneh). Before Jacob entered the land of promise, he was met by God who both crippled and blessed him. This event was an important turning point in the patriarch’s life. To understand the purpose of the account several features must be noted. First, the wrestling occurred when Jacob was at the threshold of the land of promise, for the Jabbok River in Gilead flows into the Jordan River from the eastern frontier (vv. 22-24). Second, Jacob became and was named Israel (v. 28). His new name was not merely linked to the narrative; it is explained by it. Third, the account is linked to a place name, Peniel, given by Jacob in response to his being named (v. 30). Fourth, the story includes a dietary restriction for the people of Israel (v. 32). This taboo then became a custom in Israel, but was not made part of the Mosaic Law. Orthodox Jews still refuse to eat the tendon of the hindquarter of animals. The emphasis of the narrative is certainly on the wrestling; but its purpose was the changing of Jacob into Israel. One cannot ignore the context of Jacob’s life here. The connection is strengthened by the plays on the names. At the outset (vv. 22, 24) are yaʿăqōb̠ (“Jacob”), the man; yabbōq (“Jabbok”), the place; and yēʾāb̠ēq (“he wrestled”), the match. These attract the Hebrew reader’s attention immediately, because of the similarity of the consonants y, q, and b in the words. Before Jacob (yaʿăqōb̠) could cross the Jabbok (yabbōq) to the land of blessing, he had to wrestle (yēʾāb̠ēq). He was to try once more to trip up an adversary, for at this point he was met by Someone wishing to have a private encounter with him, and he was forced to fight.
32:22-25. Before Jacob could cross the Jabbok River after his family, servants, and possessions.... a Man attacked and fought with him. No details of the fight were given, for it was just the preamble to the most important part, the dialogue. Yet the fight was real and physical. The word ʾš (“a Man”) reveals nothing about His identity. But this is fitting, for the “Man” later refused to reveal Himself directly (v. 29). The fact that the match lasted till daybreak is significant. For the darkness symbolized Jacob’s situation. Fear and uncertainty seized him. If Jacob had perceived that he was to fight God, he would never have engaged in the fight, let alone have continued all night. On the other hand the fact that the wrestling lasted till daybreak suggests a long, decisive bout. In fact the Assailant did not defeat Jacob till He resorted to something extraordinary. At last the Assailant touched Jacob so that his hip went out of joint. The point is clear: the Assailant gave Himself the advantage. Jacob, the deceitful fighter, was crippled by a supernatural blow. In a word, like so many of his rivals, Jacob now encountered Someone he could not defeat.
32:26-29. Nevertheless, though crippled and unable to win, Jacob clung to his Assailant for a blessing. Then both the identity of the Assailant and the significance of the fight dawned on Jacob. Once he realized who his Assailant was (v. 28) Jacob held on resolutely, pleading for a blessing. It is significant that in response to Jacob’s request for a blessing the Man asked... What is your name? When one remembers that in the Old Testament one’s name is linked to his nature, the point becomes clear: Jacob’s pattern of life had to be radically changed! In saying his name, Jacob had to reveal his whole nature. Here the “heel-catcher” was caught, and had to confess his true nature before he could be blessed. The blessing took the form of a new name—Israel. This name probably means “God fights,” as the popular etymology signifies. The explanation was then given that Jacob had fought with God and with men. It is easy to comprehend his having fought with men but that he fought “with God” is more difficult to understand. Throughout Jacob’s entire life he had been dragging God’s blessing out under all circumstances for his own use, under “his own steam.” He was too self-willed and too proud to let the blessing be given to him. So “God fights” was now his name. This meant, first, that God chose, because of the patriarch’s stubbornness and pride, to fight against him. Second, it meant that God would fight for Israel. Jacob’s new name would remind him and others of this fight in which he had overcome. These words were full of hope to the Israelites. If one could contend successfully with God, he could then win the battle with man. Thus the name “God fights” and the explanation that Jacob had “overcome” obtained the significance of a promise for the nation’s forthcoming struggles.
32:30-32. Jacob named the place Peniel (“face of God”) because he had seen God face to face and had been spared. As before (28:19; 31:47; 32:2), he named the place to commemorate the event. However, “no one has ever seen God” (John 1:18). For an explanation of this alleged contradiction see Exodus 33:11; Ex. 33:20; and also John 1:18. God had come as close to Jacob as possible—He had laid hands on him. The idea is not and yet he was spared, but rather “and” his life was spared. He had prayed for deliverance (Gen. 32:11), using nāṣal (“Save me”), the same word he used later (nāṣal, “spared,” v. 30). Jacob’s prayer for deliverance was answered by God in this face-to-face encounter and blessing. When God touched the strongest sinew of the wrestler, it shriveled, and with it Jacob’s persistent self-confidence also shriveled. His carnal weapons were lame and useless; they failed him in his contest with God. What he had surmised for the past 20 years now dawned on him: he was in the hands of the One against whom it is useless to struggle. After this crippling touch, Jacob’s struggle took a new direction. Now crippled in his natural strength he became bold in faith. Jacob was not the only one whom God encountered in this manner. Moses was met by God when he had not yet complied completely with God’s will (Ex. 4:24). Jacob’s encounter was at the frontier of the land promised to the seed of Abraham. God, the real “Proprietor” of the land, opposed his entering as “Jacob.” In his self-will and his own strength he could never enter the land. The point of the story for the new nation of Israel that would come from Egypt into the land of promise is clear: Israel’s ultimate victory would come not by the usual ways by which nations gain power, but through the power of the divine blessing. Self-sufficiency is incompatible with the work of God in any age. Faith alone overcomes the world.
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
22 And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok.
23 He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had.
24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.
25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
20 Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.
23 At the Lord's command they encamped, and at the Lord's command they set out. They obeyed the Lord's order, in accordance with his command through Moses.
20 "The Lord bless him!" Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. "He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead." She added, "That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers."
4 Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths;
30 I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ
12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.
5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat."
20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." 22 Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.
7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists.
11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
26 And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!"
27 So He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob."
28 And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed."
29 Then Jacob asked, saying, "Tell me Your name, I pray." And He said, "Why is it that you ask about My name?" And He blessed him there.
19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
10 God said to him, "Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel." So he named him Israel.
24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved him; 25 and because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah.
15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
2 The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.
17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.
29 "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields — and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.
10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."
31 Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip.
32 Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob's hip in the muscle that shrank.
27 I myself will see him with my own eyes — I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." 19 And the Lord said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." 21 Then the Lord said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"
22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, "Ah, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!"
26 And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord. 27 "See!" he said to all the people. "This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God."
26 "That is why we said, 'Let us get ready and build an altar — but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.' 27 On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the Lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, 'You have no share in the Lord.' 28 "And we said, 'If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the Lord's altar, which our fathers built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.'
15 God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers — the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob — has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.
4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."
10 While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. 11 The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the Lord helped us."
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. And he took them and sent them across the stream. And he sent across whatever he had. Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. And when he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” And he said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh. Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip (Genesis 32:22-32).
For some undisclosed reason Jacob was compelled to break camp in the middle of the night. He first saw to it that his wives and maids crossed the Jabbok, along with their children. Then the rest of the goods were transported to the other side as well. It would appear that while Jacob was making his last trip to the original campsite before joining his family on the other side of the Jabbok he was confronted by a “man” who would oppose his crossing over to the other side and who would threaten to keep Jacob from entering the land of Canaan.
As biblical scholars have observed over the centuries, there is much in this episode that is cloaked in mystery. However, we can make several observations with considerable certainty. First, we know that this “man” (verse 24) was an angel:
In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And in his maturity he contended with God. Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed; He wept and sought His favor. He found Him at Bethel, And there He spoke with us (Hosea 12:3-4).
More than just an angel, this person was the Angel of Jehovah, the pre-incarnate Son of God, Who appeared in human flesh. This is certain in the light of Jacob’s words: “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved” (32:30).
The struggle was not a dream or a nightmare. Never has a man awakened from such a “dream” with a limp! And it was a struggle which God Himself initiated: “Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak” (32:24).
Jacob was mistaken if he reasoned that Esau was the barrier to his entrance into Canaan and the blessings of God. In this wrestling match it was not Esau who opposed Jacob, but it was God Himself. We must marvel at Moses’ report that the angel had not prevailed against Jacob, a man now almost 100 years old. How could it be that God did not prevail over Jacob?
It must be pointed out that Moses did not tell us that God could not overcome Jacob, only that he did not. At this point the Angel disabled Jacob by dislocating his hip. This would be devastating to a wrestler. It would be like breaking the arm of a quarterback or the leg of a running back. Jacob was now unable to wage an offensive battle. He was helpless. All he could do now was to cling defensively in desperation. And this he did.
Jacob, at the very point of being incapacitated, seemed to gain the upper hand. The Angel plead with him to be let go, for the dawn was breaking. It looks as though the Angel did not wish to be seen in the daylight. The Angel implied to Jacob that he now had the winning edge (contrary to the reality of the dislocated hip). Jacob was tested by being encouraged to make a request of the Angel which He was in no position to refuse. For Jacob, the bargainer, this was a tempting situation. Unlike his previous actions, Jacob asked only for a blessing (verse 26). Finally, Jacob had come to realize that the only important thing in life is to be blessed of God. In the words of Proverbs, “It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, And he adds no sorrow to it” (Proverbs 10:22).
Esau could neither provide nor prevent the blessing of God. It was not Esau that stood in the way of Jacob’s blessing in the land of Canaan. On the one hand, it was God Who opposed him. On the other, it was Jacob himself, who by means of his trickery and treachery, his cunning and deceit attempted to produce spiritual blessings through carnal means. The blessing of God must be obtained from God himself, and this must be done by clinging to Him in helpless dependence, not by trying to manipulate Him. That is the picture which is conveyed by this struggle in the night hours between Jacob and his God. A realization of this fact brought about a dramatic change in the character and conduct of Jacob, and thus his name was changed to reflect this transformation.
The Angel of the Lord asked his name, and he had to reply, “Jacob,” which meant “the supplanter.” This must have been as uncomfortable for Jacob as it was for childless Abraham to refer to himself by his name, which meant “father of a multitude.” No longer should Jacob be known as a supplanter, for now he was a man who prospered because of his faith in the purposes and power of his God, and so the name Israel was given him.
No expression is more puzzling than that of verse 28:
And he said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.”
How could God possibly make such a statement? Does this not indicate that somehow God was blessing Jacob because of his previous trickery and deception? Is God commending Jacob for the way he overcame men in the past? The key to understanding this statement is to recognize that it is not a historical statement but a prophetic announcement. God did not refer to Jacob’s past acts here but spoke of his future confrontations, particularly the one which he would have with Esau shortly.
Jacob did prevail with God in his wrestling match, although in many ways he did not really overcome God, for he had been immobilized by the dislocation of his hip. His only act was to cling tenaciously to the Angel of Jehovah and, in the words of Hosea, “He wept and sought His favor” (12:4). In this sense, and this alone, God was “overcome” by Jacob. In this same way we who are His children and the heirs of His blessings can prevail with God.
Having prevailed with God, Jacob was assured of victory no matter what opposition men might offer. This certainly and specifically included Esau. In the words of the apostle Paul: “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31).
Prayerfully prevailing with God assures us of prevailing with men. If God is on our side, we cannot be overcome. This is what verse 28 was intended to convey to Jacob. In learning how to prevail with God, Jacob had also found God’s means of prevailing with men.
(Adapted from URL:https://bible.org/seriespage/how-win-god-and-men-genesis-321-32)
English poet Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830–1894) used the example of Jacob’s struggle in her poem “Alas My Lord.” Rossetti interpreted Jacob’s struggle as a demonstration of “the clenched hand of prayer” that she desired her readers to practice. The poem concludes with a petition to the Lord “to hold Thee fast, until we hear Thy Voice” and “see Thy Face.” We may be tempted to judge Jacob’s stubbornness because of our familiarity with his story. However, we can admit that we need “the clenched hand of prayer” to sustain us during our struggles. God is present, we only need to open our eyes. Jacob’s struggle humbled him and gave him a new identity before God and man. When we struggle, spiritually or physically, our faithfulness to God will point others to him. He is the one who can give true rest (see Matthew 11:28).