Jacob Wrestles with God. So Jacob was left alone, and a Man [came and] wrestled with him until daybreak.
When the Man saw that He had not prevailed against Jacob, He touched his hip joint; and Jacob’s hip was dislocated as he wrestled with Him. Gen 32:24-25
INTRODUCTION TO THE OLD TESTAMENT
II. GOD AND THE CHOSEN FAMILY, Genesis 12-50
2. The History of Isaac and Jacob, Genesis 32:19 Genesis 32:35:29
60. How did God meet Jacob at Jabbok and with what result?
JACOB FEARS ESAU
So Jacob spent the night there. Then he selected a present for his brother Esau from the livestock he had acquired:
two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred ewes, twenty rams,
thirty milking camels with their colts, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten [donkey] colts.
He put them into the care of his servants, every herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Go on ahead of me, and put an interval [of space] between the individual herds.”
Then he commanded the one in front, saying, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks to whom you belong, and where you are going, and whose are the animals in front of you?
then you shall say, ‘They are your servant Jacob’s; they are a gift sent to my lord Esau. And he also is behind us.'”
And so Jacob commanded the second and the third as well, and all that followed the herds, saying, “This is what you shall say to Esau when you meet him;
and you shall say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is behind us.'” For he said [to himself], “I will try to appease him with the gift that is going ahead of me. Then afterward I will see him; perhaps he will accept and forgive me.”
So the gift [of the herds of livestock] went on ahead of him, and he himself spent that night back in the camp.
JACOB WRESTLES WITH GOD
But he got up that same night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and waded over the ford of the Jabbok.
Then he took them and sent them across the brook. And he also sent across whatever he had.
So Jacob was left alone, and a Man [came and] wrestled with him until daybreak.
When the Man saw that He had not prevailed against Jacob, He touched his hip joint; and Jacob’s hip was dislocated as he wrestled with Him.
Then He said, “Let Me go, for day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let You go unless You declare a blessing on me.”
So He asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.”
And He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.” [Hos_12:3-4]
Then Jacob asked Him, “Please tell me Your name.” But He said, “Why is it that you ask My name?” And He declared a blessing [of the covenant promises] on Jacob there.
So Jacob named the place Peniel (the face of God), saying, “For I have seen God face to face, yet my life has not been snatched away.”
Now the sun rose on him as he passed Penuel (Peniel), and he was limping because of his hip.
Therefore, to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh by the tendon of the hip.
JACOB WRESTLES AND PREVAILS
There is a fulsomeness in Jacob’s address to Esau, which sounds inconsistent with the noblest manhood and the firmest faith. Why should he speak of “my lord” Esau, and endeavor to appease his wrath with soft speeches and rich gifts? Evidently much had to be effected in his character before he could become one of the great spiritual forces of the world, and his supreme discipline came in that midnight wrestle. The Angel who wrestled with him could have been none other than the Son of man, who is also the Angel of the Covenant and Son of God. It was not that Jacob wrestled with the Angel, but that the Angel wrestled with him, as though to discover and reveal his weakness, and to constrain him to quit reliance on his own strength and to learn to cling with the tenacious grip of a lame man, who dare not let go, lest he fall to the earth. Ah, it is well to be even maimed, if through the withered thigh we may learn to lay hold on the everlasting strength of God, and learn His secret Name!
Comments by
WILLIAM MACDONALD
Believers Bible Commentary
On
Genesis 32:13-32
II. THE PATRIARCHS OF ISRAEL (Chaps. 12-50)
C. Jacob (27:1–36:43)
6. Jacob and Esau Reconciled (Chaps. 32, 33)
32:13-21 Jacob next sent three successive droves of animals totaling 580 head as gifts for Esau, hoping to appease him. Esau would get the gift in three installments. Jacob’s maneuvers manifested his unbelief or at least a mixture of faith and unbelief.
32:22-32 After sending his immediate family across the stream Jabbok (he will empty), Jacob spent the night alone at Peniel for what was to be one of the great experiences of his life. A Man wrestled with him. That Man was an angel (Hos_12:4), the Angel of Jehovah, the Lord Himself. The Lord put the socket of Jacob’s hip . . . out of joint, causing him to walk with a limp the rest of his life. Although Jacob lost the encounter physically, he won a great spiritual victory. He learned to triumph through defeat and to be strong through weakness. Emptied of self and of confidence in his own cleverness, he confessed he was Jacob, a supplanter, a “con man.” God then changed his name to Israel (variously translated as “God rules,” “one who strives with God,” or “a prince of God”). Jacob called the name of the place Peniel (the face of God) because he realized he had seen the Lord. Pfeiffer points out that verse 32 is still true among Jews today:
The sciatic nerve, or thigh vein, must be removed from the slaughtered animal before that portion of the animal may be prepared for consumption by orthodox Jews.”
DONATIONS FOR BIBLE DISTRUBUTION — Quovadisworld
On MeWe join our group at Friends in Jesus
We also have a Page about Creation Ministries International.
See also Young Earth Creationists
You can also find us on Parler.
On Facebook;
Join our closed group at : Quo Vadis Christian Community Group to read and partake in the Bible study to learn to know Jesus Christ. To know Him is to Love Him.
We also have an open Page at Quo Vadis Christian Community you might want to know more about.
Please ad yourself to our Messenger group to receive notification and chat to other members of the group.
You may however wish to disable notification and look at post when you have the time.
Join our messenger group at Friends in Jesus.
If you want a Bible please contact: Please let me have a Bible.
If you want a Bible in Pakistan.
You may also want to join Creation Ministries International.
Find more Study topics at Quo Vadis World
DONATIONS FOR BIBLE DISTRUBUTION — Quovadisworld
We give thanks and acknowledgement to Rick Meyers from e-Sword.
P.O. Box 1626
Franklin, TN 37065
United States of America
www.e-sword.net
