You give your heart to the Lord - saying "I’m yours, be my Lord and Savior." Then the Father begins a process of transformation. The Apostle Paul put it this way: "being transformed into His image with ever increasing glory" (1 Cor 3:18). That transformation process often involves the tearing away of our old self and the creation of a new self - one that reflects God’s character.
But there comes a time when God calls us to go beyond merely belonging to Him or being changed by Him - a time when we face a terrible trial or must give up something really big that is holding us back from fully serving Him. God does this through brokenness.
Paul experienced it on the road to Emmaus, Peter in the courtyard of the high priest. Jesus was so anguished in the Garden of Gethsemane that His sweat was like drops of blood as He faced the cross.
Such a time now faces Jacob. We have seen Jacob go from master deceiver at home to convert at Bethel - to husband in the land of his fathers and finally father - and a changed man. God mirrored a "super Jacob" in Laban - what Jacob could have become had not God entered his life. Jacob made choices to serve God - by acknowledging that God is the source of all blessing - and to serve and protect his family.
Last week we saw the final meeting of these two - as Laban (like the enemy) pulled out all the stops to get at Jacob. We learn that he never intended to let Jacob leave with anything - even as Satan comes only to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). But God was with Jacob - protecting him from harm and getting him safely away.
Now he faces his most difficult task yet - going back home he must face the man who he cheated - twice - first out of the birthright over a bowl of stew, and second out of the blessing by a little play. Essau, his brother, threatened to kill Jacob so Rachael, his mom, sent him away on the journey he is now completing.
What will Jacob encounter - a jealous brother who has had 20 years to build up his hatred? Will he find a massive army, all bent on wiping Jacob and everything he owns off the face of the earth?
Jacob doesn’t know - but God does. And before Jacob meets Essau he will face an adversary worse than any he has ever known - God Himself, who will break Jacob - the Deceiver, and make him into Israel - governed by God.
Verse 1 - 2
The first thing Jacob sees after leaving Laban is not Essau - but the angels of God. What did they tell Jacob? We don’t know. But he says "this is the camp of God" and names the place "Mahanaim" which means "two hosts."
They could have encouraged Jacob that God was with him. They could have given him strict orders as to what to do (we see this later in the text). They could have said nothing, but Jacob knew who they were - and their presence must have impacted him.
Hebrews 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
There are angels all around us - on orders from the Most High God to serve us. We will probably never see one - but their affects are widespread - moving cars out of our way, holding planes in the air, fighting against demons who would attack us.
By calling it the "camp of God" it sounds to me like a military encampment, where two hosts met - Jacob’s ragtag family, and the army of the God Almighty.
Verses 3 - 5
Jacob is saying several very important things by these messengers:
1 - He is taking a subservient role by referring to Essau as "my master" and himself as a "servant." Jacob might have assumed that Jacob was now dead, and Essau was the master of the house. "I’m not going to try to take any of your power from you, Essau."
2 - He tells Essau that he was in Aran the whole time - he wasn’t sneaking around behind Essau’s back, scheming.
3 - He is telling Essau that he has gained possessions and wealth - "I’m not going to take anything from you, Essau."
4 - "found favor" can’t we put the past behind us?
Verses 6 - 8
What would you think if after an entreaty of peace your brother was said to be coming with 400 men? Jacob must have thought - it’s over - he’s going to kill me after all. We should feel his fear here.
The key to the situation is found in his prayer.
Verses 9 - 12
1. You are God
2. You have spoken
3. I am not worthy and have nothing without You
4. Save me by your strength
5. Fulfill Your great promises to me
Does that remind you of something? Maybe our prayer to God? It’s the process of coming to Him as well. Jacob admits that what he is facing is beyond his abilities - even as many times we face situations that are too much for us. Instead of relying on our own wits, we should admit our inability and ask for God’s help.
Psalms 18:29 With your help I can advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall.
Well, God answers - but not in a way that Jacob might have expected. First, Jacob prepares his appeasement present for Essau - and a plan to mollify a brother who Jacob fears is out for blood.
Verses 13 - 23
This was no small gift. In fact, it was more than a town would give in tribute to a foreign king.
It’s quite a good strategic move: the gift would give Essau a head start on his own herding operation if he didn’t already have one - and if Essau planned ambushes it would be mighty difficult to re-set up five different times. And then having to deal with all the animals and servants would have slowed Essau’s army down and wore down their military effectiveness.
Further, Jacob uses the river Jabbok to his advantage - but is still so frightened that he takes his closest family members - sends them across the river and he stays behind.
This is in fact, exactly where God wants him to be - hemmed in, alone, and afraid as night falls.
Verses 24 - 31
Jacob stays behind and gets into a wrestling match. This isn’t a dream - but is really happening. The individual he wrestles with is referred to as "an individual." At the end of verse 30 he refers to him as Elohim - God. But it’s not until Hosea 12 we learn that it was really an angel:
Hosea 12:2-4
2 The LORD has a charge to bring against Judah;
he will punish Jacob according to his ways
and repay him according to his deeds.
3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel;
as a man he struggled with God.
4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him;
he wept and begged for his favor.
He found him at Bethel
and talked with him there-
I’m sure this was the last thing that Jacob expected. He probably thought "I need to get a good nights rest to prepare myself for the encounter with Essau - my life is at stake here!" Instead this guy shows up and starts grabbing at Jacob and they wrestle all night!
Now obviously this angel could have very very easily overcome Jacob physically - so there is likely something else going on here. It might be like when you play with your kids - I used to wrestle my kids and they’d be trying with all their little might and eventually I’d pretend that they were getting me and then they’d hold down my shoulders and say "pinned!" and be overjoyed with victory.
So this angel was playing with Jacob - perhaps to purposefully exhaust him physically - or as a way to exhaust him spiritually. Because it seems what God is doing is getting Jacob to declare total allegiance and reliance on God.
In verse 25 the angel shows his power and his control by striking Jacob in the groin area - a blow which could have been fatal - but which merely disabled him. The Hebrew refers to muscle, not the pelvic bone. The angel says "days’ here - you’ve got to face Essau now so we need to stop this." And Jacob says "I can’t do anything until you bless me."
It’s like he’s finally given up all hope of anything unless God moves through him. The angel asks his name: Jacob - heel catcher, deceiver - the old man. Then the angel changes his name to Israel which means "governed by God."
Name changes were very important - it spoke to the character of the person. No longer governed by self, Jacob is now controlled by God. Revelation 2 & 3 talk about a new name that we will receive from God:
Revelation 2:17 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.
This represents a change in nature - we have been called by God, saved by His Son, sanctified by His Spirit - and then changed into His image - so that ultimately who we are is not defined by what we were like, but what He has made us into.
So then Jacob asks the angel’s name - which he doesn’t give him. Knowing someone’s name meant you had a certain power over them and Jacob has no real power over this being at all.
So Jacob calls the place Peniel, which means "the face of God."
Some commentators suggest that it was the "Angel of the Lord" that Jacob met - which would have been the pre-incarnate Christ. Imagine then Jesus - wrestling for control of this life and then reaching out and injuring him.
It reminds me of:
Romans 6:8-11 Now if we died with Christ , we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
So Jacob is now ready - not because he planned and set it up, but because he has been broken by God and is now totally dependant on Him.
Conclusions
- Doing away with pride
In a way you could say that God did away with Jacob’s pride - the self determination. It seems like that is often the last thing to go when we encounter the Lord. We give our hearts to God and see him strip away the flesh and we depend on Him more and more - but there is still that core of us that wants to preserve the self - and it’s like letting go and letting the gravity take you down the hill covered with snow - knowing that if you don’t stop you’ll crash - it’s complete utter surrender to the Lord. There is no longer a "me" - there is only a "He."
- Surprising Encounters with God
Maybe you always thought when you got close to God there would be hymns and gentle breezes and harps playing. Instead you’ve got this guy who wants to wrestle you. Yes God was there in power to help Jacob - but before He could really help he had to hurt him.
The Apostle Paul said it this way:
Philippians 3:9-10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death
The word is: let Him have you. Cling to him, not to your own strength - even if it means coming to an end of yourself and you feel weak and unable to go on. That may be right where the Lord wants you - then when you are at the place where all you can do is say "God, bless me" it’s not out of selfishness but out of desperation.
Then His strength will be yours.
Psalms 73:26
6 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
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