Jacob’s 20 years of service in Mesopotamia were characterized by jealousy, contention, and intrigue. One sister sought to outdo the other in the number of sons she bore as both vied for first place in their husband’s affections. Son-in-law and father-in-law shone in their attempts to deceive each other, with Laban manifesting interest only in his own advancement. Laban greatly dupped Jacob in the marriage of his daughters and of the herds; and Jacob had met his match. The biblical story notes more faith in potions (i.e., green poplar, chestnut and hazel trees) and human schemes than in God. Although, Jacob did give God the credit for the increase of his unusual spotted herd. Again, how little has changed in thousands of years. Yet, while these same chapters reveal how groundless is trust in human power, they reveal how certain is the reality of the divine promises of mercy, forgiveness, and acceptance (how fortunate for us that hasn’t changed either!). Indeed, even amid all these sad stories of human faithlessness, deceit, jealousy, and intrigue, we can see the mercy of God at work, a stunning and powerful testament to God’s grace for fallen human beings. This is seen, perhaps, most vividly in Jacob’s night of wrestling. Here, again, we can see just how close the Lord can come to those who in true faith and repentance seek Him. At Jabbok, repentant Jacob became Israel (the one who strives with God), and God’s plan triumphed in spite of the apparently unpromising human material with which He had to work.
The entire time of Jacob’s (now named Israel) flight from and return to his homeland was traveling the path of sanctification. God had been in the process of preparing his character for he was to become a patriarch of many nations.
Jacob, who had many faults, would not let go of the stranger and prevailed in his struggle and would not let go until he received a blessing. Even though the stranger told Jacob to ‘let go’, he did not. Perhaps God tells Jacob to let Him go because as sinful, fallen beings, we have no right to hold onto a holy God. According to the law, whose penalty for breaking it is death, sinners deserve to be shut out of the presence of a pure and holy God. In all of our sinfulness, we are not worthy of the mercy of God or His presence. “Let me go” perhaps represents Jesus in His role as Judge declaring the justness of the law that says we deserve death. Our efforts cannot free us from this guilt; Jacob wrestled all night with God but could not prevail anymore than we can prevail with God in our own righteousness to earn what God alone freely gives us: unmerited favor, or grace.
This became the turning point of Jacob’s life. He had known years of struggling with people, yet all along Jacob had also been struggling in his relationship with God. It was at the point that his hip was touched and came out of socket did he realize it was God and his life struggles passed before him so to speak; and he realized his brokenness. Here at last, he met God and received his blessing amid the struggle. Jacob received a new name, Israel, and even renamed the location to Peniel in order to honor the fact that there he had seen God face to face to face.
Meeting Esau
The next morning, Israel, limping because of his hip, finally meets his brother. Before greeting him, Israel bows seven times. The reunion with Esau was not the attack he had feared: “Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept” (verse 4).
What happens next is even more astonishing. Esau initially refuses his brother’s peace offerings, saying that he already had enough. Israel insists, replying: “no, please; if I find favor with you, then accept my present from my hand; for truly to see your ace is like seeing the face of God…” (verse 10). Israel now sees “the face of God” in the face of his brother who swore to kill him.
Esau offered to accompany Jacob the rest of the way. Jacob refused, citing the size of his family. Jacob also refused Esau’s offer to leave some of his men with the group. Instead of meeting Esau in Seir, Jacob took his family another route (opposite direction actually) where they finally purchased a plot of land and settled in El Elohe Israel or “Mighty is the God of Israel.” We are not told why Jacob (Israel) did this, but in a later chapter when they meet again to bury their father Isaac there is still peace between them.
Summary:
The ambiguous identity of Jacob’s wrestling opponent is a deliberate feature of the story. It highlights the inseparable elements of Jacob’s struggling with both God and man. Jacob models for us a truth at the core of our faith: our relationships with God and people are linked. Our reconciliation with God makes possible our reconciliation with others. Likewise, in that human reconciliation, we come to see and know God better. Christ alone can be our peace, but we are his ambassadors for it. Springing from God’s initial promise to Abraham, this is a blessing that ought to touch the whole world.