Continuing a chronological Bible study by Skip Andrews:
(Genesis 32:1) And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
Jacob and his family and entourage had just left Laban and were returning to Canaan, and the angels of God met him, probably visibly, at least in a vision. John Wesley wrote beautifully that the angels had invisibly attended Jacob all along, but now they appeared to him "to bid him welcome to Canaan again; a more honourable reception than ever any prince had that was met by the magistrates of a city".
(2) And when Jacob saw them, he said, "This is God's host"; and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
The original word for "host" means "army" or "camp". If Jacob was talking about the angels themselves, he probably meant they were God's army; if he was talking about the place because the angels were there, he probably meant that this was God's camp or God's house. He called the place Mahanaim, which literally meant "two camps" or "double camp". I'm sure he had his reason for calling it "two camps"; perhaps the armies of angels appeared in two camps on either side of him, or maybe in front and behind. Jacob may have even meant that his own family and entourage made one camp and they were joined by God's camp. Either way, Jacob certainly acknowledged that God was there with him in that place.
(3) And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother to the land of Seir, the country of Edom. (4) And he commanded them, saying, "This will you speak to my lord Esau, 'Your servant Jacob says this: "I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now. (5) And I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in your sight."'"
It seems as if Jacob had some apprehension about coming into his brother's country and meeting the brother who had once wanted to kill him. He sent messengers to give a message to Esau, to announce his return.
(6) And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men with him." (7) Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed, and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two bands; (8) And he said, "If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the other company which is left will escape."
When Jacob heard that Esau was coming to meet him with four hundred men, he assumed his brother still meant to harm him. He divided his people and possessions into two separate groups so that if Esau attacked one, there would still be one to escape.
(9) And Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you': (10) I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for with my staff I crossed over this Jordan, and now I have become two bands. (11) Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he will come and attack me and the mother with the children. (12) And You said, 'I will surely do you good, and make your seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.'"
Jacob prayed to God, realizing he was not worthy of all the mercies God had shown him. Being worthy or unworthy of truth seemed an odd idea to me, until I learned the original word more fully meant "trustworthiness, faithfulness, stability". Although Jacob realized he was not worthy of all the goodness God had shown him, he did remind God that He was the One who told him to return home and He had said He would be with him. Jacob originally crossed over that Jordan with only his staff, but now returned with two bands of people and possessions; that was certainly because of the goodness of God. He prayed that God would deliver them from the hand of Esau, and he reminded God of His promise that his descendants would be as the sand of the sea, so surely God wouldn't let Esau kill those descendants!
I found it a little amusing that Jacob thought he must remind God what He had told him, like God might forget! But actually, it's a very good model of a prayer. He acknowledged God's goodness and mercies to him. He was very humble and recognized that on his own he was not worthy of all the goodness the Lord had showered upon him. He asked for God's help and clung to the Word of God with complete humility.
(13) And he lodged there that same night, and took of that which came to his hand as a present for Esau his brother: (14) Two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, (15) Thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals.
Jacob lodged there at Mahanaim, the "two camps", and prepared a present or peace offering for Esau. He took of those things which were in his possession or within his power to give, and gathered many animals as a present for his brother.
(16) And he delivered them to the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, "Pass over before me, and put some distance between successive droves."
It appears that Jacob divided the animals into three droves or herds (the number indicated in a subsequent verse), probably the sheep and goats in one, the cattle in another, and the donkeys in the last. He told his servants to take the herds and to pass on ahead of him, putting distance between each herd.
(17) And he commanded the first one, saying, "When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, 'Whose are you, and where are you going? And whose are these before you?' (18) Then you shall say, 'They are your servant Jacob's. It is a present sent to my lord Esau; and behold, he also is behind us.'"
Jacob told his servants that when they met Esau and he asked about them and their herds, they were to tell him that they belonged to his brother Jacob and that they were a present to Esau, and they were to tell him that Jacob was coming up behind them.
(19) And so he commanded the second, the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, "In this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him; (20) And moreover you say, 'Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.'" For he said, "I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me."
He instructed the rest of the servants with the rest of the herds to do the same, stressing they were to tell Esau that Jacob was coming from behind them. He supposed that he would appease Esau with the presents, so that when he finally met up with his brother, his brother would be accepting of him.
(21) So the present went on over before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp. (22) And he rose up that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford Jabbok. (23) And he took them and sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. (24a) And Jacob was left alone;
Jacob sent his servants with the herd presents on before him, and he stayed behind in the camp. During the night he rose up and took his wives and their maids and his children and crossed over at a fordable place in the Jabbok, a stream east of the Jordan River. Actually, he took his wives, servants, children, and all that he had with them over the brook, but he himself stayed behind alone.
(24b) ...and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
The second part of that verse has always been one of the strangest to me. Who was the man who wrestled with Jacob all night long, and more importantly, why? Hosea 12:4 tells us this was an angel, but why did he wrestle with Jacob? Actually Hosea 12:4 may give some more insight in that it says Jacob wept and made supplication. So far it sounds like a spiritual struggle. He sent his family on ahead and he stayed behind and prayed in earnest.
(25) And when he saw that he did not prevail against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him.
Now it seems the wrestling was more than spiritual, but physical, as well. There are all kinds of speculation as to what exactly the hollow of Jacob's thigh was, but something was physically put out of joint during this struggle. Why was an angel trying to prevail against Jacob? The original word, "yakol", means "to be able, can, could, may, might" or "endure". I suppose the image here could still be one of a spiritual battle and Jacob fought all night long for what he wanted and didn't give up. The angel saw that Jacob would not give up. Depending on how animated Jacob got during his prayers that night, it is conceivable he could have dislocated something himself. I am not trying to say that an angel of God didn't do it, but I am trying to make sense of why it happened. I will refect on this more after I finish the rest of the description of the struggle.
(26) And he said, "Let me go, for the day breaks." And he said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." (27) And he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." (28) And he said, "Your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel, for as a prince you have power with God and with men, and have prevailed."
The angel spoke as if Jacob had power to hold him. I don't believe that is the case, and I don't think this was a spectre that couldn't be seen in the day, as some have speculated. Angels of God often appeared in the daytime. Perhaps the meaning is that day is breaking and the time had come for Jacob to rejoin his family. But Jacob was not through praying; he wanted a blessing. The angel of God, as a blessing, told Jacob that he would now be known as Israel, which literally meant "God prevails" or "he will rule as God". Although the verse above said that the angel could not prevail against Jacob, it was actually God Who prevailed. Jacob prevailed because he wanted the blessing of God more than anything. His entire life Jacob sought the Lord. From his very birth, he wanted to be first with God. He wanted the birthright to get the spiritual blessings and promises of God. I believe the lesson throughout the life of Jacob is that we should seek the Lord with all our hearts, minds, and strengths, for that is exactly what Jacob did and he prevailed with the ultimate blessing of God.
(29) And Jacob asked, and said, "Tell me your name, I pray." And he said, "Why is it that you ask about my name?" And He blessed him there.
Jacob wanted to know the name of the angelic being with whom he had struggled and received the blessing. Perhaps he wanted confirmation that this was God Himself who had blessed him, but the angel declined his request. It was unnecessary for Jacob to know his name, but sufficient that he had received God's blessing.
(30) And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, "for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."
Even though he didn't get the name, it appears that Jacob was confident that he had just seen God. He named the place Peniel, which literally meant "face of God" or "facing God". Jacob acknowledged that his life had been preserved; he realized that in the presence of the God most high, he could have certainly been struck dead. Jacob dared to wrestle with an angel of God and he lived; he understood the reality of this.
(31) And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he limped on his thigh.
Penuel is the same as Peniel, as the original word was either "penuel" or "peniyel". As Jacob left Peniel, he indeed limped from his injury during his struggle with the angel.
(32) Therefore the children of Israel do not eat the sinew that shrank, which is on the hollow of the thigh, to this day, because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.
Even though a prominent mention was made here that until the day of this writing, the children of Israel did not eat this "sinew that shrank" because of the place on Jacob touched by the angel, still scholars do not know exactly what this place was. It is pointed out that this practice was not founded on the law of Moses, but was a tradition, that Dr. John Gill writes was a subject of an entire chapter in the Jewish Mishnah, which is a collection of rabbinic traditions at the beginning of the third century after Christ, from what I have been able to gather. This was an important event in the beginning of Israel that the Jewish people did not want to forget. Jacob is the greatest example of one who continually and earnestly strived for the things of God. All the scriptures that tell us how to contend for the faith can be summed up in the life and actions of Jacob. To cite a few:
But if from there you shall seek the LORD thy God, you shall find Him, if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. - Deuteronomy 4:29
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment. - Mark 12:30
Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say to you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. - Luke 13:24
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: - 2 Timothy 4:7
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write to you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write to you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. - Jude 1:3
Pray continually. - 1 Thessalonians 5:17
No comments:
Post a Comment