Verses 1-2 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
The name “Mahanaim” means “two camps” and became the name of a place east of the Jordan river. Scripture does not explain why these angels manifested at this particular time. Perhaps it was to give Jacob encouragement as he still had to face his brother, Esau, who had threatened to kill him.
Verses 3-5 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now: 5 And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.
Jacob’s plan was to enter Esau’s territory gently and at intervals by first sending word to Esau that he was coming home. The Hebrew word for “grace” is “chen” and it means “favor” or “acceptance”.
Verses 6-8 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. 7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands; 8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
Jacob was alarmed at Esau’s response as 400 men heading towards his family and possessions appeared to signal an impending battle. He believed he would be smitten and that Esau would carry out his threat. Fear replaced faith. Jacob had God’s promise of blessing and had angels visit him, but Jacob allowed what appeared to be a physical threat to cause a physical response: panic and the formation of a military strategy.
Application: For the believer, any attack, human or demonic, should be viewed as an opportunity for God to work a miracle. The believer can remain calm in any threatening situation because he/she has the promises of the LORD to rest upon. He is the rock, the high tower, and a very present help in times of trouble. Take time to list the promises found in the Bible and to memorize them so that they can be immediately remembered in times of distress.
Verses 9-12 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. 11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. 12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
After working his defensive strategy, Jacob remembered to pray. He reminded God of His words, he showed a humble spirit, and then requested help.
Application: Jacob’s actions were correct as he first did what he thought was necessary because of the danger of the situation. Then he turned to the LORD in prayer, reminding Him of His promises, showing a humble spirit and asking in faith for help. If a problem is not an emergency that has to be dealt with immediately, the believer should seek the LORD’s help first because he/she can then rely on God for direction in dealing with the problem. The believer should not be dependent upon the institutions of man to solve all the difficulties of life unless directed to do so by the LORD. The believer should also be able to share his/her difficulty with the Church family for added support and counsel.
Verses 13-16 And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother; 14 Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, 15 Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals. 16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.
Jacob’s next step in his plan to appease Esau was to present him with an array of livestock as a gift. Notice the ratio of male to female animals. The number 2 in the Bible can mean division. Jacob had a divided relationship with his brother. Jacob had divided his traveling group into two bands. Jacob was presenting the goats and sheep in a 2 to 200 ratio.
A milch camel was one that was producing milk. Camel’s milk was used by both baby camels and people. It was a ready source of nutrition and liquid when traveling across desert lands.
Each animal group was driven towards Esau as a separate herd so that five gift herds would be presented to Esau before he met with Jacob.
Verses 17-21 And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? 18 Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us. 19 And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him. 20 And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me. 21 So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.
Jacob’s plan was quite brilliant in that it is difficult for someone seeking revenge to hold resentment towards an individual who is smothering them with expensive and practical gifts.
Verses 22-23 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. 23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.
Finally, Jacob sends his wives and children before him, again to soften Esau’s heart.
Verses 24-28 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25 And when he saw that he prevailed not 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. 26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
Jacob was left alone with his thoughts and his fears and it was dark. Who was this man that appeared out of nowhere and wrestled with Jacob? The Scripture is specific that he was not an angel. The Hebrew word used is “eesh” and it occurs 1639 times in Scripture and is translated as “man” 1002 times, as “men” 210 times, and as several other miscellaneous translations that are all human in nature and not angelic, so it is pretty certain that this man was not an angelic being. Since this man had the power to change Jacob’s name to Israel, which means “God prevails”, and since this man told Jacob that he had power with God, it is this writer’s opinion that the man was the LORD Jesus Christ and that this manifestation was just one of many that occurred before Jesus appeared on the scene of history as a baby, born of a virgin, destined to become the sacrificial Lamb for the sins of mankind.
Application: It is perfectly acceptable for a Christian believer to wrestle in prayer with God. He expects the believer to work or travail in prayer. Often, prayer requests are not answered because the believer gives up praying too easily. The believer should always keep praying about something or for someone until an answer is reached. Only then can it be said that the believer has power with God.
Verses 29-30 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. 30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
There are many names for God in the Bible, each one describing some facet of His character. But there are only a few names for God when He manifested in the flesh during the Roman Empire. Jesus and Emmanuel are two of these names. Emmanuel means “God with us”, and Jesus means “salvation”. This writer believes that Jacob was not given a name when he asked the man to identify himself because Jesus was not yet living in the flesh on Earth, but just appearing in a spiritual body not bound by time, space or matter. “Peniel” means “facing God”. Jacob knew he had faced God in the form of mankind for him to name the place as he did.
Verses 31-32 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. 32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.
Jacob was limping because of his thigh injury. Jewish tradition developed into what is described in verse 32 above. However, Scripture does not say that this injury was permanent. You decide.