Genesis 32:1-32

32:1-21 | The angels of God met Jacob on his way back to Canaan - a powerful symbol of God’s favor. Because he feared being overtaken by Esau, Jacob divided the people that were with him to protect them and then prayed pwerfully in his moment of trouble. He also arranged magnificent gifts of choice animals in three droves, with instructions to his servants to tell Esau that Jacob was giving the gifts. Jacob hoped this gesture would persuade Esau to accept him.

32:24-29 | Man is capitalized because this is a theophany, an OT appearance of Christ. Jacob did not initiate the contest. God wanted to separate the self-willed Jacob from all supports until he was left alone before Him (Hosea 12:3-4) - something the Lord still does with some of His followers.

32:25 | The Hebrew word for touched may indicate any type of touch, from a gentle caress to an afflicting strike. Apparently Jacob experienced the latter. Jacob proved strong (the Man did not prevail against him) as the pair wrestled through the night. Yet one outcome was a lifelong weakness in Jacob’s hip (2 Cor. 12:7). The Man was apparently the Lord Himself.

32:27-30 | No longer be called Jacob is evidence of a remarkable transformation. Jacob’s birth name described him as grasping the heel of his brother, Esau. the nightlong wrestling match, however, made him Israel, a positive name meaning “God Prevails” (Num. 24:5). Going forward, Scripture uses the names interchangeably. Jacob named the place Peniel, meaning “the Face of God.”

32:31 | After the encounter, Jacob limped on his hip, each step reminding him that he no longer operated in his own strength but in God’s. Jacob was changed for the better - from cunning to clinging, from resisting to resting, from the crafty one to the conquered one.