In our study of Genesis chapter thirty two, we look at Jacob's transformation to Israel.
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Ya'akov went on his way, and the angels of God met him. When Ya'akov saw them, he said, "This is God's camp," and called that place Machanayim.
On his way back home, Ya'akov encountered angels from God and he recognized that it was a very special place which he named Machanayim (two camps).
Ya'akov sent messengers ahead of him to 'Esav his brother toward the land of Se'ir, the country of Edom, with these instructions: "Here is what you are to say to my lord 'Esav: 'Your servant Ya'akov says, "I have been living with Lavan and have stayed until now. I have cattle, donkeys and flocks, and male and female servants. I am sending to tell this news to my lord, in order to win your favor."'"
We see that 'Esav was not living in the promised land but was in Edom which is an enemy of God. Ya'akov sends a message and addresses 'Esav as lord which is used as a term of loyalty and respect. Basically, Ya'akov was saying that he was not against his brother and that he is seeking reconciliation between them.
The messengers returned to Ya'akov saying, "We went to your brother 'Esav, and he is coming to meet you; with him are four hundred men." Ya'akov became greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people, flocks, cattle and camels with him into two camps, saying, "If 'Esav comes to the one camp and attacks it, at least the camp that is left will escape."
The messengers returned and informed Ya'akov that his brother was coming to meet him and he had 400 men with him. We remember that the number four has to do with the world and this speaks of the fact that the world is with "Esav. Ya'akov was afraid that everything would be wiped out if his brother attacked and so he split everything into two camps so that one might flee and be saved. We must remember that the last time that Ya'akov was with his brother he knew that 'Esav wanted to kill him.
Then Ya'akov said, "God of my father Avraham and God of my father Yitz'chak, ADONAI, who told me, 'Return to your country and your kinsmen, and I will do you good': I'm not worthy of all the love and faithfulness you have shown your servant, since I crossed the Yarden with only my staff. But now I have become two camps. Please! Rescue me from my brother 'Esav! I'm afraid of him, afraid he'll come and attack me, without regard for mothers or children. You said, 'I will certainly do you good and make your descendants as numerous as the grains of sand by the sea, which are so many they can't be counted.'"
We see that, when fear was upon him, he prayed and recounted the promises that God had made to him. Ya'akov speaks of how he has been humbled by the grace of God and how he had nothing but is returning with two camps. He asks for protection from his brother and once again recounts promises that God has made to him. This is a great example for us as Christians to follow when we are faced with fear.
He stayed there that night; then he chose from among his possessions the following as a present for 'Esav his brother: two hundred female goats and twenty males, two hundred female sheep and twenty males, thirty milk-camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten colts.
The next day he chose a large present from his possessions that he was going to give to his brother. This is a reminder of the fact that Israel is meant to be a blessing to the other nations of the world. It speaks to the fact that we, as Christians, are called to share the greatest gift which is the news of Yeshua to the unbeliever.
He turned them over to his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, "Cross over in front of me, and keep a space between each drove and the next He instructed the servant in front, "When 'Esav my brother meets you and asks you, 'Whose servant are you? Where are you going? And whose animals are these?' then you are to say, 'They belong to your servant Ya'akov, and they are a present he has sent to my lord 'Esav; and Ya'akov himself is just behind us.'" He also instructed the second servant, and the third, and all that followed the droves, "When you encounter 'Esav, you are to speak to him in the same way, and you are to add, 'And there, just behind us, is your servant Ya'akov.'" For he said, "I will appease him first with the present that goes ahead of me; then, after that, I will see him myself - and maybe he will be friendly toward me."
Ya'akov broke the present into groups with space between them and all of them went ahead of him. This was to show the love of Ya'akov to his older brother and to be an atonement to cover up the past between them. He was looking to repair their relationship and to share his blessings with his brother.
So the present crossed over ahead of him, and he himself stayed that night in the camp. He got up that night, took his two wives, his two slave-girls, and his eleven children, and forded the Yabok. He took them and sent them across the stream, then sent his possessions across; and Ya'akov was left alone.
So the groups of gifts went out and he stayed there that night. During the night he sent his family and possessions on across the Yabok River and he stayed alone on the other side of the river.
Then some man wrestled with him until daybreak. When he saw that he did not defeat Ya'akov, he struck Ya'akov's hip socket, so that his hip was dislocated while wrestling with him.
As he was alone and in prayer, an angel sent by God wrestled with Ya'akov all night long. When the angel saw that Ya'akov would not give up, he touched the hip of Ya'akov and dislocated it but even then Ya'akov would not surrender. We are reminded that the name Ya'akov means pursuer and, here, he really lived up to his name.
The man said, "Let me go, because it's daybreak." But Ya'akov replied, "I won't let you go unless you bless me." The man asked, "What is your name?" and he answered, "Ya'akov." Then the man said, "From now on, you will no longer be called Ya'akov, but Isra'el; because you have shown your strength to both God and men and have prevailed."
The night had hid the face of the angel but, at daybreak, the angel needed to leave because a man cannot see the face of God and live. Ya'akov refused to let him go even though he had a dislocated hip until the angel blessed him fully. His request is that he wants to be used by God to carry on the heritage (covenant) of Avraham and Yitz'chak. The angel asked him his name but it is not that he did not know; it was to focus on the character of the man. The angel then changed his name to Isra'el which speaks of striving with God. So Ya'akov went from pursuing the covenant to being a part of the reality of the fulfillment of the covenant.
Ya'akov asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he answered, "Why are you asking about my name?" and blessed him there.
In this exchange, we see that it was actually God that was with Israel that night and he was blessed.
Ya'akov called the place P'ni-El, "Because I have seen God face to face, yet my life is spared." As the sun rose upon him he went on past P'ni-El, limping at the hip. This is why, to this day, the people of Isra'el do not eat the thigh muscle that passes along the hip socket - because the man struck Ya'akov's hip at its socket.
P'ni-El means "face of God" and he had lived through the encounter. In the original Hebrew, the second time the name of the place is given it is P'nu-El which means "turn to God" and it reminds us that we are commanded to turn to God. In the morning, Isra'el had a limp and we see that God had changed his walk. We also see that this brought about a dietary law where the people of Israel do not eat the part that God touched which is the sciatic nerve (tendon) from the hip socket.