How Yahweh relates with his creations (series 32)

Bible Texts (Concordant Version of the Old Testament and Concordant Literal New Testament with keywords Concordance (Main text: Genesis chapter 32)

Hello dear blog readers. I hope you have learnt one or two things in last week blog. This week's blog will look into Genesis chapter 32. Jacob had bad reminiscences in Padan-Syria, especially with Laban and his family. He parted his ways from Laban and moved towards his long missed place. On his way, he saw massagers of Elohim (Angels). He realized that the place he was walking was a camp of Elohim. So, he called the place, Mahanaim (verse 1-2).

Jacob sent his servants to Esau saying he was with Laban for a while. He had been blessed with many belongings which included flocks, bulls, donkeys, men-servants and maid-servants. He requested Esau to show him grace and mercy. Why do you think he had sent this kind of message? Jacob had nothing serious to say than to request for Esau's mercy. Did he actually think Esau was interested in whatever blessing he gathered? I think not because Esau was already blessed too. May be Jacob thought the news of his blessings might buy him his life from possible destructions from Esau. Well, Esau's response appeared to be unpleasant to Jacob when he was informed by his servants that Esau would come with his 400 men to meet with him (verse 3-6).

Scripture expressed that Jacob became much stressed and was greatly afraid (verse 7). In Jacob's mind, nemesis had caught up with him. In his human's efforts, he divided his belongings into two. He thought one half would escape Esau's attack while Esau and his men attacked the other half. Human beings' instinct is to find way of escape from upcoming danger but we should remember that it is not by might or by power but by the spirit of Yahweh (Zech 4:6). If Yahweh is for us, no one can be against us (Romans 8:31).  He had nowhere to turn to but to Yahweh who had been with him all the while. He prayed to Yahweh (Yahua) for grace and mercy from Esau's presence (Hebrews 4:16). Jacob admitted that he was short of benignities and all faithfulness that he received from Yahweh in his sojourn so far but he still would need Yahweh to rescue him from the hand of his brother. He reminded Yahweh of the covenant of Abraham passed on him by his father Isaac (7-12).

After his prayer, he lodged in the same place. I sensed that Jacob doubted his prayers as he divided his belongings in the following morning to his servants. He even set his servants over his belongings and told them to go ahead of him towards Esau. He instructed them to tell Esau that the animals and other valuable things being driven towards Esau are the presents Jacob meant for him (verse 13-21). A kind of bribe or appease? Maybe. This Jacob still did not understand how Yahweh works things out.  

In verse 22, Jacob sent his wives, children and the rest of his belongings across river Jordan towards Esau. He was left all alone. Hmn...Why? What was going on with Jacob? This is getting deeper now.

Jacob realized that this life really needs more than physical preparations towards Esau. He realized that his crooked life had to be straightened. Jacob was given what I described as "spiritual awareness" concerning his life. So, he remained in the place he saw Angels passing by (verse 1-2). The scripture did not properly give account of how he approached one of these messengers of Elohim but I could imagine that he was directed to approach one of them concerning his life.  He knew something was not right with him despite the blessings he had. So, his approach resulted to wrestling one of the Angels. (verse 24-25). There are few questions begging for answers in this chapter. What did the Angel have to do with Jacob's life? Why should the Angel be concerned about Jacob's life? Was he really an Angel or a celestial being that appeared like an Angel among other Angels that Jacob had met with? A Man wrestled against him until the dawn descended. Then, "He saw that He did not prevail against him. He touched the palm of his thighbone; and the palm of Jacob's thighbone was strained while wrestling with this Man".

Who was this Man? The scripture did not mention an Angel specifically but "a Man". Generally, Angels (Elohim's messengers) are spirits but this time, the Angel was mentioned as a Man. Who could this man be? In verse 28, it was revealed that Jacob wrestled with Elohim and with men! In other words, he wrestled someone higher than him in authority. Jacob refused to let this Man leave unless the Man blessed him. Of course, Jacob had been wrestling since he was in his mother's womb. It was time for him to be delivered.

Why was the wrestling necessary? He was given an intuition by Yahweh to wrestle the "Man" to get blessed! The Man could have destroyed him but he was not charged by Yahweh to do so to Jacob. Jacob's attention was required to have spiritual awareness of his life for the kind of change he was yarning for. So, Yahweh gave him a hunger and thirst for spiritual intervention. That is why he did not cross over Jordan with his family. He knew something was missing in his life. Jacob's humanly preparations to meet with Esau would amount to nothing (I Samuel 2:9). Yahweh understood Jacob's dilemma but this issue had to be solved in spiritual way. Indeed, spiritual things control physical things! Did you now see why this wrestling was very important to Jacob? Some people have or will have their spiritual encounter for the turnaround Yahweh had planned for them. People may/may not have realized it. When the appointed time comes, it will happen. It is called Spiritual awareness. It does not have to be like Jacob's encounter. Remember Abraham's encounter? It is different from Jacob's encounter.

Jacob was asked what his name was. This time, he did not mention the name "Esau" like he did to his father Isaac. He simply mentioned Jacob. Then, his name was changed to "Israel" for upright was he with Elohim and men and he was prevailing (verse 28). In order words, he won the wrestling. This is not by his abilities. He was pronounced the "winner" not because he actually defeated the Man but because his spiritual stigma had been removed. Jacob did not choose to supplant his brother but this was the plan of Yahweh for him. He knew something had to change in his life but he had no clue of what or how this would be removed. However, when the time was right, he had this encounter with Elohim. Jacob asked for the name of the Man he wrestled but the Man's response implied to Jacob that it was not necessary to know the name. Hmn...Jacob was getting too far on this.

Jacob was blessed by the Man and he let the Man go his way. Jacob called the place of encounter "Peniel" because he saw the face of Elohim (the Man) but his soul was rescued (verse 30). From that day on, Jacob would be limping on the account of his thigh (verse 31) and his name would be called, Israel. To honor Israel, his descendants do not eat sinew of the thigh nerve of any animal's palm of the thighbone they kill to eat. Who do you think the Man was? In a short answer, the Man was Yeshua. He had been regarded to as "the Lord"; Chief Elohim" or Elohim or Chief Messenger/Chief Angel. The only Elohim that could have blessed Jacob was Yeshua. No Angel could have blessed Jacob. In short, Angels do not bless people. Do not be deceived by anyone. Angels are messengers and they act on instructions given to them by Yahweh but whenever you see a son of Man; a similitude of a Man (as in KJV) e.t.c. This is Yeshua son of Yahweh (Yahua). He had been coming to this world prior his birth in New Testament just so you know. In future blogs, you will see some examples of this. All that happened to Jacob are not accidental or curse but they were planned by Yahweh for Jacob before Jacob was born!

In conclusion, this great encounter set a good step forward for Jacob. This time, he was spiritually prepared to meet with his brother, Esau. This is the second hurdle to scale for him.

I hope you have been blessed by this week's blog. Wow! What a spiritual deliverance for Jacob.

Please, leave your comments and be nice with them.

Shalom!