Important notice: Always check out what you hear and see for yourself, as it is up to you as a Christian to do your own studying. Never take anyone's word alone, including this website here, without first always checking it out for yourself. As 2 Timothy 2:15 says "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
Genesis 32
1 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 (= double camp/two camps).
Why did Jacob call this place "two camps"? Because one was a camp of angels and the other was a camp of people.
3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir (= hairy, shaggy), the country of Edom (= red).
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.
Remember back from Genesis 27:42, Esau wanted to murder Jacob because the blessing from their dad (Isaac), was given to Jacob, which is why Jacob fled unto Haran. Now that Jacob's on his way back, though it's many years later, he's still a little concerned as to how Esau is going to treat him when he sees him.
6 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;
Naturally as flesh people, we sometimes think the worst in a situation during the moment of action, but when you know GOD is walking by your side 24/7, at all times, which HE certainly still is today, through the power of HIS SPIRIT, to those who love and serve HIM, you have absolutely no reason to ever fear what may happen in your life, especially when that's a promise from HIM. Though Jacob was quite anxious for his family when he heard the news about Esau with an army of four hundred men, he knows GOD has already told him that HE would walk by his side, and that it would be through him that his offspring would be a large as the sand of the sea. How strong is your faith in GOD?
8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
I.e. Jacob has divided his family into two groups, whereby if Esau is angry and decides to try and murder them, one group will be able to escape.
9 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.
Again, notice the difference between Jacob and Esau; no matter the present circumstance, Jacob seeks reverence, help, guidance, and protection in GOD, whereas Esau continually leaves him out of the picture.
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.
13 And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;
Here Jacob's setting up a gift he plans on giving to Esau as a way to try and make him excited whereby maybe he will let go of any anger he possibly still has.
14 Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,
15 Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine (i.e. cows), and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.
16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove (i.e. flock) by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.
Jacob's letting them know to keep the flocks spaced apart, whereby perhaps Esau's excitement will have time to grow; i.e. if the first group doesn't quite excite him enough, then maybe the second group will.
17 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.
Jacob's being submissive here in hopes to cool Esau's temper down.
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 (i.e. perhaps) he will accept of me.
21 So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.
22 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 (a river east of the Jordan that means "emptying").
23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
As you will come to see, this "man" is none other than GOD HIMself. Here Jacob is testing GOD's patience as GOD has already told Jacob that HE would walk beside him on his journey and has even shown him an army of angels nearby and yet Jacob's still not fully acting on his faith.
25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him (i.e. GOD saw that Jacob just wouldn't give up), 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 (i.e. GOD) said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he (Jacob) said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me (this shows Jacob knew who he was dealing with [GOD], otherwise he wouldn't be asking for a blessing).
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob (= heel holder, supplanter).
Don't think for a second that the angel of the LORD (GOD) didn't know Jacob's name; HE's simply bringing it to Jacob's attention and that from here on, he will be called by a new name (Israel).
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob (= heel holder, supplanter), but Israel (= GOD prevails): for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed (i.e. succeeded).
And so it is with us today, if you keep GOD in the picture, you're going to prevail and ultimately be a winner but if you throw HIM to the side like Esau, you're going to be a loser and ultimately his nation in the end will be completely destroyed (Obadiah 1). Note that out of some forty Hebrew names compounded with "El" or "Jah", GOD is always the doer of what the verb means (compare to Dani-el [= GOD judges/GOD is my judge]). Remember, Jacob had contended for the birthright and prevailed (Genesis 25:29-34), he had contended for the blessing and prevailed (Genesis 27), he had contended with Laban and prevailed (Genesis 31), but now he contends with GOD and fails. Hence his name is changed to Isra-el, GOD commands to teach him the greatly needed lesson of dependence upon HIM. Note that Jacob is used to describe him and his natural seed, while Israel is used to describe him spiritually and his spiritual seed.
29 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 (i.e. HE's saying "why are you asking MY name, you know who I am")? And he blessed him there.
Although GOD didn't tell Israel (Jacob) HIS name, HE did bless him. Perhaps GOD liked the fact that Jacob didn't give up, and within him not giving up, he also sought GOD's help, which ultimately is the lesson here; seek GOD first and ultimately you'll also prevail. Note that it would be Moses who was the first person to here GOD's name, which is "I AM THAT I AM" (Exodus 3:14).
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel (= face of GOD): for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh (i.e. he limped).
After Jacob (Israel) had wrestled and fought with GOD, he paid the price and was left crippled.
32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew (= tendon, gîyd in Hebrew) 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.
Our HEAVENLY FATHER expects us to gain more knowledge in HIS WORD and we will do just that the more we study it and apply it unto our lives, as HIS WORD is alive and HIS SPIRIT moves upon us. When you fight your battles in life, always keep GOD in the picture; seek HIM first, always, and do it HIS way, for when you do this, you'll always prevail. Once you've done all that you can do, seek HIS help and HE most certainly will help you. Forever put your full trust in HIM and never doubt what HE can do for you and others.
2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim (= double camp/two camps).
Why did Jacob call this place "two camps"? Because one was a camp of angels and the other was a camp of people.
3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir (= hairy, shaggy), the country of Edom (= red).
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.
Remember back from Genesis 27:42, Esau wanted to murder Jacob because the blessing from their dad (Isaac), was given to Jacob, which is why Jacob fled unto Haran. Now that Jacob's on his way back, though it's many years later, he's still a little concerned as to how Esau is going to treat him when he sees him.
6 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;
Naturally as flesh people, we sometimes think the worst in a situation during the moment of action, but when you know GOD is walking by your side 24/7, at all times, which HE certainly still is today, through the power of HIS SPIRIT, to those who love and serve HIM, you have absolutely no reason to ever fear what may happen in your life, especially when that's a promise from HIM. Though Jacob was quite anxious for his family when he heard the news about Esau with an army of four hundred men, he knows GOD has already told him that HE would walk by his side, and that it would be through him that his offspring would be a large as the sand of the sea. How strong is your faith in GOD?
8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
I.e. Jacob has divided his family into two groups, whereby if Esau is angry and decides to try and murder them, one group will be able to escape.
9 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.
Again, notice the difference between Jacob and Esau; no matter the present circumstance, Jacob seeks reverence, help, guidance, and protection in GOD, whereas Esau continually leaves him out of the picture.
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.
13 And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;
Here Jacob's setting up a gift he plans on giving to Esau as a way to try and make him excited whereby maybe he will let go of any anger he possibly still has.
14 Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,
15 Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine (i.e. cows), and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.
16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove (i.e. flock) by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.
Jacob's letting them know to keep the flocks spaced apart, whereby perhaps Esau's excitement will have time to grow; i.e. if the first group doesn't quite excite him enough, then maybe the second group will.
17 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.
Jacob's being submissive here in hopes to cool Esau's temper down.
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 (i.e. perhaps) he will accept of me.
21 So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.
22 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 (a river east of the Jordan that means "emptying").
23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
As you will come to see, this "man" is none other than GOD HIMself. Here Jacob is testing GOD's patience as GOD has already told Jacob that HE would walk beside him on his journey and has even shown him an army of angels nearby and yet Jacob's still not fully acting on his faith.
25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him (i.e. GOD saw that Jacob just wouldn't give up), 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 (i.e. GOD) said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he (Jacob) said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me (this shows Jacob knew who he was dealing with [GOD], otherwise he wouldn't be asking for a blessing).
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob (= heel holder, supplanter).
Don't think for a second that the angel of the LORD (GOD) didn't know Jacob's name; HE's simply bringing it to Jacob's attention and that from here on, he will be called by a new name (Israel).
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob (= heel holder, supplanter), but Israel (= GOD prevails): for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed (i.e. succeeded).
And so it is with us today, if you keep GOD in the picture, you're going to prevail and ultimately be a winner but if you throw HIM to the side like Esau, you're going to be a loser and ultimately his nation in the end will be completely destroyed (Obadiah 1). Note that out of some forty Hebrew names compounded with "El" or "Jah", GOD is always the doer of what the verb means (compare to Dani-el [= GOD judges/GOD is my judge]). Remember, Jacob had contended for the birthright and prevailed (Genesis 25:29-34), he had contended for the blessing and prevailed (Genesis 27), he had contended with Laban and prevailed (Genesis 31), but now he contends with GOD and fails. Hence his name is changed to Isra-el, GOD commands to teach him the greatly needed lesson of dependence upon HIM. Note that Jacob is used to describe him and his natural seed, while Israel is used to describe him spiritually and his spiritual seed.
29 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 (i.e. HE's saying "why are you asking MY name, you know who I am")? And he blessed him there.
Although GOD didn't tell Israel (Jacob) HIS name, HE did bless him. Perhaps GOD liked the fact that Jacob didn't give up, and within him not giving up, he also sought GOD's help, which ultimately is the lesson here; seek GOD first and ultimately you'll also prevail. Note that it would be Moses who was the first person to here GOD's name, which is "I AM THAT I AM" (Exodus 3:14).
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel (= face of GOD): for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh (i.e. he limped).
After Jacob (Israel) had wrestled and fought with GOD, he paid the price and was left crippled.
32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew (= tendon, gîyd in Hebrew) 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.
Our HEAVENLY FATHER expects us to gain more knowledge in HIS WORD and we will do just that the more we study it and apply it unto our lives, as HIS WORD is alive and HIS SPIRIT moves upon us. When you fight your battles in life, always keep GOD in the picture; seek HIM first, always, and do it HIS way, for when you do this, you'll always prevail. Once you've done all that you can do, seek HIS help and HE most certainly will help you. Forever put your full trust in HIM and never doubt what HE can do for you and others.