Recently I’ve been writing about people that perhaps are lesser known but are named in the Bible. So, who is Peniel? Peniel is a place not a person. We read about this place and the great event that took place at this location in Genesis 32. “And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved” (32:30).
From the day Jacob was born he was always looking out for number one. He was a twin. In ancient Israel, the first-born son received the birthright and the blessing of the father by virtue of being the first born. His twin brother Esau was the first to be delivered from Rebecca and as this delivery was in process the handmaiden saw the second baby, Jacob, reach out and grab the heel of Esau. Even in the womb Jacob was wrestling for supremacy. His life would be marked by deception after deception. He conned Esau out of his birthright with a bowl of red beans when Esau was extremely hungry and later he, along with his mother, devised a plan whereby he stole his father’s blessing which was to go to the eldest boy. Esau was a hairy man, and Jacob was a smooth skinned man. The deception took place when Isaac was old and didn’t see well. They put hairy animal hide on Jacob’s arms deceiving the elder father into thinking it was his oldest boy. When Esau hears of the theft, he plans to kill Jacob. “He’s stolen my inheritance and now the final blessing. I’ll kill my brother.” Rebecca sends Jacob away quickly telling him, “I’ll send for you when things calm down.” Twenty years later we find ourselves in Genesis 32. Jacob has left Uncle Laban, a deceiver in his own right, and is wanting to travel back home. To get home he must deal with Esau, his twin brother after two decades. He has always schemed and connived. What would be his plan? Will Esau kill him after all this time? I won’t focus on the plan he devised but it was one to be admired. The night before his meeting with Esau, he’s still worried. They break camp in the middle of the night, and he sends everybody and all the animals across the ford called Jabbok. As Jacob walks around, perhaps seeing if anything had been left by his party, he’s alone. Then he’s not alone. There is a man, and they begin to fight. The struggle rages on for hours and Jacob will not stop fighting. During this time Jacob realizes that this is no ordinary man. It is possibly an angel. The dawn was coming fast. According to old commentaries, the ancient’s believed that demons and spirits only operated in the nighttime. The angel touches Jacob’s thigh and his hip dislocates, but Jacob still will not let go of the man/angel. “Let me go, for the day breaketh.” “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” What was the blessing? He got a name change. This is a turning point in the life of Jacob. He will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel. 32:28 tells us that Jacob prevailed. That phrase doesn’t mean that Jacob outlasted God or beat him in the fight. It means that Jacob had success because he would not give up. Don’t ever make the mistake in thinking you can win a battle against the Lord. He can take us out anytime He wants. In our text, God was simply testing Jacob and finally after a life of deception he sees the light. He is a changed man.
What are some take-a-ways from this passage? First, I believe that this angel of the Lord was the pre-incarnate Jesus. Jacob says, “I have seen God face to face.” This is called a Theophany or a Christophany. It is an appearance of Jesus in the Old Testament. There are several other portions of scripture that tell of these appearances. Joshua had an appearance and the three Hebrew boys, who were thrown into the flaming furnace in the book of Daniel, had one when joined by a fourth man like unto “the Son of God.” There are more appearances, but you get the understanding. Second, God tests us to prove to us that success can be ours. The victorious Christian life isn’t always an easy life. Struggles abound but the joy that comes after the struggle is life changing. There is a satisfaction in the struggle but an even greater satisfaction in victory. The Lord wants us to enjoy the abundant Christian life but always remember, it comes with a price. Jacob walked with a limp the rest of his life. It was a constant reminder that he met God which resulted in a life changing experience.
How did it end with Esau the next day? There was a reconciliation of sorts in chapter 33. A third take-a-way could be this truth. Jacob thought his fight would be with Esau but in reality, he would struggle with God. The problems that befall us often are God placing them in our paths to drive us closer to him and not the result of people seeking to harm us. Some people do wish us harm, but it doesn’t happen as often as we like to think.
Have you had your Peniel moment? Do you know God? Have you walked differently since that day? Each of us need to hang on to the Lord and vow to not let go no matter how hard the struggle.