After Jacob and his family parted ways with Laban, the angels of God appeared to him on his journey, encouraging him with the assurance of Divine protection; for when God is making His people ready for great trials, He prepares them by great comforts.

Jacob sent a message to his brother Esau, showing that he desired to be reconciled with him. However, in reply, he received an account of Esau’s war-like preparations against him; and naturally, he became greatly afraid. But times of fear should be times of prayer; whatever causes fear should drive us to our knees and to our God. Jacob’s prayer (verses 9-12) gives us an excellent pattern for true prayer. He utters a thankful acknowledgement of former undeserved favors, a humble confession of his own unworthiness, a plain statement of his fears and distress, a giving over of the whole matter to the Lord, and a resting of all his hopes upon Him. Jacob made the name of the Lord his strong tower, and so he could not help being safe. See how his fear did not make him sink into despair. Nor did his prayer make him presume upon God’s mercy, and throw away the use of lawful means. The Lord answers prayers by teaching us how to order our affairs aright. And so, in order to pacify Esau, Jacob sent him a present of livestock by the hands of herdsmen who all carried a message of peace. 

After his servants had been sent away with the gift for Esau, and his wives and children were safely encamped on the south side of the Jabbok Brook, Jacob remained alone on the northern bank. It was a time for solitude. But there on the banks of this brook, an event occurred that has been of the deepest significance to the church of God ever since. “There wrestled with him a man till the breaking of day.” That “Man” was Jehovah Himself. “And when he” – that is, the Lord – “saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.” The wrestling contest must now have become impossible, but a far greater contest ensued. The Lord said to Jacob, “Let me go, for the day breaketh.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me” – for he had now recognized the character of his opponent and of the contest, and he sought quite another victory by quite a different method than the one which he had previously employed. He no longer expected to prevail in his own strength. He asked to be blessed by the One with Whom he had hitherto only wrestled, and that blessing was given. But first, the Lord reminded him of his old name – Jacob – which was expressive of the history of his former life as “the cunning supplanter.” Then He bestowed upon him a new name – Israel, meaning “a prince with God” – which was characteristic of his new spiritual experience and better contest by prayer. In that new character, he would have “power with God and men,” and “prevail” against all enemies. Jacob named this place Peniel, which means “the face of God”; for “I have seen God face to face,” said he, “and my soul has recovered.”

What was the meaning of this solemn transaction? Surely it was symbolic – but symbolic of what? It was a real transaction; but it was emblematic of Jacob’s past, present, and future. As we have already seen, the “Man” was the Lord Himself. Jacob had always been the believing heir to God’s promises; but throughout his whole life, he had wrestled with God – seeking to attain success in his own strength and by his own cunning devices. It seemed as if he had contended with other human beings; but in reality, he had been contending with the Lord. And the Lord had also contended with him. At last, however, any future contest was impossible; Jacob had become disabled, for God had touched the hollow of his thigh. Right when he was on the verge of stepping into the presence of Esau, Jacob was helpless! But before he could encounter his most dreaded earthly enemy, he must encounter God, with Whom he had actually been struggling all along. The contest with Esau was nothing; the contest with Jehovah was everything. The Lord could not be on Jacob’s side until he had been rendered helpless, and had learned to use other weapons besides those of his own wrestling. And it was then that Jacob recognized with Whom he had hitherto struggled. Now he resorted to the weapon of prayer; and by the Lord’s strength, he sought and found another victory in the blessing of the Lord. And at the same time, he obtained a new name, and new power with it – whereby he prevailed with both God and man. Jacob was now crippled in his thigh, but he had become “a prince with God.”

As the children of the Lord, we may also be confident in asking Him for the richest of blessings; for He has given us the same promise that he gave Jacob: “I will surely do thee good!” (verse 12) Our faithful God has every intention of fulfilling His promises, or He would not have given them to us at all. He does not give us His words merely to quiet us, and to keep us hopeful for a while, with the hopes of putting us off in the end. We may rest assured that when He gives us His Word, it is because He means to do exactly as He has said!

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