Gen 32

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Good to be with you again as we study the trials and tribulations of Jacob and his family. It doesn’t get any easier for Jacob tonight as the sins of his past come back to visit. Never a fun time!

So let’s stand as we get back in to Gen 31;

Genesis 31:26–42 (NASB95)

26 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword?

27 “Why did you flee secretly and deceive me, and did not tell me so that I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with timbrel and with lyre;

28 and did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now you have done foolishly.

29 “It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to speak either good or bad to Jacob.’

30 “Now you have indeed gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house; but why did you steal my gods?”

31 Then Jacob replied to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.

32 “The one with whom you find your gods shall not live; in the presence of our kinsmen point out what is yours among my belongings and take it for yourself.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two maids, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent.

34 Now Rachel had taken the household idols and put them in the camel’s saddle, and she sat on them. And Laban felt through all the tent but did not find them.

KJV - says searched but the word means groped. The verb from means he intensely caused himself to grope.

35 She said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the household idols.

36 Then Jacob became angry and contended with Laban; and Jacob said to Laban, “What is my transgression? What is my sin that you have hotly pursued me?

37 “Though you have felt through all my goods, what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may decide between us two.

38 “These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flocks.

39 “That which was torn of beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself. You required it of my hand whether stolen by day or stolen by night.

40 “Thus I was: by day the heat consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.

41 “These twenty years I have been in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, and you changed my wages ten times.

42 “If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, so He rendered judgment last night.”

You may be seated.

So Laban says his part and then Jacob really gives it to Laban. Now they decide to make a covenant together.

Genesis 31:43–55 (NASB95)

43 Then Laban replied to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne?

You can see the attitude of Laban. In his heart Jacob owned nothing.

44 “So now come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.”

45 Then Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.

46 Jacob said to his kinsmen, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap.

47 Now Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, Some translations say Jegar - sahadutha = heap of witness in Aramaic. but Jacob called it Galeed.

48 Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore it was named Galeed, Hebrew - witness heep

49 and Mizpah, Hebrew - watchtower for he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other.

It sounds all happy and good but it is far darker than it appears.

50 “If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us, see, God is witness between you and me.”

51 Laban said to Jacob, “Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between you and me.

52 “This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass by this heap to you for harm, and you will not pass by this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.

53 “The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.

54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his kinsmen to the meal; and they ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.

55 Early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.

So this covenant of Mizpah was more of a curse than a blessing! Interestingly it has become a type of friendship token.

Image - Mizpah necklace

Now we get to Chapter 32.

Genesis 32:1–2 NASB95

1 Now as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him. 2 Jacob said when he saw them, “This is God’s camp.” So he named that place Mahanaim.

So just as when he left his home to go to Haran, he is met by angels. There in Bethel they prepared him to go and now they are preparing him to return to the promised land and to meet his brother.

In Jacobs mind he has been gone for 20 years and has had no communication with his mother or father. They may be dead for all he knows. Add to that when he left his brother Esau wanted to kill him and he has no new information as to Esau’s disposition now.

Jacob also had a large family of 4 wives and at least 12 children to be concerned about. He did have servants but was not in a position to fight off an angry Esau and his men.

But with the angels of God meeting him he was reassured that not only did he have his own servants to help protect him but the resources of heaven, the army of God. Thus he calls the place, Mahanaim, or two camps. The only other place that I can remember where God lifts the vail between that spiritual and the physical was with Elijah’s servant, Gehazi, giving him a vision of the armies of God.

Genesis 32:3–8 (NASB95)

3 Then Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

(Seir is a synonym of Edom, which is a secondary name for Esau)

4 He also commanded them saying, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: ‘Thus says your servant Jacob, “I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now;

5 I have oxen and donkeys and flocks and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.” ’ ”

Does it sound like Jacob has the blessing of the firstborn?! Not really.

6 The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and furthermore he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”

That’s a lot of men! Do you think Esau has good or evil in mind?

7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and the herds and the camels, into two companies;

8 for he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the company which is left will escape.”

So here Jacob is preparing for the worst, and so he prays..

Genesis 32:9–12 (NASB95)

9 Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,’

10 I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies.

11 “Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children.

12 “For You said, ‘I will surely prosper you and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be numbered.’ ”

We can learn something from Jacobs prayer, notice he is reminding God of His promises to him. It not because God has forgotten but more to remind ourselves of what our “covenant keeping God” has promised.

In times of doubt, fear, and confusion its always good to remind yourself of what you do know about God and what He has promised.

So taking no chances Jacob sends forth a present for Esau. A very large present, 580 animals. The acceptance of the gift by Esau would indicate that the hard feeling had passed.

Genesis 32:13–23 (NASB95)

13 So he spent the night there. Then he selected from what he had with him a present for his brother Esau:

14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,

15 thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.

16 He delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on before me, and put a space between droves.”

17 He commanded the one in front, saying, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and to whom do these animals in front of you belong?’

18 then you shall say, ‘These belong to your servant Jacob; it is a present sent to my lord Esau. And behold, he also is behind us.’ ”

19 Then he commanded also the second and the third, and all those who followed the droves, saying, “After this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him;

20 and you shall say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob also is behind us.’ ” For he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me. Then afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.”

21 So the present passed on before him, while he himself spent that night in the camp.

22 Now he arose that same night and took his two wives and his two maids and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.

The Jabbok is a stream about halfway between the lake of Galilee and the Dead Sea and flows fro East to West into Jordan. The name interestingly means wrestler.

23 He took them and sent them across the stream. And he sent across whatever he had.

Now we Jacob alone, has an encounter with God that will change him for the rest of his life.

Genesis 32:24–32 (NASB95)

24 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.

Who is this man wrestling with Jacob? I believe this to be non-other than a preincarnate visitation of Jesus Christ. The word wrestle comes from a root meaning to “pound” so this was no friendly arm wrestle.

25 When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him.

We get a clue here to the mans identity as he uses “supernatural” means to get Jacob to release Him. I wonder how firm is our grip on God. How badly do we desire Gods blessing?

26 Then he (the angel) said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.”

It wasn’t long before that he had answered, I am Esau. Confession is telling the truth about who you are really.

28 He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.”

Israel means Prince with God or Governed by God. You might wonder as did Jacob, when did I prevail with God? The answer is when you or he surrendered.

29 Then Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there.

30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.”

The Prophet Hosea speaks on this encounter;

Hosea 12:2–5 NASB95

2 The Lord also has a dispute with Judah, And will punish Jacob according to his ways; He will repay him according to his deeds. 3 In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And in his maturity he contended with God. 4 Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed; He wept and sought His favor. He found Him at Bethel And there He spoke with us, 5 Even the Lord, the God of hosts, The Lord is His name.

Here Hosea calls the the One wrestling with Jacob YHWH.

31 Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh.

32 Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.

On this section Chuck Smith writes; “

How dis Jacob get that blessing? By his surrender to God. The LORD wrestled all night hoping that Jacob would surrender. He would’t. By his stubbornness, Jacob forced God to cripple him in order to bless him. God wants to change you from a carnal person to a spiritual person - to turn you from a life governed by your flesh to one governed by the Spirit. But does God have to cripple you to do it? I hope not.”

It has been my observation that whenever we truly encounter the Living God that just Jacob, He touches us and our “walk changes.”

Maybe tonight you need to be changed, maybe you too need a limp, a surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. Bow to Him you will never be the same.

Prayer.