Text: Genesis 32

Theme: Learning to surrender to God’s will and way for my life.

Introduction:

  1. In the last message in our series on the life of Jacob we looked at how Laban had lived a life of selfishness which had brought constant grief into his life.
  2. We left off following Jacob’s confrontation with Laban as Jacob continued on his journey back to his homeland.
  3. Today we are going to look at Jacob’s arrival at the river Jabbok as he prepares to meet Esau after being away from his family for 20 years.

I. Jacob’s Passage (Vs 1-8)

  1. Upon his departure from the mount Gilead Jacob encountered the angels of God. Jacob recognized that this was God’s host and he, no doubt, took courage in the fact that God was still leading him and he was in God’s care.
  2. Many times, we feel as though we are walking alone through trials in life, and as far as we can see no-one seems to care about our struggle. But when we are walking in the will of God, He is always with us, and we can take comfort in the fact that there is no-one better to have on our side than the God and Maker of all things who can work all things together for good.
  3. Still, Jacob was fearful of his brother Esau who had tried to kill him twenty years prior. Jacob clearly expected that Esau would still be angry.
  4. Esau had heard that Jacob was migrating back to Canaan and would have been concerned that Jacob might be intending to take over the lands promised to him. So, Esau put his own army together, no less than 400 men, and marched out to meet Jacob.

II. Jacob’s Prayer (Vs 7-2)

  1. It is important to note that Jacob didn’t make bold claims about his own rights and demand that God should meet His need, however, Jacob did remind God of the promises God had made to Jacob.
  2. When we are going through difficult times we can go before the throne of grace and remind God of His promises to us. Not that God has forgotten His own Word, but that He has promised to hear and answer our prayer when we pray by faith in accordance with His Word.
  3. The answer to Jacob’s prayer would come, but first he needed to be emptied of all self-effort.

III. Jacob’s Present (Vs 13-23)

  1. Jacob sent a large gift of animals to Esau
    – He sent goats, sheep, camels, cattle and asses.
    – This gift totalled 580 animals
  2. Such a large present would show that Jacob’s intentions were peaceful and that he desired to share his wealth and was not out to get more for himself.
  3. Having dispatched the presents, Jacob and the immediate family rested part of the night of the northern side of the river Jabbok and then at some point during the night Jacob took his family across to the southern bank of river while he himself returned to the northern bank in order to be alone.
  4. It is not stated here but it seems that Jacob returned to the other side of the river so that he could pray in complete solitude.

IV. Jacob’s Prevailing (Vs 24-28)

  1. We don’t know how long Jacob was alone for, however, at some point during Jacob’s prayer vigil he began wrestling with one who, at first, appeared to be just another man.
  2. In verse 30 Jacob declared that he had “seen God face to face.”
  3. Jacob seems to have associated the angels’ departure with unanswered prayer and responds that he will not let the Angel depart without receiving a blessing from him.
    – Jacob was at a point of crisis in his life. He knew that he could not face every situation in life through his own strength. Jacob was coming to the end of himself.
    – Jacob realized that he needed the blessing of God on his life and that this blessing must be sought diligently, not stolen subtilty from his brother.
  4. There must not be a nation of Jacob, but rather a nation of Israel; A nation whose true identity is found not in a man, not in what man can achieve for himself, not even in what man can achieve for God, but rather, all that Israel has been, is, and ever will be is because God has chosen them as His people and has promised them that He will bless them for His own names’ sake.

Jacob’s Preservation (Vs 29-32)

  1. At last Jacob received the blessing that he so desired. Jacob had wrestled in prayer and had wrestled with the Angel, even though he experienced a great setback through the hollowing of his thigh he continued to wrestle until he obtained the blessing he desired.
  2. Jacob named the place Peniel, which means “face of God” to commemorate this event.
  3. Although Jacob left this place with his thigh out of joint, he left with great spiritual blessings which far outweighed the physical disability he now experienced.