Hello! Welcome to today’s bible study on Genesis 32 where Jacob wrestles with God. According to Bible scholars, the events of Genesis 32 took place in 1906 B.C. approximately.
I encourage you to turn to Genesis 32 in your Bible. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study Genesis 32. I mention this in all the Bible Studies because it is only through the Holy Spirit that we get fresh revelation and knowledge to understand the word of God. No one else can teach you better than the Holy Spirit Himself. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know.
In the Bible Study on Genesis 31, we read about Jacob fleeing from Laban along with his wives, sons and belongings. In today’s Bible study on Genesis 32, we will read about Esau preparing to meet Jacob and Jacob wrestling with God.
Backstory on Genesis 31: Jacob leaves Laban’s house secretly with his wives, concubines and children. Laban pursues Jacob and accuses him of stealing his household idols not knowing that Rachel, indeed, had stolen them. Laban and Jacob make a covenant at Mizpah and separate permanently. Jacob continues on his journey to Canaan according to God’s instruction.
Without any further delay, let us study together Genesis Chapter 32, shall we?
Genesis 32 Summary
Jacob journeyed to Canaan and was met by the angels of God. He recognized them and named the place Mahanaim.
Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to inform Esau of his location and how he had lived with Laban temporarily. He also told them to mention the livestock, flocks, and servants he had acquired at Padan Aram. He did all this to appease Esau and to win back his favour.
Jacob’s messengers informed Jacob that Esau was on his way to meet him, accompanied by four hundred men. Jacob, fearing that Esau meant to harm him and his servants, was greatly distressed. To protect his people and animals, Jacob divided them into two groups, so that if Esau attacked one, the other would be able to escape.
Jacob prayed to God to save him from Esau’s wrath and reminded God of the promise He made to him twenty years ago on his way to Padan Aram. That same night, Jacob prepared a present of various animals for Esau and instructed his servants to take them to Esau. Jacob thought that this would appease Esau and calm his wrath. Therefore, Jacob stayed behind while the present that he had prepared for Esau went before him with his servants.
On the same night that Jacob sent his present to Esau, he crossed over the ford of Jabbok with his two wives, two female servants, and eleven sons. He further sent them and everything he had over the brook while he stayed back. He was alone when he slept that night, and a Man wrestled with him until morning. When the Man realized that He could not overcome Jacob, He touched Jacob’s hip socket, causing it to go out of joint. The Man then asked Jacob to let Him go. When Jacob realized he was wrestling with God Himself in the form of a man, he refused to let go until he received a blessing from Him.
God renamed Jacob as Israel, meaning “Prince with God,” because he had triumphed in his struggle with God and man (as God wrestled with Jacob as a man). When Jacob asked God for His name, He blessed Jacob and left.
Jacob named the place Peniel, which means “face of God,” because he had seen God face to face and did not die. As a result of the encounter, Jacob’s hip was injured and he limped as he crossed over Penuel (another name for Peniel). Even to this day, the children of Israel refrain from eating the muscle that shrank which is on the hip socket, as it serves as a reminder that God touched the socket of Jacob’s hip during the encounter.
Genesis 32 Commentary
1. Genesis 32:2
Jacob named the place, where he had encountered God’s angels, Mahanaim, which means “double camps“. The angels had been sent by the Lord to meet Jacob, who was under the divine protection of God. This encounter with the angels was a sign to Jacob that God had charged His angels to watch over him and his household.
In addition to his own army, Jacob had the army of angels to assist him. It is unclear whether the people who were with him, including his wives, children, and servants, were able to see the angels as well. Nonetheless, Mahanaim represented the camp of Jacob and his company of people, as well as the camp of God’s angels.
2. Genesis 32:3-5
Jacob was aware of the fact that he had twice supplanted his twin brother Esau- first when he asked for his birthright, and later when he deceived his father, Isaac, to obtain Esau’s blessing. After twenty years, he was still troubled by his past. He believed that Esau might still hold a grudge against him. Therefore, Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to try and appease Esau.
3. Genesis 32:9-12
Jacob reminded God of His covenant, humbled himself and prayed for deliverance from Esau. Jacob sought the Lord, instead of trusting his servants or the men with him to escape Esau’s wrath.
4. Genesis 32:24-32
After Jacob finished praying, God appeared to him and wrestled with him. During their wrestling, Jacob realized that he was wrestling with God himself and refused to let go until he received a blessing from Him. God blessed Jacob with the covenant blessing that he had promised him twenty years prior, when Jacob had journeyed to Padan Aram.
We also learn that God changed Jacob’s name from “Jacob” to “Israel”. The name Jacob means “supplanter“, “schemer” or “trickster“; whereas Israel means “contender with God” or “Prince with God“. After this event, Jacob named the place where he met God “Peniel”, which literally means “face of God”.
Note:
It is interesting to note that all names ending with the suffix “el” mean “of God” or “with God”. This is also true for the angels of God. If we look at their names, we can see that they all end with “el” – Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, for example.
Genesis 32 Lessons
1. God sends His angels to protect
God sent His angels to Jacob. I believe that the angels were there to protect Jacob and his group. Although, we may not always be able to see them, they are all around us, watching over and assisting us. We can trust that God will never abandon or neglect his children, and He often sends His angel armies to help us.
2. Pray before you expect God to deliver you
We must first pray to God, before expecing Him to help us. Although He is all-knowing, He will never override our will. Hence, we must first seek His help, and then expect Him to answer. It is also worth noting that a sincere prayer pleases God.
Jacob prayed with his entire spirit for deliverance from Esau’s presumed wrath. It was not about fancy words. He prayed sincerely with all his soul and spirit and God answered. He met Him face to face and blessed him.
3. Try to smooth things out with your adversary
In Matthew 5:25, Jesus asks us to agree with our adversary to sort things out where needed.
Jacob, being well-aware of his mistake, attempted to reconcile with Esau by gifting him a selected portion of his flocks to avoid Esau’s wrath.
4. God is faithful
God is always true to His promises and He fulfilled His covenant and promises to Jacob when He blessed Jacob after the wrestling. The very purpose of the wrestling was to bless Jacob and to confirm His covenant with Jacob.
Genesis 32: Common questions and answers
1. What is the point of Genesis 32?
The whole point of Genesis 32 is about Jacob’s deliverance and turnaround. He was no longer Jacob which literally means a supplanter, a schemer or trickster but he was Israel – a man who prevailed against God and man when God wrestled with him as a man. Jacob had a promotion in his position when God changed his name from Jacob to Israel after his encounter with God.
2. Did Jacob see God face to face?
Yes, Jacob did see God face to face in the form of a Man. However, he soon realized that he was not wrestling with a man but with God himself and therefore would not let Him go until He blessed him.
3. What does it mean that Jacob wrestled with God?
God took the form of a Man and wrestled with Jacob who was sleeping alone on the night that this event took place. The very reason behind the wrestling was to let Jacob prevail so that God could change his name and his position by changing his name from Jacob to Israel. Therefore, Jacob was named as Israel from which the nation of Israel came to be.
4. What does Peniel mean in Gensis 32?
The name Peniel according to the NKJV bible means ‘face of God‘. It was the place that Jacob saw God face-to-face and he was grateful that he survived. No human can see God in His glory in human flesh and survive. God took the form of a man and wrestled with Jacob and that is why Jacob didn’t die even after seeing God face-to-face. Jacob named the place, where he saw God face-to-face, Peniel.
5. Who is the man that Jacob wrestled with?
The man with whom Jacob wrestled was God Himself. Jacob realised that He was wrestling with God and wouldn’t let go of Him until He had blessed him.
Conclusion
This concludes the bible study lesson on Genesis 32. I hope you learnt something from this free bible study and found it helpful in your Bible study journey. Feel free to share it with others. Also, share your thoughts about it and what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you about Genesis 32. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
What are your takeaways from Genesis 32?