Genesis 32 · The Lantern

Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau

And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

After Jacob and Laban had parted from each other, "angels of God met Jacob" to make known to him that if Laban did not obey God, who had appeared to him in the evening, he and those with him would be destroyed at dawn by the hands of those angels who protect Jacob.

You see, once fear of Laban faded and was no more, then fear of his brother took hold of Jacob; so the loving Lord wanted to give the good man heart and drive out all his apprehension. Thus he caused Jacob to see the angels' camp. "God's angels accosted him," the text says, remember.

(Chapter XXXII.—Verse 1 and 2.) And the angels of God met him, and when Jacob saw them, he said: These are the camps of God, and he called the name of that place Mahanaim. Where these camps were placed, in Hebrew it means Mahanaim (); so that we may know, if it is ever mentioned in another place without interpretation, what place it signifies.

And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

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

And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall you speak to my lord Esau; Your servant Jacob says thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:

And I have oxen, and donkeys, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in your sight.

And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to your brother Esau, and also he comes to meet you, and four hundred men with him.

Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;

And said, If Esau come to the one company, and strike it, then the other company which is left shall escape.

And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which said to me, Return to your country, and to your kindred, and I will deal well with you:

I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which you have shown to your servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.

"With only his staff he crossed the Jordan." It was a wondrous symbol Jacob held in his hand in anticipation—the sign of the cross of the great prophet.

And like an alien who possessed nothing he began to travel the path of his journey, and he asked from them for his need nothing, neither beast for burden, nor servants for ministration, nor costly apparel in which to appear, nor other things which are a vain show, to which many hold fast to-day, but he went forth from them with his staff, being provided for the journey, and bea…

We do not read of blessed Jacob that he departed with horses or asses or camels, but we read only that he carried a staff in his hand. Thus indeed, when entreating the Lord he said, "Lord, I am not worthy of all thy kindnesses.

Deliver me, I pray you, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and strike me, and the mother with the children.

And you said, I will surely do you good, and make your seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;

Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,

Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty cows, and ten bulls, twenty she donkeys, and ten foals.

And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said to his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space between drove and drove.

And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meets you, and asks you, saying, Whose are you? and where are you going? and whose are these before you?

Then you shall say, They be your servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent to my lord Esau: and indeed, also he is behind us.

And so he commanded the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall you speak to Esau, when you find him.

And say moreover, Look, your servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept of me.

So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.

Jacob Wrestles with God

And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok.

And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.

And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

And when he 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.

And he said, Let me go, for the day breaks. And he said, I will not let you go, except you bless me.

"Let me go, because it is already morning." "Morning" we understand as the light of truth and wisdom, through whom all things were made. You will enjoy the morning when this night has gone, that is, the iniquity of this world. That's when it will be morning, when the Lord comes, in order to be seen by us as he is already seen by the angels.

You see how he does not continue fighting at daybreak. In fact, there is no fight for those who already live in the light.

Now as to the fact that Jacob came to the Jordan and after sending over all his possessions remained alone and wrestled with a man until the break of day. In that struggle Jacob prefigured the people of the Jews; the angel with whom he wrestled typified our Lord and Savior. Jacob wrestled with the angel because the Jewish people were to wrestle with Christ even to death.

And he said to him, What is your name? And he said, Jacob.

And he said, Your name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince have you power with God and with men, and have prevailed.

A man, Scripture says, wrestled with Jacob. If he is a mere man, who is he? Where did he come from? Why does he struggle and wrestle with Jacob? What had come between them? What had happened? What was the cause of so great a conflict and struggle as that? Moreover, why is it that Jacob proves to be the stronger even to the holding of the man with whom he was struggling?

Do you see how God revealed the complete explanation of why he demonstrated such considerateness? At the same time God taught this good man [Jacob] through the imposition of the name [Israel] who it was that he had seen and had been allowed to hold on to.

This was also shown to blessed Francis, when in the rapture of contemplation on the lofty mountain — where I pondered in my mind these things which have been written — there appeared a Seraph with six wings affixed to a cross, as I and many others heard from his companion who was then with him there; where he passed over into God through the rapture of contemplation, and was se…

And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray you, your name. And he said, Why is it that you do ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.

Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, to this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.

Genesis32

Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau

Jacob Wrestles with God