Mighty God of Israel

Before we go on to the actual meeting between Jacob and Esau, there are a few more things to consider regarding the wrestling match between Jacob and the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ.

For example, when Jacob asks his contender's name, then answer is another question: "Why do you ask my name?" He does not question Jacob out of curiosity, but rather as though to say "You know it already." This question will be answered further along in scripture in the book of Judges as well as in the book of Isaiah (only a few of the 300 or so names of God to be found in the Bible).

"Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is your name, so that when your words come to pass, we may honor you? But the angel of the LORD said to him, Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?" (Judges 13:17-18 NASB)

"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6 NASB)

As far as Jacob's new name, his is an exception to the name-change pattern that is normally seen in the Bible. Normally, when God changes an individual's name, only the new God-given name is used by God from that point on in scripture. For example: Abram becomes Abraham and then God always refers to him as Abraham after that point. The same thing happens with Sarai who become Sarah and Saul who become Paul, etc. Not so with Jacob. It appears that God calls him Jacob when Jacob is walking according to his flesh, while his God-given name of Israel is used when he is following the Spirit of God. Unfortunately, we will see that the name Jacob is used twice as often as Israel.

Hosea also offers some insight into the wrestling match:

"In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his maturity he contended with God. Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor. He found Him at Bethel…" (Hosea 12:3-4)

There was weeping on Jacob's part when he wrestled with the Lord, indicative perhaps of repentance (as one reader of this blog, GW, suggested earlier). And all three of the above scriptures indicate to us that it was God that Jacob wrestled with, otherwise known as the "angel of the Lord" or the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ, as is commonly understood by scholars when the term "angel of the Lord" is used.

Jacob "found God" at Bethel. He met the "hosts of God" at Mahanaim. And he "saw the face of God" at Peniel.

Now let's watch what happens when Jacob meets Esau.

"And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him, and they wept. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant. Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves, and after came Joseph and Rachel, and they bowed themselves. And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I MET? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord. And Esau said, I have enough, my brother, keep that thou hast unto thyself. And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me,. Take I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it. And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee. And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die. Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir. And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? Let me find grace in the sight of my lord. So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth. And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city. And he bought a parcel of field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for an hundred pieces of money. And he erected there an altar, and called it Elelohe Israel," (Genesis 33:1-20)

We can't help but notice the order in which Jacob places his wives, concubines and children in the procession that is moving out to meet Esau whom Jacob fears greatly. Even though Jacob does take the lead, he has placed Rachel and Joseph farthest away from the potential of Esau's potential anger and vengeance, in the hope that they will escape while the ones closest to Esau are being slaughtered (all of which is playing out as a great possibility in Jacob's guilty imagination). Surely this did not escape Leah's attention, and how deeply hurt she must have been. And how did the children feel; the eldest of which is around 14 years of age and is staged alongside of Leah?

But Esau miraculously throws himself at Jacob's neck in a huge embrace of joyful emotion, rather than fury. While Jacob is thoroughly shocked at this response (obviously God softened Esau's heart somewhere along the way as God is able to do), still Jacob does not want to linger in Esau's presence. We are not sure if it is because he just doesn't want to linger around one whom he believes does not really honor God (even though Esau acknowledges that he has been blessed by God) or because he still doesn't trust Esau. In truth, Esau seems to be governed for most of his life thus far by emotional compulsion (moved by the circumstances of the moment rather than by what is right) and one like this cannot be trusted or thought to be "safe" to be around.

I would guess that it is still fear that motivates Jacob, however. Notice that Jacob "evades" traveling in company with Esau, by suggesting that his young herds and young children will not be able to keep up with Esau and his men. While this is a true statement, still it is a ploy. For Jacob, in truth, does not want to travel with Esau at all. In fact, he wants to put as much distance between himself and Esau as possible.

Even though Jacob tells Esau he will meet him further along at Mount Seir (which is in the southeast), Jacob deliberately turns his entourage towards the northwest….the completely opposite direction!

Perhaps this is the direction he always intended to go towards his father Isaac's home, or perhaps this is a detour. In either case, Jacob will settle for a time in the town of Shalem in an area known as Shechem (both names should sound familiar). This will prove to be an extremely bad choice; and is most likely NOT where God told him to go when God told Jacob to leave Laban. Abraham left the place God had brought him to and traveled to Egypt, during which time he picked up a servant by the name of Hagar. Abraham's presence in a place God did not call him to wrought terrible havoc in Abraham's immediate family as well as for generations to come. Such will happen with Jacob as well when he makes a choice that is outside of God's will for him.

Now let's look for a moment at some of the terms used in the last few verses of scripture above.

Shalem is another spelling of the city of Salem (meaning "peace") whose king we have met earlier on in scripture: Melchizedek.

Shechem (meaning "shoulder") is the land in which Abraham purchases a burial place for Sarah. Jacob himself will later be buried there as well.

Succoths (meaning "booths" which will also become the name of an Israelite religious Feast Day) will also be the first stop that the Israelites camp in on their way out of the land of Egypt after 400 years of bondage.

Elelohe Israel means "Mighty God of Israel." An altar erected by Jacob most likely because of the mercy and grace of God that Jacob experienced in the meeting with Esau. It is here that Jacob finally "worships" God as his own God, no longer referring to Him as "the God of my father Isaac."

Now, another name of God will be "The God of Abraham, Isaac, AND Jacob."

Next: a heinous incident which will cause two sons of Jacob to lose their birthright blessings from God.