Genesis 32:24 - Meaning and Application

Here we have the remarkable story of Jacob wrestling with the angel and prevailing, a story later referred to in (Hosea 12:4). Very early in the morning, long before daybreak, Jacob had sent his wives and children across the river, and he wanted to be alone. He did this so he could once again pour out his fears and concerns to God in prayer. We should keep praying with steady faith and not grow weary. Frequent, earnest prayer prepares us to receive mercy.

While Jacob was praying hard and stirring himself to hold on to God, an angel seized him. Some think this was a created angel, the angel of God’s presence, as in (Isaiah 63:9), one who always sees the Father’s face and serves around the divine glory. Others think it was Michael our prince, the eternal Word, the angel of the covenant, who is truly Lord over the angels and often appeared in human form before he took on human nature forever. Whoever it was, God’s name was in him, as in (Exodus 23:21).

Notice, first, how Jacob and this angel met in struggle, in (Genesis 32:24). It was a one-on-one fight, hand to hand, with no one else helping either side. Jacob was already full of fear about meeting his brother the next day, and to make the trial even harder, God himself seemed to stand against him like an enemy. It looked as if God was blocking his entrance into the promised land and stopping him from following after his wives and children.

Strong believers must expect different trials, and even severe ones. The prophet tells us how Jacob wrestled in (Hosea 12:4): he wept and pleaded. His weapons were prayer and tears. This was not only a bodily struggle, but also a spiritual one, full of strong faith and holy desire. In that way, all the spiritual children of Jacob still wrestle with God when they truly pray.

Second, consider the result of the struggle. Jacob held his ground. Though the fight went on a long time, the angel did not prevail against him, in (Genesis 32:25). That means this hard trial did not shake Jacob’s faith or silence his prayer. He did not wrestle in his own strength, and he did not prevail by his own strength. He fought and won by strength given from heaven.

Job gives a helpful picture of this in (Job 23:6). “Will he plead against me with his great power?” No, for if the angel had done that, Jacob would have been crushed. Instead, “he will put strength in me,” and by that strength Jacob had power over the angel, as (Hosea 12:4) says. We cannot prevail with God except in God’s own strength. It is his Spirit who prays in us and helps us in our weakness, as in (Romans 8:26).

The angel touched Jacob’s thigh out of joint to show him what he could do, and to make it clear that Jacob was wrestling with God. No mere man could dislocate his thigh with a touch. Some think Jacob felt little or no pain from the injury, since he did not even limp until after the struggle ended, in (Genesis 32:31). If so, this was a clear divine touch, one that wounded and healed at the same time. Jacob prevailed, and yet his thigh was put out of joint.

Wrestling believers may win great victories and still come away with broken bones. When they are weak, then they are strong, weak in themselves, but strong in Christ, as in (2 Corinthians 12:10). The comforts and honors of this world are never pure and complete.

Third, the angel, in a striking act of humility, gently asked Jacob to let him go, in (Genesis 32:26), as God also said to Moses in (Exodus 32:10), “Let me alone.” Could not a mighty angel free himself from Jacob’s grip? Of course he could. But he did this to honor Jacob’s faith and prayer, and also to test his perseverance further. “The king is held in the galleries,” as in (Song of Solomon 7:5). The bride says, “I held him and would not let him go,” in (Song of Solomon 3:4).

The angel gave his reason: day was breaking, and he would not keep Jacob any longer from what he had to do. Jacob had a journey ahead of him and a family to care for, and at this urgent time those duties called for his attention. Everything is fitting in its proper time. Even the work of religion and the comfort of fellowship with God must sometimes give way to the necessary duties of this life. God desires mercy, not sacrifice.

Fourth, Jacob kept pressing with holy boldness: “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Whatever happened to his family or his journey, he resolved to make the most of this chance and not lose the benefit of his victory. He did not want to wrestle all night for nothing. He humbly determined that he would have a blessing, even if every bone in his body were put out of place first.

The honor of winning would do him no good without the comfort of the blessing. In asking for this blessing, he admitted that he was beneath the angel, even though he seemed to have the upper hand in the struggle. The lesser person receives the blessing from the greater. Those who want Christ’s blessing must be sincere and urgent, and they must not be turned away. Earnest prayer is effective prayer.

Fifth, the angel gave Jacob a lasting mark of honor by changing his name, in (Genesis 32:27-28). “You are a brave fighter,” the angel says in effect, “a man of strong resolve. What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answers, meaning “supplanter,” one who gets ahead by craft. Then the angel says, in effect, “You will not be called that anymore. From now on you will be known, not for clever dealings, but for true courage. You will be called Israel, a prince with God.”

That is a greater name than the names of the great men of the earth. He is truly a prince who is a prince with God, and those are truly honored who are mighty in prayer, true Israels, true Israelites. Jacob is, as it were, knighted on the battlefield by the source of all honor, and that name will remain to his praise forever. And this was not all. Since he had power with God, he would also have power with men. Since he had won a blessing from heaven, he would surely also win Esau’s favor.

Whatever enemies we face, if we can make God our friend, we are in a good place. Those who have faith can have power on earth when they need it.

Sixth, the angel sent him away with a blessing, in (Genesis 32:29). Jacob wanted to know the angel’s name, so that he could honor him as far as he was able, as in (Judges 13:17). But that request was refused, so Jacob would not become too proud of his victory or think he had the angel so much under control that he could demand anything he wanted. “Why do you ask my name?” in effect means, “What good would it do you to know it?” The full revealing of that name was saved for his deathbed, when he was taught to call him Shiloh.

Instead of giving his name, the angel gave Jacob the blessing he had been seeking. He blessed him there and confirmed the earlier blessing. Spiritual blessings, which secure our true happiness, are better and far more desirable than fine ideas that only satisfy curiosity.

It is better to have a share in the angel’s blessing than to know only his name. The tree of life is better than the tree of knowledge. In this way Jacob got what he was after, a blessing he wrestled for, and a blessing he received. No one in his praying family has ever sought God in vain. See how wonderfully God lowers himself to approve and crown earnest prayer. Those who decide to trust him, even if he should slay them, will finally be more than conquerors.

Jacob gave the place a new name. He called it Peniel, which means “the face of God” (Genesis 32:30), because there he had seen God’s appearance and received his favor. Notice that the name he chose preserved and spread, not his own strength or victory, but only God’s free grace. He did not say, “Here I wrestled with God and won,” but, “Here I saw God face to face, and my life was spared.” It was not, “I should be praised because I came away as the winner,” but, “God was merciful, and I escaped with my life.” It is fitting for those whom God honors to humble themselves and admire how graciously he deals with them. David did the same after God sent him a kind message: “Who am I, Lord God?” (2 Samuel 7:18).

Jacob carried a lasting reminder of this struggle in his body. He limped because of his thigh (Genesis 32:31). Some think he kept that limp for the rest of his life, and if he did, he had no reason to complain. The honor and comfort he gained from this struggle more than made up for the injury, even if he went limping to his grave. He had no reason to see it as shameful to bear in his body the marks of the Lord Jesus (Galatians 6:17). It may even have served, like Paul’s thorn in the flesh, to keep him from becoming proud because of the many revelations he had received.

The writer also notes that the sun rose on Jacob as he passed over Penuel. For a soul that has fellowship with God, that is like sunrise. The inspired writer mentions a long-standing custom among Jacob’s descendants, that they did not eat the sinew or muscle that lies by the hip socket, in memory of this event. In that way they kept the story alive and gave their children a reason to ask about it. They also honored Jacob’s memory. We can still use this lesson to remember God’s mercy and our duty to Jesus Christ, so that we may keep fellowship with God in faith, hope, and love, without fear of losing life or limb.