Why Did An Angel Wrestle With Jacob?

I have always found the idea of a man fighting with an angel intriguing. Then I began to wonder why I found it so intriguing and I asked myself; why Jacob wrestled with an angel? Why the angel dislocated Jacob’s hip? Aren’t angels supposed to be messengers from God and protect us not harm us?

To understand fully I went back to the beginning of the story. Rebekah was barren and her husband Isaac pleaded with God for children. God blessed them by letting Rebekah become with child. The only problem was Rebekah felt a great struggle in her womb. She asked God what was happening.

 God’s answer was that she was pregnant with twins who had completely different personalities. He said they would be over two different nations. God also told her the oldest would serve the younger. Genesis 25:23 (KJV) And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

Why did God say that “the elder shall serve the younger” when this was not customary in biblical times? The answer is found in Psalm 135:4 (KJV) For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.

God knew the dispositions of both men and that Esau was not worthy of his birthright. In fact, Esau, after a hunting trip, sold his birthright to Jacob for a dish of stew. Esau must not have thought his birthright was so great or he would not have sold it so cheaply or maybe he thought dad won’t give it to Jacob anyway.

When Isaac knew he was close to death he asked Esau to go hunt some venison and he would bless him as legal heir. Esau never said anything about selling his blessing to Jacob and went out to hunt venison. Rebekah however told Jacob of what was said.

Isaac, in his old age was nearly blind so it was relatively easy to fool him. Jacob put goat hair skin on his arms because Esau was a hairy man and took his father meat that his mother cooked. After eating Isaac being deceived, gave his blessing to Jacob.

 When Esau found out that his father blessed Jacob, he was furious and threatened to kill Jacob causing Jacob to run away in fear. Jacob then fell in love with Rachel and asked her father for her hand in marriage. To make a long story short her father, Laden, made him work to earn her hand in marriage by working for him for 7 years. Jacob did the work and the father tricked him and gave him his other daughter for his wife and made Jacob work again for Rebekah.

After 20 years God told Jacob to return home. Jacob approached Laden and made a deal to split the livestock. When Jacob left Laden accused him of stealing his livestock and pursued after Jacob.

At the time of Jacob’s encounter with the angel he was faced with a brother who hated him and wanted him dead in front of him and a father-in-law that also felt the same behind him. So, Jacob conceived a plan to split his caravan into smaller groups each baring gifts for Esau.  After the last one departed, he was alone and meditated on the deceit, sin, and failures of his life.

Many of us wrestle within ourselves over past sins and failures but we do not actually wrestle with angels. The bible tells us that Jacob wrestled with an angel all night until the break of day, and the angel disjointed his hip, why?

It is believed that while wrestling with the angel that Jacob came to terms with all that he had done wrong in his life and had become fully reliant on God and was persistent in obtaining God’s blessing.

The angel was a physical test from God to see if Jacob was serious and dedicated to serving Him. We know that Jacob passed the test because God changed his name from Jacob (deceiver, grabber) to Israel (prince, power with God & man, prevailed). “And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. Genesis 32:28 (KJV)”

Many of us come to terms with God after a spiritual battle within. Jacob however, being of the lineage of Jesus, had more to prove to God and had to physically come to terms. After the battle he realized that his life had been spared by God for a divine purpose. Genesis 32:30 (KJV) And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

I believe the angel dislocated Jacob’s hip as a constant reminder of all that took place that night. I also believe that this angel did deliver a message from God and would not have killed Jacob, unless ordered to do so from God.