One of the most intriguing stories in the Bible is Jacob at Peniel. We find the story in Genesis 32.22-32. The story of Jacob wrestling is one of the most heavily analysed narratives in the Old Testament. Across various traditions, theologians have interpreted the encounter through different lenses.
The story begins with Jacob sending his two wives, his two maids and his eleven children ahead of him across the Jabbok river (Genesis 32.22).
Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with until daybreak. (Genesis 32.24)
The first question to answer is with whom Jacob wrestled? In the NRSV we read that “a man” wrestled with him until daybreak” (Genesis 32.24). Who was this “man”? Some have suggested that he was an angel, a divine messenger (see Hosea 12.4). Others have suggested that Jacob wrestled with God himself, for in Genesis 32.30 we read “Jacob called the place Peniel (i.e. “the face of God”) saying, “for I have seen God face to face”. Others have suggested that Jacob wrestled with himself as he waited to see his brother Esau, whom he had deceived: he wrestled with his fears and anxieties; and with his conscience, for he had failed to go God’s way. Yet others believe that Jacob was wrestling with his ego.
In this wrestling match Jacob refused to accept defeat until it was unavoidable. His opponent hit ‘below the belt’ and forced him to give in. With his hip out of joint Jacob was totally helpless because of the excruciating pain. All he could do was to cling to his opponent for support.
In the end Jacob had to admit defeat, and yet he was an opportunist even in his downfall. He would not release his opponent and said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Genesis 32.26). All Jacob could was to cry for help. Since the greater blesses the lesser, Jacob was requesting a share in the might of the one who had defeated him.
The man went on to say to him “What is your name?” and he said you shall no longer be called “Jacob but Israel” (Genesis 32.28). The word ‘Israel’ means ‘God strives’. Jacob had “prevailed” against God. To prevail means that Jacob hung in there with God. It does not mean that Jacob had won. God had won and in the process Jacob became a changed man. Furthermore, after having wrestled with God, he now limped. Meeting God did not lead to reconciliation and forgiveness, but resulted in Jacob becoming disabled.
What is the relevance of this story to us today? We must be extremely chary about applying to ourselves so unique an experience as Jacob’s at Peniel. Some have suggested that in this story we see that faith is not a passive belief, but rather a struggle. Faith, they say, is always a struggle without any resolution. Although this may be true for many, it is not true for everybody. We are not all ‘doubting Thomases’. As far as I am concerned, I have never struggled with my faith in God. This does not mean that I have not developed in my understanding of God and of his love for us all. Faith should never be static. As Luke says in the Book of Acts, Christians are followers of “the Way” (Acts 9.2; 18.25-26; 19.9).