Jacob: A Night and a New Name

Jacob had already said goodbye to Laban. Now he was heading home with his family and his animals.

Ahead lay the land where he had grown up.

And his brother Esau.

Many years had passed since they had last seen each other. Jacob remembered tricking his brother, and how angry Esau had been.

What would it be like to meet again?

Jacob did not know yet.

Along the way, some angels of God came to meet him. When he saw them, Jacob remembered that he was not alone.

God was still caring for him.

Then he sent messengers to tell Esau that he was coming home.

He wanted to speak respectfully and seek peace.

The messengers went ahead along the road. Jacob waited for them near the tents.

When they returned, they brought news.

“Esau is coming to meet you. And he is accompanied by four hundred men.”

Four hundred!

That was a lot of people.

Jacob felt afraid. He thought about Rachel, Leah, and all the children. He wanted his family to be safe.

He did not know whether Esau was coming to hug him or whether he still wanted to hurt him.

So he divided the people and animals into two groups. If one group was in danger, the other could get away.

But Jacob also did something very important.

He talked to God.

He remembered that God had told him to return and promised to be with him.

Then he looked at his family and the flocks.

When he had left home, he had carried very little. Now he had so much to be thankful for.

“My God, you have been very good to me. I am afraid of my brother Esau. Please take care of my family and help me.”

Jacob did not have to hide his feelings from God.

He could tell God about his fear and ask for help.

That night, Jacob prepared a gift for Esau.

He chose goats, sheep, camels, cows, and donkeys from his flocks.

The animals would travel in several groups, one after another, with space between them.

Jacob called the men who would lead them.

“Take these animals to my brother Esau. Tell him they are a gift from Jacob and that I am coming behind you.”

He wanted his brother to know that he was seeking peace.

The first animals began to walk.

The sheep bleated while the goats followed the path. Farther back came the camels and the other animals.

Jacob stayed in the camp for a while.

He still had many things to think about.

Later, when it was dark, he took his family to a river called the Jabbok.

The water flowed between the stones.

Jacob helped his wives, the children, and the others cross to the other side. He also sent their belongings across.

Then he stayed behind alone.

The sky was dark.

His family was across the river, and Esau was coming along the road.

Then something very special happened.

A man wrestled with Jacob during the night. He was an angel, a messenger of God.

Jacob and the angel wrestled: they held on to each other and pushed, without letting go.

The hours passed.

The wrestling continued until dawn began to break.

At one point, the angel touched Jacob’s hip. His hip was hurt, and from then on Jacob walked with a limp.

But Jacob kept holding on.

The angel said to him:

“Let me go. It’s already dawn.”

Jacob needed God’s help. He did not want to leave without receiving his blessing.

“I will not let you go until you bless me.”

The angel asked him a question.

“What is your name?”

This time, Jacob told the truth. He did not pretend to be his brother, as he had done before his father many years earlier.

“Jacob.”

Then he received a new name.

“Your name will be Israel. You have struggled with God and with men and have persevered.”

To persevere means to keep going, even when something is difficult.

Jacob also wanted to know the messenger’s name. But the angel did not tell him.

Right there, the angel blessed him.

That night had been unlike any other.

Jacob called that place Peniel. That name means “face of God.”

“I have seen God face to face, and he has spared my life.”

The sun began to rise.

The light shone on the river and the path.

Jacob moved slowly. His hip hurt and he walked with a limp, but he carried with him the blessing he had received.

He also had a new name: Israel.

He still did not know how Esau would welcome him.

But he was no longer the same person who had left home so many years before.

He had learned that he needed God’s help.

As he thought about what lay ahead, he remembered the promise that had stayed with him throughout the journey:

“I will be with you.”

Jacob got ready to go on with his family.

Soon he would see his brother.

Their meeting was about to begin.