THE GOD OF ISRAEL Genesis 32:1-35:29 Key Verse 35:10 “God said to him, ‘Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.’ So he named him Israel.”

Introduction In today’s passage we want to learn what the blessing was that God wanted to give to Jacob and who the God of Israel is.

I. The God of Peniel (32:1-33:20) As he was about to enter his home town, fear of what might happen with Esau began to grip him. God sent his angels to accompany Jacob safely back to the land of Canaan. However, Jacob did not realize this; he simply named the land “Mahanaim” and moved on.  

Desperate, Jacob Prayed to God Jacob heard that Esau was coming with four hundred men. Faced with this practical problem, he completely forgot that the angels of God were with him. In this urgent situation he did all he could do. He immediately divided his group into two, thinking that one group would escape if the other was attacked. Desperate, he prayed to God.

Even After He Had Prayed, Jacob could not trust God fully. So he tried to protect himself by his own devices. He knew that Esau was an emotional man, so he began to send many gifts.

“Jacob Was Left Alone” It shows that Jacob had reached his limit, a point at which he could do nothing for himself. It was a painful moment, but it was also a precious moment for him, a moment for him to find who he was before God. In the same way we need to think about who we are before God, apart from all people, possessions, power, honor, authority and wealth.

Why Was Jacob So Anxious and Fearful? His problem seemed to be Esau, but his real problem was sin. He had deceived his father and brother twenty years earlier. His problem was a sin problem before God. Jacob had sinned against his brother, but in truth he had sinned against God (Ps 51:4; Lk 15:21).

Only Reconciling with God Merely reconciling with his brother would not solve his problem. Only reconciling with God would solve his sin problem. A man cannot solve the problem of his sins unless he meets God and receives his forgiveness.

God Wrestled with Jacob Then a man came to Jacob and wrestled with him for the whole night. This man was the Son of God, who had been incarnated. God visited Jacob in his critical time and participated in Jacob’s agony and suffering.

God Wrestled with Jacob

Why Did the Lord Strike Jacob’s Hip? It was to help him to rely on God alone by removing what he had depended on. His human nature, from Adam, was gone and his new self was born. It shows that God’s purpose was not to destroy Jacob but to change him.

“I Will Not Let You Go Unless You Bless Me” After he was struck on his hip, Jacob opened his spiritual eyes and realized that this man was not human being but God. So when the man wanted to leave, Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." Jacob’s attention shifted from possessions to being and from outward things to inward things. He had a burning desire to receive the true blessing from God.

“What Is Your Name?” A name represents one’s whole identity and personality. By asking his name God was helping Jacob to find who he was before God. He was helping him to find his true identity.

“Jacob” Because of this question, Jacob looked back his life. The word “Jacob” means “deceiver” ”fighting man” and “a man who takes away from others.” Jacob realized that he was a terrible sinner before God and confessed, “Jacob.”

“Israel” "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome" (28). The word “Israel” means “the one who struggles with God and overcome.” It means “God-centered” rather than “self-centered” and “a giver” rather than “a receiver.”

The True Blessing The change of “Jacob” to “Israel” represents the exchange of Jacob’s old self for a new self in God. It signifies the creation of a new person. The true blessing God wanted to give to Jacob was not possessions but a new, transformed person, a new creation in God.

“Please Tell Me Your Name” Jacob began to have a spiritual desire to know God. But God replied, "Why do you ask my name?“ Jacob met God and profoundly experienced God’s grace. Nothing had changed in his practical life, but his inner person was transformed and he could see a new world.  

Jacob Called That Place “Peniel” “Peniel” means “face of God.” He was surprised to find out that he had seen the Lord face to face and that his life had been spared. “The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.”

Like Seeing the Face of God Jacob met God before he met Esau. After he had met God, his problem with Esau was not a problem any more. He himself went on ahead. “‘No, please!’ said Jacob. ‘If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably.’”

Jacob Went to Succoth He should have moved up to Bethel and built an altar there and worshipped God. Bethel was the first place where he had met God and it was the place of God’s promise. We must not stay in Succoth; we must move up to Bethel.

II. God of El Bethel (34:1-35:29) When Jacob’s only daughter, Dinah, went to visit the women of the land Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, took her and violated her. Shechem said to his father Hamor, "Get me this girl as my wife." Jacob’s sons got angry when they heard of it and they deceitfully took revenge.

Jacob Was in Trouble Jacob and his family had become associated with deception, murder and plundering instead of with truth and love. They became a moral stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites instead of becoming examples of God’s holiness, mercy and moral purity. Jacob was in trouble. Then the Lord gave him a direction.

“Go Up To Bethel” 35:1, "Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau."

Get Rid of the Foreign Gods “So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.’”

Three Things To Do First, they had to remove foreign gods from among them. Second, Jacob and his household needed to “purify themselves.” Third, Jacob and his household needed to “change their clothes.”

Worship God Alone To get rid of foreign gods and purify oneself and change one’s clothes means to restore one’s genuine faith in God and worship God alone.

El Bethel Jacob built an altar at Bethel and called the place “El Bethel.” This means “God of Bethel.” “Bethel” changed to “El Bethel,” which means that Jacob’s faith was transformed from a self-centered one into a God-centered one. It signifies the turning point from human-centered faith to God-centered faith.

“Your Name Will Be Israel” 35:10-12, “God said to Jacob, ‘Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel." Then he said, "I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.’"

Genesis 35:10-12 First, it is the blessing of a change of self -- from Jacob to Israel. Second, the blessing is to be used by God as a source of blessings, producing many spiritual fruits. Third, it means to receive the land as the foundation of the eternal kingdom of God.

Who Is the God of Israel? He is the one who changed Jacob into Israel and blessed him. Jacob had a strong human character and it was hard for him to change. But God raised him up as the father of the twelve tribes of Israel and the source of blessings wherever he went.