Esau hated Jacob and after the death of his father wanted to kill him. Fearing for her son, Rebekah advises Isaac to send Jacob to Mesopotamia to take a wife. Isaac gives his blessing to choose one of the daughters of Laban, Rebekah's brother, as his wife. After receiving the blessing, Jacob travels to Mesopotamia. He came out of Beersheba. He had a long and difficult journey to go. First it was necessary to go north along Canaan, then through the Jordan, Gilead, Bashan; go towards Damascus and further - to Harran, where Laban lived. St. John Chrysostom emphasizes the virtues of Jacob: “Look now at this young man, brought up at home, who has never experienced any difficulties of travel, or living on a foreign side, or any other worries - learn how he makes a journey, and learn lofty wisdom” (Conversations on the book of Genesis. 54. 3).

Night found him near the city of Luz. Jacob put a stone under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a wonderful vision, which had a high prophetic meaning. He saw in a dream ladder from earth to heaven. Angels of God ascended and descended on it. Jacob saw the Lord on the ladder, who said: The land on which you lie I will give you and your offspring; and your offspring will be like the sand of the earth; and spread to the sea, and to the east, and to the north, and towards noon; and all the families of the earth will be blessed in you and in your seed; and behold, I am with you, and I will keep you wherever you go; and I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have told you(Gen 28:13-15).

The ladder from earth to heaven was an expression of the close connection between the heavenly and the earthly. The ascent of the Angels along it and their descent means that they offer up prayers to God for people, intercede for them and bring down God's mercy on people.

This passage from the book of Genesis reads as proverbs on the feasts of the Mother of God. Jacob's Ladder is the connection of Heaven with earth, man with God. The most perfect example of such a compound was Blessed Virgin Mary. She herself became the ladder that leads to God. Most of the Old Testament prophetic revelations have both a universal, messianic meaning, and the nearest (within the Old Testament history). Jacob's vision also had a specific goal: to strengthen the righteous in the difficult work of participation in the plans of the Divine economy. Patriarch Jacob did not yet know what trials awaited him. The Lord strengthens his faith in advance with His promises and promises protection. Jacob named this place Bethel (Heb. Beth-El, the house of God).

Jacob was greeted with joy by his uncle Laban. He settled in his house and began to work. Loving his youngest daughter Rachel, which she was beautiful in shape and beautiful in face(Genesis 29, 17), he could not immediately ask for her hand, since in the East it is the groom (and not the bride's parents) who must give a ransom to the bride's parents. Jacob was a stranger and had nothing. He offered seven years of his labors for Rachel. When they had passed, they appeared to Jacob as a few days. So he fell in love with Rachel. Laban arranged a wedding feast, and in the evening he brought Leah into his chambers. It must have been complete darkness, because it was only in the morning that Jacob found out that it was Leah. To make amends, Laban offered to finish the wedding week of days, and then take Rachel as his wife, but for this it was necessary to work for another seven years.

Each of them had their own reasons for suffering. Rachel was beloved, but barren. Leah could give birth, but her husband did not love her. The Lord took care of Leah and gave her children. Reuben was born first. He became one of the twelve patriarchs of Israel, from whom the twelve tribes were formed. The first-born, undoubtedly, had a good dispensation of the soul. He prevented the brothers from killing Joseph. Later, when Jacob refused to let his beloved son Benjamin go with his brothers to Egypt, Reuben offered his four sons instead.

The second Leah gave birth to Simeon. The third son of Jacob by Leah was Levi. The tribe that descended from this patriarch occupies a special place in Sacred History: it did not receive its inheritance in the promised land, but was placed in the service of God. From it were supplied chief priests, priests and Levites. Fourth Leah gave birth Judas. He also showed compassion for Joseph, offering not to kill him, but to sell him. During the second trip to Egypt, he offered himself as a slave to Joseph for Benjamin, whom he wanted to keep with him (Genesis 44, 16-34). By the providence of God, it was this tribe that was chosen for the special purposes of the Divine economy: from him came the Messiah, Christ the Savior of the world. Dan was born fifth. His descendants were judges and warriors.

Patriarch Jacob already had ten sons when God looked down on Rachel: God heard her and opened her womb(Genesis 30:22). She gave birth to a son whom she named Joseph(“adding, giving more”). Divine Providence has assigned a special place to this patriarch in the fate of Israel. Sold into slavery in Egypt and put through suffering, he saved the chosen people from destruction during a terrible famine. Many the circumstances of the life of Patriarch Joseph represent the events of the earthly life of Jesus Christ.

The second seven-year term of the covenant between Laban and Jacob has come to an end. But Laban, seeing that God's blessing, which was on Jacob, came to his house, did not want to let him go. Another six years have passed. Jacob was having a hard time. Laban expressed strong displeasure that his worker had become richer than he. The Lord commanded Jacob to return to his homeland and promised: I will be with you(Genesis 31:3).

When Laban left the house to shear the cattle, Jacob, having received the consent of Leah and Rachel, along with all his large family, cattle and wealth, left Haran. Only on the third day Laban found out about the departure of his son-in-law and began the pursuit. Seven days later he overtook the caravan in Gilead, in Transjordan. Protecting the inviolability of His chosen one, God appeared to Laban and warned him against violence against Jacob. Laban and Jacob entered into an alliance, erected a monument of stones as evidence of the agreement. As Jacob set out on his journey to his father's house, the Lord strengthened him. And the angels of God met him. Jacob, seeing them, said: This is the army of God. And he called the name of that place: Mahanaim(Gen 32, 1-2), which in Hebrew means double mill. It is easy to understand the purpose of this revelation of God. Jacob, having fled from Laban's persecution, was afraid of the one whose anger had driven him to leave his father's house twenty years earlier.

When Jacob learned that Esau, having four hundred men, was going to meet him, he divided the camp in two so that at least one of them could be saved. He addressed with humility prayer to God. He said that he was not worthy of all graces and good deeds, but asked to protect him and his entire family. Prayer comforted him. He canceled the previous decision to flee and went to meet Esau, sending ahead rich gifts - cattle. When they came to the river Jabbok, which flows into the Jordan from the east, Jacob forded his family, and he himself was left alone. As the exegetes explain, for prayer. And it appeared to him, as it is said in the Holy Scriptures, Someone and fought with him until dawn. This is one of the most mysterious places in the biblical books. The nocturnal event has been the subject of interpretation and study by many exegetes. “From the whole story,” writes Blessed Theodoret, “we recognize that here appeared to Jacob God's Only Begotten Son».

Although this struggle was also a test of Jacob's physical strength, it certainly has a spiritual meaning. “Showing to Jacob how long they fought, the angel added: the dawn is breaking. And Jacob asked His blessing, teaching that they wrestled with each other for love; and the Angel blessed Jacob, showing them that he was not angry at the one who opposed Him, being a man of dust” (St. Ephraim the Syrian). The one wrestling with Jacob touched the thigh of the patriarch and injured him: from now on, your name will not be Jacob, but Israel, for you fought with God, and you will overcome men(Genesis 32:28). Jacob's new name Israel passed on to the entire God-chosen people and became an ethnonym. One possible translation: "God fights."

On the way to Canaan, near Bethlehem, Rachel died in childbirth. She named her son Benoni ("son of my sorrow"). However, Jacob, not wanting the name to constantly remind of this sad event, named his son Benjamin(“son of the right hand, son of happiness”).

Before Jacob, in every generation, only one member of the family was the heir of the promise. The rest (brothers and their descendants) were separated from the central hereditary branch. Starting from Jacob, all the descendants of the patriarchs are part of God's chosen people: the twelve sons of Jacob, their children and all their descendants.

Maxim asks:

Help to understand, please. Questions about Jacob's wrestling with God:
1 Why did you fight?
2 With whom did you fight: with God or with an angel?
3 How did the struggle take place: physically, mentally or spiritually?
4 Why did Jacob defeat an angel if angels are superior to humans?
5 Why did the angel retaliate by damaging the compound of Jacob's thigh?
6 How could Jacob not let go of God/angel and what does the dawn have to do with it?

Hello!

The passage of the Bible that you are asking about () is considered one of the most difficult to understand, therefore, considering it, you must constantly pray to the Father that He does not allow unbelievers who distort His way of thinking into our hearts. Although, of course, we must pray about this constantly, as soon as we open the Holy Scriptures.

WHO DID JACOB FIGHT?

That Jacob wrestled with God is beyond doubt. This is indicated by the words of James: “I saw God face to face, and my soul was preserved” () and the words of the One with whom He wrestled: "you fought with God" () And also in the prophet Hosea we read: “Even in the womb of his mother, he kicked his brother, and having matured, he fought with God” (). See? Three Clear Evidence That It Was God Before Jacob.

However, we also know these words of Hosea:

How is this to be understood? I think that's just the way we understand who Christ is. Christ is the visible reflection of the invisible God. After all, we know and believe that no one has ever seen God, God, in principle, cannot be seen, embraced by the mind, fully known ... but in order to have communion with His created world, the Almighty made Himself manifest through Christ. “No one has ever seen God; The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He revealed ”(). Christ is called the Only Begotten Son of God precisely because Christ appears to us from within God Himself and has in Himself all of God's fullness: infinite and boundless wisdom, power, glory, love...

Jacob wrestled with Christ. Jacob understood very well who he was dealing with: God Himself, who revealed Himself in the Person of Christ. The Old Testament does not operate with the word "Christ", but to designate the One who takes the form of an Angel, but at the same time speaks as God Himself, the phrase "Angel of the Lord" is usually used, and sometimes just an Angel. And only by context, by parallel texts, can one understand whether this is Christ or some kind of created angel.

HOW WAS THE FIGHT? WHY DID YOU FIGHT? etc.

I think that we will be able to find out how it really went only in Eternity from Jacob himself. Although already now you can make some assumptions. May the merciful Savior help us to look only at the Truth.

Let's remember what preceded that night of struggle. Nearly 20 years earlier, Jacob, desiring the benefits of the birthright and, most importantly, his father's blessing, committed a sin that made everyone in his family unhappy. And although on the way to Mesopotamia, where Jacob had to flee from the wrath of his brother, he repented and received God's assurance that he was not abandoned, that he would be under the protection of the Almighty, Jacob still continued to bear in himself the fear of meeting with his brother, because he deceived Esau by his deception of the most important blessing that a son could receive from his father.

This fear reached its climax on the night of the struggle. Prior to this, wanting to know the intentions of his brother, Jacob sent messengers to him, but “The messengers returned to Jacob and said, We went to your brother Esau; he comes to meet you, and with him four hundred men. Jacob was very frightened and embarrassed... And Jacob said: O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, Return to your land, to your kindred, and I will do you good! I am unworthy of all the graces and all the good deeds that You did to Your servant, for I crossed this Jordan with my staff, and now I have two camps. Deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him, so that when he comes, he will not kill me [and] mother and children ”().

Far from being a stupid Jacob, he understands well that he and his family are on the verge of death, tk. neither he nor his people will be able to resist the armed and strong people of Esau, who remembered the offense, therefore Jacob takes all possible measures to save from the hand of Esau at least the most precious thing for his heart - wives and children.

Gathering all his strength and capabilities, as we would say, having gathered himself into a fist, Jacob retired to pray. The Bible does not describe his condition to us, it simply says: And Jacob was left alone. And Someone fought with him "(). I can only offer you my personal interpretation of what happened to Jacob that night. And may the Almighty Savior always be with you as you ponder the words of the Bible.

Jacob was strong both physically and spiritually, he knew the God of his fathers in action, he knew that God had forgiven his sins, he knew about God's omnipotence, he also knew better than many today's Christians that it is basically impossible to fight God it's like a drop of water trying to conquer the ocean. But there was still something in Jacob that he had to be delivered from. Jacob still had not completely given his life to God. There was something that prevented Jacob from getting peace in his heart and parting with fear forever.

We do not know what he prayed for that night, but we do know that at the beginning of that night he still relied on himself, on his abilities, on his strength, etc., more than on God. It sounds like a paradox: although Jacob knew that he could not resist his brother, that he could not save himself, he still tried to do it.

Therefore, when God approached Jacob in an attempt to eliminate the “thorn” that tormented him of self-salvation, Jacob took this as an attack on him and entered the struggle. Physical? Perhaps even so. He may even have started waving his arms, trying to separate himself from the One who wanted to stand right next to him. Jacob exerted all his physical strength to resist God's attempt to explain the truth: the Most High must fight and act, and the task of man is to completely trust the Lord.

Look at the following verse: "And Someone wrestled with him... and seeing that he did not overcome him...". God saw that he could not overcome Jacob. We know for sure that God can overcome any person, we know that one day He will destroy sin and recreate the earth. So the word "overcome" has some other meaning. God was not trying to overcome Jacob himself, but his understanding of what was happening and how to behave in the current situation, his distrust of God, his attempt to save himself at the expense of his own strength. Physically strong Jacob could not fully understand and accept that his strength would not give him anything, but complete trust in God would move and destroy the mountain of his brother's hatred to dust. Yes, Jacob knew his God, loved Him, served Him, wanted to be with Him, but he still did not trust Him completely, still somehow tried to rely on his own strength.

And then, in order to distract Jacob from himself, from his strength, God had to inflict physical pain on him and even damage his strong body. It was then that Jacob realized that his "adversary" was fighting him not to kill him, but to destroy in him the remnants of his misunderstanding of who God is, to destroy his fears, Jacob realized that his wrong thinking was opposed by the One Who wants to fight instead of him, because only He can really defeat someone else's hatred and resentment. And for Jacob the moment of Truth came! He understood his God, understood where the real power is! ... and grasp the Lord as tightly as he could: with his hands, and heart, and soul, and mind, with all his strength ().

The Lord, testing how strong Jacob's desire to be with Him, said: "let me go". This does not mean that God wanted to leave him, it does not mean that Jacob could somehow keep the Almighty, God just wanted Jacob himself to be convinced of the correctness of his decision. James answers as any person who knows God will answer: "I won't let you go until you bless me". This is not a demand, this is a humble request coming from the very depths of a tormented heart. The prophet Hosea "finishes" the picture: “He fought with the Angel - and prevailed; wept and begged Him" ​​() Wept and begged for blessings. But he did not overcome the Angel, but himself! Jacob overcame his desire for self-salvation, completely relied on God, and then began to sincerely cry and beg for real salvation, which can only come from the Almighty. It was his tearful request for a blessing: do whatever you want with me, but I "I won't let you go until you bless me."

Then something strange happens again. God asks: "what is your name?" Does God not know the name of the one He is wrestling with and is about to bless? So it's something else. Asking about the name, the Lord wanted Jacob to think again about his whole life, because we know that in the Jewish tradition a name is an attempt to reflect the character of a person, his life. Saying his name, Jacob again found himself where he constantly stumbled his brother, where his sin and his fear were. (The name Yakov is of Hebrew origin, translated as "tumbler", "obstacle").

"And he said, What is your name? He said, Jacob."

God asks a person: what are you like, how do you live, what did you do in the past, what are you going to do now, what is your character? The man replies: I have constantly, since birth, been the cause of my brother's problems, I stumbled him in everything, I was a constant obstacle for him and now I will be. I can't get rid of it!

And then God changes the person's name, i.e. completely changes his whole fate: “From now on, your name will not be Jacob, but Israel.” Now, according to God, this person will not stumble anyone, his character, his relationship with people will completely change.

The question of what the name "Israel" means is still open. But for me this name means "winner", but not « not by host and not by force, but " Spirit of God, at the expense of the Spirit of God (). Jacob defeated not God, but his fears, his insecurities, he defeated his hopes for salvation according to the flesh, and therefore was able to give the Almighty the opportunity to act in his life and actually save him.

What happened to Jacob that night I divide into 2 parts. At first, God fought with Jacob in order to defeat his fears and his destructive hope for his own strength. And then Jacob wrestled with God to get a blessing from Him. But notice that God wrestled with Jacob, not against him. And then Jacob fought not against God, but with Him, in order to show Him that he, Jacob, really wants blessings, really wants salvation that comes from the King of kings. It can even be assumed that Jacob wrestled with God, i.e. was on his side. After all, Jacob wanted to conquer all his fears and all his insecurities! And that's the same thing that God wanted.

WHAT DOES THE DAWN DO?

I believe that in the context of the whole story, the word "dawn" indicated to Jacob that his meeting with his brother was already very close. We know that it was on this day, after the night of struggle, that Jacob was supposed to see Esau; Esau was obviously in a hurry, they were supposed to see each other in the morning.

"Let me go, for the dawn has dawned". I read it like this: let me go, because it is time for you to go to where you will meet Esau, Esau is already very close.

Sincerely,
Sasha.

Read more on the topic "Interpretation of Scripture":

How did Jacob wrestle with God, and how could Jacob defeat God (the Angel of the Lord) in a wrestling match? Did God make the angel powerless? What is the interpretation of this story from? And why did the angel ask Jacob to let him go at dawn? Why did he need to ask permission?

And Jacob was left alone. And someone fought with him until dawn; and seeing that he did not prevail against him, he touched the joint of his thigh and damaged the joint of Jacob's thigh, when he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the dawn has come. Jacob said, I will not let you go until you bless me. And he said: what is your name? He said: Jacob. And he said: From now on, your name will not be Jacob, but Israel, for you wrestled with God and you will overcome men. Jacob also asked, saying, Speak your name. And He said: why do you ask about my name? And blessed him there. (Genesis 32:24-29)

The interpretation of this story in the Bible is not very simple. I'm afraid there are some things in the Bible that we just have to decide we don't know. The story of Jacob wrestling with God is an example of this. Who was this "man?" He certainly wasn't an ordinary person. Was he an angel? The truth is we don't really know, but that seems like a reasonable guess. We know that Jacob called this struggle "face to face with God," so of course it was some sort of spiritual being.

Was Jacob's "struggle" physical, with wrestling moves and trials of physical strength, or was it more of a spiritual or metaphorical struggle? Again, we don't know. It certainly seems strange to us that Jacob and this being seem to have almost equal strength in this struggle. To me, this means that the strength test was not purely physical. Again, we simply do not know the answer to these questions. Why was the time limit for Jacob's "struggle" at sunrise? For the fourth or fifth question, we must be wise in admitting that we simply do not know.

How to interpret the fact that the name Jacob changed to Israel at this point? For this question, we have more evidence. Abram's name was changed to Abraham when God made a covenant with him. When God chooses a man for a particular purpose, He seeks to give that man a new name. The same applies to Simon (Peter).

The events in Penuel are loaded with symbolism, and we need to focus more on it than on the details of the events. In this event, a person confronts God, a person asks God for blessings, God blesses a person, but God reminds a person of His strength and power. In this story, Jacob (Israel) symbolically represents the entire nation of Israel, but as an omen, he represents all those who also seek a relationship with God.

Pass if you want to test your knowledge of the Bible and the basics of Christianity.

Have you ever heard of a wrestling match between a human and an angel? As far as we know, it took place only once in the history of mankind. The details of this ancient story recorded in Genesis 32 will soon become of great importance as we study Israel and Bible Prophecy.

Abraham lived about 4,000 years ago. We know that he had a son named Isaac, and Isaac had a son named Jacob. It was Jacob who wrestled with the angel. The result of this duel was that the angel gave Jacob a new name, Israel. In order to understand the reason for this strange encounter and its significance for us today, we must first examine the story of Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob, which is discussed in the 27th chapter of Genesis.

“When Isaac grew old and the sight of his eyes grew dim,” he decided to bless Esau, his firstborn, before his death (Gen. 27:1-4). But before that, he sent Esau to hunt in the field and cook him a tasty meal of game. Isaac's wife, Rebekah, had other plans. Realizing how important the last father's blessing is for the firstborn, she wanted their youngest son, Jacob, who was more striving for spirituality than his older brother, to receive it. While Esau hunted in the field, Rebekah quickly prepared her husband's favorite dish and convinced Jacob to take the food to Isaac, pretending to be Esau (see Gen. 27:5-17).

In doing as his mother commanded, Jacob lied to his father, saying, “I am Esau, your firstborn; I did as you told me; rise, sit down, and eat of my game, that thy soul may bless me” (v. 19). When Isaac asked how he had managed to kill the animal so quickly, Jacob lied again, saying, “Because the Lord your God sent to meet me” (v. 20. Isaac asked suspiciously, “Are you my son Esau?” Then Jacob lied the third time, answering, "I" (v. 24.) Eventually Isaac believed this deception and blessed Jacob as the firstborn (v. 25-29).

Shortly thereafter, Esau returned from hunting, and then Isaac realized that he had been deceived. He said to Esau, “Your brother has come with a trick and taken your blessing” (v. 35). After that, "Esau hated Jacob" and said in his heart, "I will kill Jacob my brother" (v. 41). However, Rebekah found out about Esau's intention and sent Jacob away to her relatives in a far country, where he stayed for 20 years (see Gen. 27:43; 31:41). Jacob never saw his mother again.

Genesis 32 describes what happened to Jacob 20 years later when he was returning home. In the middle of a large caravan of household members and servants, Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to inform Esau of his arrival. When these people returned and reported that Esau was coming to meet them with 400 soldiers, Jacob's heart trembled with fear. He deeply realized his guilt for the past sin of deceit and was worried for his family. Therefore, Jacob “rose up that night”, “and Jacob was left alone”, begging God for forgiveness and deliverance (Gen. 32:22, 24).

“And one wrestled with him until the dawn” (v. 24) In Hos. 12:4 says that this "someone" was actually an angel. Believing it might be his angry brother Esau, Jacob fought all night for his life. At dawn, the mighty Stranger revealed Himself not as an enemy, but as a Messenger from heaven. He touched Jacob's thigh; “and bruised the constitution of Jacob’s thigh as he wrestled with Him” (v. 25).

Suddenly, Jacob realized that this mighty Man might be his only hope! In his helplessness and contrition of spirit, he grabbed hold of Him, saying, "I won't let you go until you bless me."

His heavenly adversary asked, "What is your name?"

“He said: Jacob. And he said: henceforth your name will not be Jacob, but Israel, for you have wrestled with God, and you will overcome men” (vv. 26-28).

This is the first time the name Israel is used in the Bible. Its deep spiritual meaning follows from the context. In the beginning, Israel was a special name by which the Angel of God called one man, Jacob. In biblical times, people's names meant more than they do today; they often contained descriptions of human characters. The literal meaning of the name Jacob is "deceiver" or "crook". When Esau found out that Jacob was guilty of the sin of deceit, he said to Isaac: “Is not that why his name was given; Jacob?" (Gen. 27:36). Thus, the name Jacob contained a description of the nature and sin of this man. When the angel asked, "What is your name?" - He already knew the answer, but he wanted Jacob to give his name, which would symbolize his humble confession of sin and renunciation of it. Jacob passed the test, repented and put his trust solely in God's mercy.

The Lord's answer: "From now on, your name will not be Jacob, but Israel" - showed that God had given him a new character! Thus the name Israel was a spiritual name symbolizing Jacob's spiritual victory over the past sin of deceit. In other words, the man Jacob has now become spiritual Israel. As we shall see shortly, this truth about spiritual Israel will become of great importance as we study the subject of Israel in biblical prophecy.

Israel had 12 sons "who entered into Egypt" (Ex. 1:1-5). One son, Joseph, often had dreams (see Gen. 37). I will return to this idea a little later. The sons of Israel multiplied in Egypt and were forcibly turned into slaves until the time of Moses. Then God told Moses, “Say to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord: Israel is my son, my firstborn, let my son go” (Ex. 4:22, 23). Here we see an important development of biblical thought. The meaning of the name Israel is expanding. Now it refers not only to Jacob, but also to his descendants. A whole nation is named after Israel. Thus, the name Israel was first given to the victorious man, and then to the whole nation. God wanted this people, Israel, through faith in Him, to win the same victories as Jacob. God called this new nation, Israel, his son and firstborn. Keep this in mind, because it is very important for our further research.

The next paragraph includes short phrases about the Israeli nation that may seem dry at first. But if you water a dry seed, amazing things can happen. If we turn to the New Testament, these little seeds of the phrase will soon sprout and grow into majestic trees. Pay special attention to them.

Israel has been called "the vine that God brought 'out of Egypt'" (Ps. 79:9). God said, "But you, Israel, my servant...the seed of Abraham" (Isaiah 41:8). God also spoke of His "chosen" Israel in Isa. 45:4. And also E said through the prophet Isaiah: “Behold, My Servant, I am holding the hand of My Chosen One, in whom My soul favors. I will put my spirit on him, and he will proclaim the people. court. He will not cry out and lift up his voice, and will not let him be heard in the streets; will carry out judgment according to the mud” (Isaiah 42:1-3). Do not forget that all these words originally referred to the people of Israel.

Around 800 BC, the Lord said through the prophet Hosea, “When Israel was young, I loved them, and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1). However, by this time, the people of Israel, once beloved by God, ceased to correspond to the spiritual meaning of their name. The Israelites did not win victories in their lives, but God spoke of them with sadness; “He offered sacrifice to the Baals and cadi to the idols (Hos 11:2). However, God had a special plan. His words, “When Israel was young, I loved them, and out of Egypt I called my son,” will take on special significance when we turn to the New Testament in chapter 2.

One of my questions is about Jacob. What kind of god is this who could not defeat a person and is afraid of the rays of the sun ?! =E. K-K.

Atheists and pagans understand everything in the Bible literally, but it is said: "... the letter kills, but the spirit gives life" (2 Cor.3,6.). Spiritual reading reveals completely different facets of events.

Jacob wrestling with an angel (GOD).

"And he arose that night, and taking his two wives, and his two handmaids, and his eleven sons, he crossed the ford of Jabbok; and taking them, he brought them across the brook, and carried all that he had. And Jacob was left alone And someone wrestled with him until the dawn came, and seeing that he did not prevail against him, he touched the joint of his thigh and injured the joint of Jacob's thigh while he wrestled with Him. He said, I will not let you go until you bless me. And he said, What is your name? He said, Jacob. And he said to [him], from now on your name will not be Jacob, but Israel, for you wrestled with God, and you will overcome men. (In a modern translation: for you fought with God and with people and were not defeated) Jacob also asked, saying: tell [me] your name. And He said: why do you ask about my name? [it is wonderful.] And he blessed And Jacob called the name of the place Penuel: for he said I saw God face to face, and my soul was saved. Therefore, until now, the children of Israel do not eat the sinew that is on the side of Jacob's thigh, because He who wrestled touched the sinew on the side of Jacob's thigh.

The struggle of GOD (in the form of an Angel) with Jacob, with the exception of the moment when the Angel touched Jacob's thigh, did not take place at the bodily level (there was no point in this, because a light touch of the Angel could injure Isaac). And although this episode is portrayed in this way - as Jacob's intense physical struggle with the Angel (a strong young man with wings), nevertheless, most likely, the struggle took place on invisible levels - spiritual, spiritual and carnal.

It was a struggle with Jacob's stubborn unwillingness to meet his brother, to whom he had been guilty, and ask for his forgiveness. But not only. This is a struggle with his distrust of GOD, with his unwillingness to humbly accept the Will of GOD, with his hope not in GOD, but in cunning and his own strength, with a proud confidence that he knows better than GOD what to do and how to be saved.

At one time, Jacob, by deceit and cunning, deprived his brother Esau of the birthright and the blessing of his father, these crimes were worthy of the most severe punishment. Jacob was afraid of his brother's revenge. He experienced panic horror and animal fear for his life and the life of his family, when the threat of their inevitable meeting loomed. Esau with four hundred soldiers was rapidly approaching the camp of Jacob, in the morning they were to meet face to face.

Jacob, left alone, fervently prayed for his salvation and called on GOD to make sure that the meeting with his brother did not take place, so that the Lord would delay Esau until Jacob with his family, slaves, servants and cattle would not be far enough away.
GOD in the form of an angel appeared to Jacob and tried to overcome his fear, and convince Jacob that he was under GOD's protection, that he should repent before his brother and ask for forgiveness for the sin against him, that Esau would not do anything bad to him and his family, and that flight will destroy him.

All night the Angel struggled with Jacob (with his fears, lack of faith in the protection of GOD, with his stubbornness and lack of humility before GOD's Will), but it was all in vain. Jacob begged to be saved, but in exactly the way that he, Jacob, thought was right.

So we, sinners, not only do we sometimes ask GOD for something that is not useful for us, but we also set conditions on what we ask for, often incompatible with the request itself. Therefore, the Angel sometimes leaves us, leaving us with our "Wishlist".
To believe means to trust. If we ask GOD for something important, then we must be sure that if it is useful, GOD will fulfill our request in the best way for us.
CHRIST Himself prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, saying: “Father! Oh, that You would deign to carry this cup past Me! however, not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42). Enlighten, Lord, and us to be humble in our petitions!

The angel could not overcome the panic fear and unwillingness to meet Jacob with his brother. And the Angel retreated, for GOD does not violate the free will of man. He said to Jacob: "Let me go...". The meaning of these words: "If you do not listen to me, do not trust My Word, why do you pray to Me and hold Me back with your prayer? Then let Me go, especially since the dawn has risen, and your brother will soon be here."
GOD does not want to force anyone to listen to Himself and does not want to force anyone to act according to HIS Word, he gave free will to a person and does not violate it. The angel said to Jacob, "Let me go, for the dawn has come."
But Jacob begged and begged to be saved. The prophet Hosea writes: “He wrestled with the Angel - and prevailed; wept and entreated Him” (Hosea 12:3).

The omniscient GOD knew Jacob's intentions to flee, and HE knew that this was certain death for him and his family, for, having discovered Jacob's cowardly flight, the enraged Esau would rush after him, and, having caught up, would remember everything and cruelly avenge him by killing him and his family. But Jacob is praying for salvation, and the only way to save him is to keep him from running away.
To prevent trouble, saving Jacob from imminent death, the Angel touched Jacob's thigh and injured his leg. And only at that moment, when Jacob felt a sharp pain, he realized that all plans for flight had collapsed, that his only hope was the mercy, protection and help of GOD. And he said: "I will not let you go until you bless me."

So often, saving a presumptuous person from terrible evil, death or criminal plans, GOD allows a sudden illness or some unpleasant event in a person’s life, and thereby saves him. Moreover, a person, seeing the collapse of his plans and realizing his weakness, turns his gaze and his repentant prayer to the Savior, the Almighty and Merciful CREATOR.

Then the Angel asks his name, not because he does not know, but because instead of the name Jacob (an obstacle) he gives another - Israel (fought with God, God is fighting) and blesses him as a descendant of Abraham.

(The Lord GOD, calling Jacob Israel (the God-fighter), as if predicted to the people of Israel the fate of the God-fighter. Indeed, in the future, the people of Israel (in the person of the scribes, Pharisees and their adherents) fought fiercely with GOD-CHRIST and demanded HIS crucifixion:
“Pilate says to them: what will I do to Jesus, who is called Christ? Everyone says to him: let him be crucified. The ruler said: what evil did He do? But they shouted even more loudly: let him be crucified. Pilate, seeing that nothing helps, but confusion increased, he took water and washed his hands before the people, and said: You see, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man. And, answering, all the people said: His blood is on us and on our children. betrayed to be crucified." (Matthew 27:22-26).
Retribution befell the people of Israel, when, after some time, the Romans exterminated the Israelites and their children, Jerusalem was also destroyed and the Jerusalem Temple, the only one where the Jews can offer sacrifices to GOD. What is this, no matter how the punishment of God?!
Modern Judaism also rejects CHRIST-GOD, that is, the struggle with GOD (CHRIST) continues. In our time, Jerusalem is divided between Jews and Arabs, Israel does not yet have any opportunity to restore its Temple, since a mosque was built in its place. Isn't this a consequence of the theomachism with GOD-CHRIST?!)

As we know, the meeting of the brothers, as promised by the Angel, ended for Jacob in the most favorable way, Esau forgave him. “Jacob looked and saw, and behold, Esau [his brother] was coming, and with him four hundred men. ... went before them and bowed to the ground seven times, approaching his brother. And Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and [both] wept” (Gen. 33:1-4).

And, nevertheless, fear and fear of the changeable and warlike character of Esau remained in the heart of Jacob. And, continuing to pray for his salvation, he nevertheless fled from his brother, begging Esau not to wait for him, and promising that he would follow him. GOD allowed this flight, knowing that after their reconciliation, Jacob's life was no longer in danger.
The Bible says this about it: (Jacob said to his brother) “Let my master go ahead of his servant, and I will go slowly, as the cattle that is before me, and as the children go, and I will come to my master at Seir. … And Esau returned the same day on his way to Seir. And Jacob moved to Succoth…” (Gen. 33:14-17).

We do not know when Jacob realized that GOD Himself fought with him in the form of an Angel - was it at that moment when the Angel touched his thigh and Jacob began to ask GOD for blessings? Or when the Angel did not give his name. It is known that the Angel of GOD (GOD) does not reveal his name to people. Only Moses once HE called Himself - YHWH, and this name means - I AM, I AM EXISTING.
And Jacob said: "I saw God face to face, and my soul was saved."

Other interpretations of this very difficult to analyze episode from the Bible can be found on the Internet.