Excellent thought Tom lets look at these versesTwo nations wrestled within the womb of Rebekkah, namely Jacob and Esau. Esau was born first. Then Jacob came out grasping the heel of his brother. Jacob means, "heel" or supplanter. The children of Jacob spawned the Judeo-Christian people, with their cultivating ethic culture. Jacob was a man of the flocks and the tents of Isaac, his father, and particularly Rebekkah his mother. But Esau was a hunter a man of the field. He was a wild man. In selling his birthright for a mess of pottage he showed that he had no interest whatsoever in His spiritual inheritance. Esau preferred to 'take down' what he wanted in the wild rather than cultivating gardens and crops and tending to the flocks. Esau later married the daughter of Ishmael (known as father of the Arab nations) So we see here there has always been a connection between Arab nations and Easu.(Russia). They became known as the Edomites they setteled in a area of what is now near Jordan. The Edomites were later conquered and scattered with some returning to the camps of Ishmael while others traveled to the north becomeing the Russian Nation we see today.Genesis 32:3 "And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom."The word "Esau" means "hairy", as his was named after his physical characteristics. The Word "Edom" means "red", and Esau's people are known as the red nation to this day. The name of Red, or Edom was given to Esau when he sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of red pottage, as recorded in Genesis 25:30.The last time Jacob left the land of Canaan, Esau was intending to kill Jacob for taking what was rightly his, Isaac's blessing to be passed on to the next generation. So now Jacob is sending an ambassador to Esau because he has threatened to kill him. Genesis 32:5 "And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight."Jacob wants Esau to know that in the past twenty years that he has been gone God has blessed him well.This is what America seems to say these days look at all we have, if you want to share in what we have, do as we do, The problem here is we have forgotten who it was that blessed America, If we want other to do as we do then we better being doing what God wants, but America has been trying to do it mans way, with its power, wealth, through greed, for self serving reasons. We have not been following Gods way. Genesis 32:6 "And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.""four hundred men with him", means that Esau is either going to set the score right, or help him on his journey back home. Esau is going to bring enough help to make it a pleasant journey. However Jacob has his doubts about that. Is Esau bringing four hundred men to say brother I love you, or is he bringing the men to kill Jacob's entire household. Genesis 32:7 "Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;"Remember that God has said that He would be with Jacob if he would just go there, and we have just seen that God had also revealed his angels to Jacob, yet Jacob is going to be cautious over the matter. God still expects us to use good judgment in times of stress, where danger is around. But the bottom line is we better depend on God not menJacob was afraid because he was not sure of Easu's intent. Nothing has changed we are still afraid of Easu intent today. The only question is will we turn back to the Lord for our protectionGenesis 32:8 "And said, "If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape."Genesis 32:9 "And Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord Which saidst unto me, "Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:"A little doubt is creeping into Jacob's mind, so Jacob thinks he has to remind God of the promise that God made to him. Genesis 32:10 "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast shewed unto Thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands."Genesis 32:11 "Deliver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children."Jacob is either being too careful, or lacking faith, but Jacob is laying it all out before the Lord. Jacob has already been assured of safe passage, however he is seeking reassurance here. Genesis 32:12 "And Thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude."God is reassuring His promises to Jacob, just like a father does all the time with his little child. We must be careful when we reason with ourselves over our Heavenly Father's promises. Out of that reason comes doubt. With this reassurance God is giving to Jacob, will create trust in his mind. Genesis 32:13 "And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;"Jacob is now going to take a little action to try to please his brother Esau.Genesis 32:20 "And say ye moreover, "Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us." For he said, "I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me."With all of Jacob's good plans, he wants to be sure that Esau knows that his intentions are to appease him for what ever he did in the past. This would seem to be what America has been doing with Easu trying to appease him for things of the past.Genesis 32:24 "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a Man with him until the breaking of the day."In the night Jacob sent all the animals and servants and his family across the river, and he stayed behind to wrestle with "a man". All night long the fight went on, until the sun arose in the morning. Let's find out who that man was who wrestled with Jacob.Bethel is the place where Jacob had his vision of the ladder and the angels ascending and descending upon it into heaven; while the identity of the man Jacob struggled with through the night was the Lord. Genesis 32:25 "And when He saw that He prevailed not against him, He touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as He wrestled with him."God had a special love for Jacob, yet Jacob is trying God's patience, for even after God had shown him the army of angels over him, and verbally promised him, Jacob still could not move out in faith. Jacob was a fighter and contender, and God wanted to test the man that His plan was to rely upon. God has a special love for America ,however God is not very happy with America right now we are testing his patience.He has blessed our nation greatly we have forgotten his promise. We are depending on other nations and our selfs trying to make deals,with our wealth and Power to control Easu. It will not work. Only turning back to God and depending on him can we win over Easu. Genesis 32:26 "And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaketh." And he said, "I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me."This is God speaking to let him go. Yet Jacob is demand of God that He bless him, and he will not stop until then. What does God think of that?Genesis 32:27 "And He said unto him, "What is thy name?" And he said, "Jacob".""Jacob" means heel-grabber. Even in the womb Jacob wrestled with his brother. Genesis 32:28 "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.""Israel" means "The prince that prevailed with God". It is God that changed the name of Jacob to Israel. (This is spirtual Israel not the land of Israel.) Genesis 32:29 "And Jacob asked Him, and said, "Tell me, I pray Thee, Thy name." And He said, "Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after My name?" And He blessed him there."God did not tell Jacob his name, but He did bless Jacob, who is now called Israel. God would not reveal His name until hundreds of years later, when He revealed His holy Name to Moses on Mount Sinai. That name is "I am that I am." Genesis 32:30 "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.""Peniel" the face of God. It was believed to that period of time that if you had seen God one on one, that you would die, however Jacob lived to tell about it. Jacob saw God face to face, and after that meeting Jacob [Israel] was a changed man.This is what America will do, God will see to it, that we turn back to him if he has to wrestle with us and injure us to do so. To change us to new men, just as he changed JacobGenesis 32:31 "And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh."This meeting and fighting with God had left him crippled. Jacob wrestled with God and now will pay the price. We are crippled by our own actions and God has allowed it and now we seeing the results God will continue to allow us to be cripple til we call on him for help. Genesis 32:32 "Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because He touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank."The "sinew" is a tendon in Jacob's upper leg, and when it shrank, it left Jacob crippled. God expects his children to gain knowledge from His word, and when we are given that knowledge through His Word, and with the help of His Spirit, He expects us to fight many of our own battles. When the need arises though, He is ready to help. Genesis 32:2 "And when Jacob saw them, he said, "This is God's host:" and he called the name of that place Mahanaim."When Jacob saw them he identified that place, "Mahanaim", which in the Hebrew means "the host of the two camps". When Jacob was back in Haran, working for his father-in-law, Laban, God told Jacob to return back to Canaan; "And I will be with you." So we see that Jacob had no reason to be concerned in fear for loss to property, or his life. Jacob was doing what God had instructed him to do, and was within the will of God, and now when things go a little bad, God will lead you through it. This is what faith is all about.
