V.1-2 Another proof of God’s care for Jacob. God sends a group of angels to him. It might be a help if you turned to a few scriptures about angels (Psa. 34:7; Dan. 6:22; Heb. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:12). From these we see that angels are not only God’s servants (Heb. 1:7) but are for us too. They are around us today (Heb. 13:2). The word “Mahanaim” means two camps or two hosts. One camp was made up of his wives, children and self. The other a bodyguard of angels! Are we less protected? No. But this camp is only seen by us through the eye of faith.
V.3-7 Instead of trusting God’s promise, and God’s angels, Jacob makes his own plans. He sends servants to tell his brother Esau how rich he is. But Jacob is more frightened when he hears Esau is coming with an army of 400 men!
V.8 Jacob divides his family into two camps.
V.9-12 Almost as an after thought he prays to God!
V.13-23 Still he schemes!
V.24-32 A man meets him and wrestles with him. Jacob persists in wrestling and clinging to the angel (the Lord really) until a blessing is given. His thigh is touched and for the rest of his life he walked with a limp (v. 31). When we have really come to the end of ourselves and the Lord touches us in some way which makes us feel our weakness, then we never “walk” the same way again either. Jacob’s name is changed, and also his character. Has the Lord changed us? Or are we still the same self-willed, self-opinionated person that we used to be?