GENESIS 32
Jacob expected a battle and his concern was escape, not reconciliation (v. 8). He saw the army of angels protecting him, but even that didn’t encourage his faith. Mahanaim means “double camp”—his camp and the camp of God’s angels. Had Jacob recalled his experience with God at Bethel, he would not have been afraid of Esau (
One minute Jacob prayed for God’s help, and the next minute he devised some new way to appease his angry brother. He reminded God of His great promises and then acted as though God had never spoken. This is the conduct of a believer who needed to be broken before God. He prayed to be delivered from Esau (v. 11), but his greatest need was to be delivered from himself.
Jacob was broken to be healed and weakened to be strengthened. When he surrendered, he won and became a “prince with God.” His limp would be a constant reminder that God would be in control of his life. “God fights against us with His left hand and for us with His right hand,” wrote John Calvin. When we let God have His way, it is the dawning of a new day (v. 31).