The name ISRAEL
The name Israel has a double meaning:
- Wrestling with YHWH and men
- Overcoming his wrestles
Jacob refused to give up. He started his life very unsure, He wasn’t even sure if he was going to serve YHWH. Before birth he was wrestling with his brother, with his uncle Laban, and all the drama with his wives.. he had not an easy life.. but he did not give up.. he was wrestling with it, and even wrestling with YHWH. He probably prayed and cried in anguish for help, because on his own everything is just going haywire. He held on! And finally the break through came
Messengers / Angels
We don’t know who this man was, it could have been a Messenger (Angel) – people do speculate… just as Jacob wanted to know… WHO ARE YOU?! But, he refused to give his name – why? Because! He doesn’t want Jacob (and people) to honor or worship him (the unknown man), Jacob had to worship only YHWH. The focus is only suppose to be on YHWH, and the things we don’t know, we are not suppose to know. All these questions we have could only be distractions, to what we are actually suppose to focus on.
Jacob called the place Peni’ĕl, “For I have seen Elohim face to face, and my life is preserved.” Other translations say “God”.. but the origin in Hebrew is elohim or mighty one, it could have been an angel – but was not YHWH Himself.
Circumcision of the Heart
Gen 34:23 “Their herds and their possessions, and all their beasts, should they not be ours? Only let us agree with them, and let them dwell with us.”
There is a saying called, the spirit of Shechem – which actually relates to the town of Shechem in the book of Joshua. But it is clear from this story too. Here, the two brothers of Dina made a suggestion to Shechem on how he could marry their sister. Even though they were willing to circumcise, they did it for a different reason – because they could take all the property of Joseph, including the women.
It comes down to this – what was really their motivation to circumcise. If your heart is not circumcised, it is all a waste of time.
