Wrestling with God
Jacob had a mysterious encounter where he wrestled with a divine being, often described as an angel, throughout the night. This struggle took place as he was preparing to meet his brother Esau. Despite being injured in the process, Jacob refused to let go until he received a blessing. As a result of his perseverance, the angel gave him a new name, Israel, which means “one who struggles with God.” This event is recorded in Genesis 32:24-28 (NIV):
*”So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, ‘Let me go, for it is daybreak.’
But Jacob replied, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’
The man asked him, ‘What is your name?’
‘Jacob,’ he answered.
Then the man said, ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.'”*
This moment was significant because it symbolized Jacob’s transformation and his deep relationship with God.