[Today: Genesis 32] Are You Ready for an Angelic Visitation? There has always been much talk about angels in Christian culture. Have you ever seen an angel in the flesh? We talk about witnessing an angel’s presence or sensing an angel is near, but a group of angels sought Jacob out and met him while he was on his way to reunite with his family. What about you? What can you learn from Jacob’s angel experience to inform you regarding how you might experience the same thing?
[Gen 32:1-20 KJV] 1 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This [is] God’s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim. 3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now: 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. 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. 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; 8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape. 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: 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. 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. 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. 13 And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother; 14 Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, 15 Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals. 16 And he delivered [them] into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove. 17 And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose [art] thou? and whither goest thou? and whose [are] these before thee? 18 Then thou shalt say, [They be] thy servant Jacob’s; it [is] a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he [is] behind us. 19 And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him. 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.
In v. one, we find that Jacob takes leave of Laban and goes on his way back to his home country. As he is traveling he has an encounter with a group of angels. What is happening here? Jacob’s obedience attracted angels into his life as your obedience will attract angels into your life if you reproduce Jacob’s obedience. What was Jacob obeying? Was he obeying scripture? This is important to note. Jacob wasn’t obeying scripture because scripture wasn’t written yet. First of all, refer back to the previous chapter. Why is Jacob traveling? In v. 11-14 of chapter 31, God appears to Jacob in a dream and instructs him to move from where he is back to his home country. Now in the “prophetic schools” today, the teaching is you are wrong to prophesy a geographical move if Jacob thought like many prophets today, he would have lived and died as an employee of his uncle Laban. Thank God some of the prophets that claim to know better were not around to misinform Jacob’s walk with God.
God gave Jacob a dream. Jacob took what God spoke to him seriously. When is the last time you made a significant life’s decision based on a dream? Peter declares in Acts 2 that the fullness of the Spirit that was spoken of by the prophet Joel would be characterized by those who experienced dreams and visions.
[Act 2:15-17 KJV] 15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is [but] the third hour of the day. 16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
What is the point of having a dream or a vision if you are not willing to make major life decisions arising from the proper understanding of what the dream or vision you have in terms of informing your life as to what to do next? Because Jacob obeyed the dream, he experienced the spiritual upgrade of being visited by not just one angel but by a group of angels. What about you? Dreams and visions do not replace scripture but they are important, perhaps more than you know. If Jacob had ignored his dream the next chapter of his life would have never happened. His entire destiny might have crumbled to dust right then but he listened as we should pay attention to the dreams and visions that we have.
When Jacob sees the angels, who came to meet him, he correctly identifies them as “God’s host” or God’s army. These angels were warring angels sent to safeguard him as he obeyed what God told him in a dream previously. What do you have to do to experience the accompaniment of warring angels? You don’t need a warring angel to help you march in place until Jesus comes. You have to be a risk-taker. Jacob took a risk when he left Laban’s house. Laban wanted to kill him for what he did. Laban was behind him, and Esau, who also wanted to kill him, was in front of him. Are you willing to take those kinds of risks in obedience to God? If you are, then angels will come alongside to war on your behalf. Remember the words of Daniel:
[Dan 11:32 KJV] 32 … the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do [exploits].
Knowing God is more than knowing scripture. Scripture is important but dreams, visions and the inward voice of the Spirit are important as well. Remember the words of Jesus:
[Jhn 10:27 KJV] 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Jesus didn’t say “my sheep read the scriptures.” He said his sheep would hear his voice and obey his voice speaking by the Holy Spirit through the inward witness and through dreams and through visions. The inward witness, dreams and visions don’t take the place of scripture but to ignore them or marginalize them in your life is a big mistake.
You will notice that Jacob saw the angels but he didn’t leave everything up to the angels. You cannot substitute common sense for spiritual wisdom neither can you substitute spiritual wisdom for common sense. These two things are not mutually exclusive of one another they are meant to work together. Jacob knew he had a problem with Esau and that Esau needed advanced notice he was coming home. He sent messengers to Esau to let Esau know far in advance that he was coming home. He knew Esau was a hothead, and he wanted to give time for Esau to blow his top and cool down before he showed up with his wives and his children. We can see then that regardless of the angels being present in the situation, Jacob was not relieved of the responsibility to use common sense and wisdom from God going where God sent him. How about you? How many times do we hear from God and suspend all practical sense thinking it will all work out just because God gave us the assignment. No, you have to use your head AND follow your heart at the same time. Then things will work out.
The messengers go out to inform Esau, and when they return, they report that Esau is hot on their heels with 400 armed men. That is not what Jacob wanted to hear. There is an important lesson to learn here. Just because you had a dream or heard God speak doesn’t mean everything is going to come up roses. Just because angels are on assignment on your right hand and on your left doesn’t mean that there will not be unanticipated eventualities that will make you wonder if things are going to work out. When challenges come, don’t run and hide. Don’t decide that you didn’t hear God correctly. Don’t turn back to what God has called you out of. Whatever Jacob is thinking, it seems clear there is no consideration of high tailing it back to Laban’s house. He is going to face what is ahead because God has spoken.
In preparation for what is coming Jacob sends a worthy gift on ahead for Esau to receive as Jacob himself crosses the brook Jabbock on his own to seek the face of God. In v. 24, Jacob was left alone. Why did he stay behind? He had come to the end of himself. After growing up living by his wits in a contentious household and spending 20 years with a conniving relative for an employer – Jacob is spent. Instead of capitulating to the ravages of time and pressure, he turns to God and experiences a powerful encounter that brought change and transformation to his life. In this place, Jacob spies a man that is actually the angel of the Lord. Perhaps not knowing what else to do, he wrestles with the man, and realizing it is an angel, he cries out that he will not release the man until the angel blesses him. What is the blessing that the angel gives him? First of all, he touches the hollow of Jacob’s thigh, which will give him a lifelong limp. This is a sign to Jacob that his own strength or his own wit did not deliver him, but God almighty moving in Jacob’s behalf what his salvation. Secondly, Jacob’s nature was changed, and his name was changed from Jacob the heel grabber and supplanter to Israel – a prince among nations who had wrestled and prevailed with God.
Are you willing and ready to wrestle with the Lord? What if you wake up and there is an intruder in your house? Could it be the angel of the Lord? Will you shoot him with your 9 mm Glock, or will you hit him over the head with a poker from the fireplace? You never know what God will do in the night to change your life and deliver you from the mundane and the status quo into the fullness of His promise for your life.
