Assignment 7 – Feb 4

It would seem that Jacob’s wrestling opponent is likely a divine messenger of some kind. Based on Jacob’s perseverance and the fact that he asks his opponent for a blessing, Jacob sees this fight as a sort of divine test as he is trying to really communicate with God in this scene. This is the first evidence we see of Jacob struggling against God as he had previously gotten by on a spirit of self-reliance and, in the case of his relationship with Esau, with deceit. The idea that God has sent a human-like figure to test Jacob’s willingness to try and acknowledge the divine and have him showcase his strength and identity in obtaining this blessing.

In a way, both Jacob and God are winners in this fight. According to Kass, the fact that Jacob clings to the man and refuses to let him go shows that Jacob is and has been ready to surrender himself to God. God of course seeks to establish the same relationship with Jacob that he had with Abraham and Isaac, but He has not been quite as present in Jacob’s story. Since Jacob is now willing to reveal his real identity in the request of a blessing unlike with his father Isaac, he has now proven himself ready to amend the deceit he inflicted upon Esau and redeem himself in God’s eyes. Up until this point, some of Jacob’s actions have been questionable, but now he has proven himself not just as a strong and clever man but as a strong and clever agent of God. In this way, both parties win the fight.