The Face of God

Shepherdess Edermira Cruz

STUDY #1166 CHURCH IN THE HOUSES Sunday, January 31, 2021

The Face of God (Genesis 32:23-32) Jacob became accustomed to having the face of God, over or in the sight of his life. (32:1) ... and angels of God came to meet him. Now it was Esau who wanted to be with Jacob, but there was the quarrel of the birthright and the blessing. How was Esau with Jacob? The angels had been guarding him invisibly all along, but now they appeared to him because he faced greater dangers or fears than he had faced until then.

I. In that war and struggle of Jacob, God with him.

A. (v. 33:10) Esau has nothing against Jacob, miraculously.

1. Esau was kind, wept, hugged, forgave, and was willing to give him all the help he needed and give him all he could, in a great service to Jacob.

2. Although fear was upon the person of Esau because he knew his character; and what he did to him he saw God in Esau.

3. The sense is that Jacob had seen Esau's favor and forgiveness as if they were the favor and forgiveness of God Himself.

4. Jacob had a very clear sign that God had accepted his prayers in Peniel, the name Jacob gave it.

5. To depend on prayer, in everything that is in front of us.

6. Let us learn constant prayer in all circumstances.

7. Enough of Esau was a lot; but enough of Jacob is "everything."

8. He has everything in perspective (panorama, view, clear and precise and will have everything in possession) when he goes to Heaven.

B. To find good, you had to have a constant life with God.

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And a man fought with him. Esau makes way for Jacob to reach the promised land. (Hosea 12:4-5) He takes his family apart and he is left alone to present, without any distraction, in greater detail and urgency, his worries and fears before God in prayer. While Jacob prayed intensely to God, an angel grabbed him and struggled with him. (V. 29) That it is the Word..., a visible personification of the Son, the Angel of the covenant, with a name whose mystery was not yet ripe to be revealed. Visibly, He appeared to animate the mind and sympathize with the suffering of His pious servant. The moral purpose of this was to stoke the dejected spirit of the patriarch and arm it with trust in God, while waiting for the dreaded scenes of the next day. Jacob's weapons were weeping and pleading.

10. Discouragement had not been able to shake Jacob's faith or silence his prayer.

11. It was a force derived from above, it was not with strength of its own.

12. It is evident that Jacob was aware (to know of something) of the character of the one with whom he contended.

13. "I won't leave you, but you bless me." (V. 26).

14. By pleading for this blessing, he confesses his inferiority even though he seemed to have superiority in the fight.

15. Now a broken man enters into that total humiliation: Your name Jacob will no longer be said, but Israel. "He who fights with God."

16. Now Jacob is the one who fights with God, Jacob the cunning man is now sanctified, it is with God that he is to fight in prayer.

17. You have conquered power with God, so it will be with God.

18. He does not tell him His name, so that he would not be exalted too much because he did not overcome the angel.

19. Blessing him went to the angel, for it is better than the knowledge of His name.

20. Now it is Peniel, face of God.

21. It is to have the honor of God's free and sovereign grace.

22. It was to say: In this place I saw God, face to face, and my soul was delivered.

23. Even though he went to the grave limping.

24. The sun rose when Peniel had passed because the sun really dawns for the soul that has intimate communion with God.