iver called Jabbok. Once he has settled his family for the night, Jacob is left alone. It is at this point that "some man," described as "a messenger of the Lord in human form," approaches Jacob, and the two wrestle until dawn, with neither man the victor. But Jacob is not content with a draw; he insists on receiving the man's blessing. It is at this point that the man asks Jacob's name, then says: "You shall no longer be spoken of as Jacob, but as Israel, because you have contended with divine and human beings and have prevailed."
Jacob's insistence on a blessing shows that he is not content to be just another cog in the wheel of the universe. He requires a special relationship with the power of the universe and a special status in the universe. The fact that he perceives the power of the universe to be sacred is indicated by the request for a blessing, rather than, say, property, from the angel. A distinction can also be made between Jacob's request for a spiritual blessing from the angel and the calculated material appeasement of his brother Esau by means of gifts.
The reunion of Jacob and Esau frees Jacob from the anxieties associated with Jacob's earlier betrayal of his older brother, to more firmly solidify his relationship with God. Indeed, it is only after Jacob comes full circle, from his earlier flight to avoid Esau's wrath, to the point of departure at Bethel, in Gen. 35, that the family reconciliation can be sa
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