Peniel

The following history is that of Jacob, the son of Isaac, son of Abraham and it speaks of confession, forgiveness and blessing.  It takes place at what are now the ruins of the old Monastery on the Hill in the present country of Jordan. There is a place in Jordan often visited by tourists. It is called Peniel because there is a stone there on the Jabbok stream which some say looks like the face of God. I can assure you that it is not the place mentioned in the Bible. The actual place is located at the confluence of the Jabbok and Jordan rivers as will be made evident presently. Since all rivers in the Northern hemisphere erode to the right going downstream, we can be assured the place is preserved, because the Jordan river would erode to the west from the original Jabbok crossing and  the Jabbok is a small stream with little capacity to erode upstream.

Jacob and his twin brother Esau grew up together in Beersheba with their father Isaac and their mother Rebecca. Esau was a “skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents." Genesis 25:27 Esau was dad’s favorite, Jacob was mom’s favorite. Gen 25:28 The sibling rivalry was severe and Jacob stole his brother’s birthright, which would have been to inherit two thirds of his Father’s possessions.  What is much worse, he stole his brother’s blessing, Gen 27 which should have gone to his elder brother. We should understand that a blessing is much more than wishing his son good luck. Jacob was envious of the good relation his brother enjoyed with their father. Gen 25:28 A favorable relationship is really an inherent part of a blessing. Jacob, like all of us, desired a good relation with God as well.  Jacob did not really understand that his behavior was unacceptable to God and that he must confess his sin and repent of it or he could not have that favorable relationship with his family or with God.

As a result of his behavior, Jacob had to flee from his brother Esau’s anger, Gen 27:41 During that flight from his brother Esau, he was promised by God, at Betel, the site of the well renowned Jacob’s ladder, that the land of Canaan would be his inheritance and that all the peoples of the earth would be blessed through his offspring. Gen 28:13, 14. He went on to his uncle in Padan Aram, Gen 27:43 where, by clever manipulation of his father in laws’ herds, became wealthy. In time, he was again forced to flee from his father-in-law Laban, with his family and possessions, to escape from his brothers in law, who were also angry with him for the deception. He was obliged to return to his birthplace in Canaan. Gen 31:1

Before he could return to the land the LORD had promised him however, God would insist that he confess his sin, for without forgiveness, in a spiritual sense, none will enter the Promised Land. He arrived at one of the three major crossings of the Jordan, the confluence of the Jabbok and Jordan rivers. It is called the Jabbok crossing. Gen 31:10. It was not the Jabbok he was crossing, but the Jordan. Gen 32:10 He had not kept himself from Laban’s evil ways as some earlier commentators (Rashi) have it. He had been following the Jabbok river valley with his herds in order to keep them watered in his journey westward to Canaan. It is part of a route from Padam Aram to Canaan.

At the confluence of the Jordan and Jabbok, Jacob succeeded in fording all his family and his possessions across the Jordan into the Promised Land, but he himself did not cross and was left alone, camped on the east bank of the Jordan at Tal Deir Alla the same site where Balaam would view the israelite encampment centuries later. Gen 32:21. Tal Deir Alla is the Arabic name for the Hill of the elevated Monastery now in ruins.

In the camp that night, he struggled with his sin, which was about to confront him, since he was to meet his estranged brother Esau in Canaan. The struggle (kicked up dust) אבק   with “a man” in reality was with God regarding his unconfessed sin, and it continued until dawn. At last the man said ”let me go, its daybreak.” Jacob was beginning to realize with whom he was struggling , and said I won’t let you go, unless you bless me. What was he really asking for? He was asking for a favorable relationship with God. It is important for us to remember, that names in Hebrew reflect the very character of the person. Just as Samuel means “Heard of God” and Elizabeth means “My God of the promise”, Jacob’s name reflected his true character and means deceiver יעקב    in Hebrew. Gen 27:36.   God replied to his request for a blessing by asking “What is your name?” Why would God ask Jacob his name when God knew very well what his name was? God asked his name to help Jacob realize, at that very moment, that most of his life, his fleeing from Canaan, his fleeing from Laban, was all about his name, about his character. The question caused him to remember, that he had lied to his father and told him his name was Esau. He remembered that, he deceived his father, his brother, his father in law and his brothers in law. Moreover he could see that God could see right through him and saw his sin. The weight of his sins was overwhelming to him and he answered God’s question in a one word confession that says it all, he replied:  “deceiver”. How did God respond to the confession?  He replied with the same response he gives to us when we confess our sin to Him. The same response Jesus gave to the woman caught in adultery in John 8:11. “Then neither do I accuse you, go and leave your life of sin”. God replied: “Your name will no longer be Deceiver but Israel”.  God was saying, now that you admit to being a deceiver; you have overcome in your struggle with your family and with Me.

 So God agreed to a favorable relationship with Jacob at that time and named him Israel. It is a name which some believe means “He struggled with the Almighty”. God blessed him there. It is a common thing for people, to get a new name when they confess their sin and are forgiven, and Jacob is no exception. His name could also mean “righteous of God” since it better reflects what has just happened and reflects his newly forgiven state.

Jacob was so impressed by the events there, that he gave the place a name. I think we can, or will,  all recall precisely the moment and the place, where we confessed our sins to the LORD and felt the blessing of forgiveness, because of his promise in 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Jacob called the name of the place Peniel which means “the face of the Almighty” saying “it is because I saw God face to face and yet my life was spared”. Here the Hebrew helps us to really understand what he meant. The Original text does not say “and yet.” It says simply:” I saw God face to face and my soul was saved”.  ותנצל נפשי   in Hebrew. In the stone edition of Tanach Isaiah 44:20 we find this expression is translated as “save his soul” it can be translated as such here as well.  The translation of Reina-Valera also understood clearly its meaning “y fue liberada mi alma” (my soul was freed).

The next thing Jacob did was to pass through the Jordan River and in doing so he entered the Promised Land. Entering the Promised Land is a metaphor for entering a personal relationship with God.  A lot of people have been baptized in the Jordan River when they confess their sins to God and Israel was the very first person recorded in the Bible to do this. Was it intentional? This I cannot say, but I think the LORD saw it as such. One should not feel it is necessary to make a pilgrimage to the Jordan to be baptized after you have confessed your sins to Him. You may choose any place that is safe, and it is good to have some company because you are making a statement. Jesus was actually baptized at some springs on the other side of the Jordan and not the river itself. His was not a baptism of confession but an anointing for his ministry. Isaiah 61:1

After this, Israel’s character reflected his new relationship with God. Instead of insisting on the stolen Birthright from his brother, he gave his brother from his own possessions, stating “God has been gracious to me.” He was not just talking about wealth; he was also talking about the God’s forgiveness. Gen 33:11 He saw God’s forgiveness in his brother’s face as well and said it was like seeing the face of God, because forgiveness is divine. 33:10 Afterward he purchased land from Hamor Gen 33:19, which God had already bequeathed to him, perhaps Israel is setting an example for modern Israel. He was outraged at his son’s behavior towards the Shemites. Gen 34:30. All these events reflect a change in Israel’s character. We can be certain of Jacob’s new relationship with God, since God appeared again to Israel at Betel and blessed him again and reminded him again of his change of name.

In Conclusion, the lesson to be learned from this biblical account should be clear. The location of Peniel is important. We can physically enter the land of Israel today without confessing our sin, but we cannot enter into a personal, face to face relationship, with God without doing so. When we do, we will know God better and it will change our character. We will want to delight God by practicing justice, righteousness, and loving kindness. Jeremiah 9:24.