Peniel

Full explanation

by http://cdbaby.com/cd/penuel - 4/08/08 11:02 AM

The word "penuel" is a Hebrew word meaning "face of God." It was used by Jacob - who became known as "Israel" - after he encountered God at the ford of the Jabbok river before meeting his brother Esau. Jacob was scared about the meeting, so he sent everyone else across the river first. When he was alone, God came to Jacob in the form of a man to wrestle with Jacob. They "struggled" during the night. When God saw that he had not prevailed against Jacob because Jacob would not give up, God touched the socket of Jacob's hip and dislocated it while they were wrestling. God did this to show Jacob that although He wanted Jacob to "struggle" with Him and engage with Him in Jacob's Life, God still held Jacob's very Life in His hands and was the powerful One .

God asked Jacob to let go of Him in order to test Jacob, but Jacob refused unless God would bless Him. God asked Jacob to supply his name for the blessing, but when Jacob told God his name God changed it to Israel - a Hebrew word/name meaning "one who struggles with God." Then God blessed Jacob.

Jacob named the place where all this happened "penuel" because - as Jacob put it - "i have seen God face to Face, yet He has preserved my soul."

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