4 February Daily

In the encounter that Jacob has with his assailant, I would say that Jacob wins the encounter but does not “ultimately” win. His entire life he has been using his intelligence and cunning to try and advance his way up in the world, as with how he first grabs his brother coming out of the womb and takes his brother’s birthright for a pot of stew, and now after his match he is finally given the chance to face the divine one on one and prove his place in the family of God, instead of tricking his way into it like he has done with the rest of his accomplishments. Though he “wins” the encounter, I would not say that he dominated or bested his opponent, as God obviously cannot be bested. In his wrestling and refusing to yield, I would say that instead he proved his devotion to this force that he knew was at least divine(if not just outright God himself). So while Jacob wins the wrestling match in the way that the man he is facing decides to yield, ultimately it is Jacob who further pledges himself to will of God, so it is God that wins the encounter. As to who his opponent really is, I would cross out that he was wrestling against his own fears or against an image of his brother. Ultimately it is he who asks of the blessing from the man who he wrestles with, so it would definitely be something divine. Whether it is God himself or an aspect of the divine, such as an angel, I think is pretty inconciquential as it is God who is the ultimate force behind the entire encounter.