In Genesis 32, you find Jacob in a deep predicament. His uncle slash father-in-law was pursuing him

from behind, and he was after him. His brother, Esau, whom 20 years earlier vowed to kill Jacob,

heading toward him. I mean, just think about this. This is not between the rock and the higher place.

This is like this. I mean, the rock coming right in front of you and the high place behind you.

This is what you call, beloved friends, heads you lose, tails he lose. There is no way out.

His uncle behind him, he wants to dominate him. His brother in front of him, he wanted to kill him. Or at least that's what Jacob thought. That's exactly what he thought. This is something was in his head, and he believed it. Even though his fears were not based on facts, even though his fears were not based on facts, even though his fears were based on conjecture,

even though his fears were based not on reality, but he believed it. This is what he thought.

This is what he anticipated in his head. So look closely at this very

exciting episode in Jacob's life. If you review the situation, you find, of course, here in

verses 1 and 2 of Genesis 32, Jacob sees an angel of the Lord going before him. But that was not

enough.

Because there's more.

In the past 20 years, he has seen the hand of God working in him.

Specifically, the last six years, God blessed him out of his socks in ways he could never have

anticipated.

Twenty years earlier, he saw a vision of the

pre-incarnate Christ and a ladder going from earth to heaven, and the angels ascending and

descending. That's why he called it. This is the house of God, Beth L. But way, way, way, way back before he was born, God gave an oracle to his mother.

That descendant of the Messiah is going to come through his line, not his brother Esau.

Twenty years earlier, he saw a vision. God fulfilled his promises. He blessed him. He left a solitary man, and he says this in verse 10, but now I become two armies. God promised Jacob that he will be the fulfillment of the covenant that God made with his

grandpa Abraham. And yet, of all these facts, with all this knowledge, with all those

realities, at a moment of panic and fear, Jacob forgets all that.

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