The transformation of the old self
"When he saw that he could not prevail over him, he struck Jacob’s hip at its socket, so that the hip socket was wrenched as they wrestled. Then he said, 'Let me go, for it is daybreak.' But Jacob said, 'I will not let you go until you bless me.' He asked, 'What is your name?' He answered, 'Jacob.' Then he said, 'You shall no longer be named Jacob, but Israel, because you have contended with divine and human beings and have prevailed.' Jacob then asked him, 'Please tell me your name.' He answered, 'Why do you ask for my name?' With that, he blessed him. Jacob named the place Peniel, 'Because I have seen God face to face,' he said, 'yet my life has been spared.' At sunrise, as he left Penuel, Jacob limped along because of his hip." (Genesis 32:25-31) This extraordinary episode in Genesis reveals a turning point in the life of Jacob, and a theophany rich with theological meaning. The nighttime struggle at ...