The language of Jacob’s blessing is beautiful to the believing heart: “God, before Whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk…” He glorifies God as the God of his fathers, which is his way of expressing his gratitude that God had seen fit to call their family out of pagan darkness and into His marvelous light. It was God Who had directed Abraham and Isaac throughout their lengthy pilgrimages—and, so the next words tell us—it was God Who had directed him as well: “the God which fed me all my life long unto this day.” Many and harsh had been the trials which Jacob had endured, but he had fought a good fight and had kept the faith. All the glory was due alone to the God of Abraham.

The next words are very interesting: “The Angel which redeemed me from all evil…” An angel in the scripture is, we know, a messenger. And yet, Jacob speaks of this angel as if He were God. Would this devout worshiper of Jehovah evoke the name of a created angel in pronouncing a blessing, and credit a creature with saving him from all evil? Far from it. I believe that, correctly understood, this “angel” is a divine person, and consequently that Jacob understood something of a multiplicity of persons in the Godhead. Our Authorized Version translators were correct to capitalize this term “Angel,” for to Him are ascribed acts which can only be credited to God Himself. We believe that the Angel referred to is the very One with Whom Jacob wrestled at Peniel, and is none other than the One we know as our Lord Jesus Christ.