When we encounter this weird story of Jacob, wrestling with a mysterious stranger at midnight by the River Jabbok, we are suddenly plunged back into a strange and mysterious world, filled with demigods who wrestle with human beings - a misty, shadowy land, where the strength of a man is pitted against the powers and mind of a divine being.

It was midnight. Jacob had, long before, sent his family and property across the River Jabbok hoping to keep them safe. He divided them into two groups and sent them by different routes. Perhaps his reasoning was, if Esau was still violently angry with him and attacked and destroyed one company, at least the other would still be safe. Strangely, Jacob made no preparations to insure his own safety. Having seen to the safety of his family, Jacob then sett…