Genesis 32:3-36:43
“Ya’akov sent messengers ahead of him to ‘Esav his brother toward the land of Se’ir, the country of Edom, with these instructions …” (Genesis 32:3).
Excerpt:
Elohim appears to Jacob a second time and blesses him. By repeating that Jacob’s name is changed to Isra’el, there is a witness of two confirmation and the nation of Isra’el is established forever.
“Your name is Ya’akov, but you will be called Ya’akov no longer, your name will be Isra’el. Thus he named him Isra’el. God further said to him, ‘I am El Shaddai. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, indeed a group of nations, will come from you; kings will be descended from you. Moreover, the land which I gave Avraham and Yitz’ak I will give to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you’” (Genesis 35:10-12).
This is the second time Elohim refers to Himself as El Shaddai. The first time occurs when He changes Abram’s name to Abraham. El Shaddai emphasizes His all-pervasive power, influence, and authority in all of creation while still having the nuance of being a ‘bosom friend.’ It is El Shaddai who promises Land and descendants to Abraham, Isaac, and now Jacob. The patriarch is established.
Jacob sets up a second stone pillar. Along with anointing it with oil, he pours out a drink offering. This is the first time a drink offering occurs in Scripture. Jacob is now at rest. He has shalom with his brother and his neighbors. His enemies have been subdued, and he has received the eternal covenant given to his grandfather and father.
Only after El Shaddai defeated the enemies of Isra’el and gave them rest in the Promised Land did He require drink offerings. Even then, the people did not drink the offerings as they were not the ones who defeated their enemies. El Shaddai defeated them by His arm of salvation –– Yeshua. Since drink offerings were poured out on the Sabbath, it could be inferred that Jacob set the stone and poured out the drink offering on the Sabbath.
While portions of animal sacrifices were set aside to be eaten by the priest and the person offering the sacrifice, the entire drink offering was poured out on the Altar. This prevented the priesthood from drinking in the Tabernacle. As there is no Tabernacle at this time, there are no prescribed animal sacrifices or rules for drink offerings. On the stone altar that Jacob builds, he does not offer an animal; he pours out a drink offering for El Shaddai and Him alone.
The drink offering symbolizes the life of the worshiper. Sha’ul refers to his life as being “poured out like a drink offering” (Philippians 2:17). Jacob has definitely poured out his life and now acknowledges the work was done through El Shaddai. He cannot deny that he wrestled with Elohim –– he limps!
At Yeshua’s last Passover seder, he takes a cup of wine and refers to it as his blood being “poured out as drink offering” (Matthew 26:26-28). This drink offering would occur on the cross. Yeshua also said that he would not drink from the fruit of the vine again until the Kingdom of Elohim comes.
“I am poured out like water; all my bones are out of joint; my heart has become like wax — it melts inside me; my mouth is as dry as a fragment of a pot, my tongue sticks to my palate; you lay me down in the dust of death” (Psalm 22:14-15).
“I tell you, I will not drink this ‘fruit of the vine’ again until the day I drink new wine with you in my Father’s Kingdom” (Matthew 26:29).
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