Christian Understanding of Trinity3

TRINITY : M. M. NINAN
6. The Anger of the Lord
with God and with men and have overcome." Jacob said,
"Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my
name?" Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place
Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my
life was spared."
Here again the wrestling man turns out to be God. At Peniel
Jacob saw the face of God as a man.
This is confirmed by the prophet Hosea
Hosea 12: 2-5 The LORD has a charge to bring against Judah;
he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him
according to his deeds. In the womb he grasped his brother's
heel; as a man he struggled with God. He struggled with the
angel and overcame him; he wept and begged for his favor. He
found him at Bethel and talked with him there-- the LORD God
Almighty, the LORD is his name of renown!
Hosea thus confirms that the Angel of the Lord who fought with
Jacob was indeed God himself. Now how do we explain the fact
Jacob overcame God? Remember that this was the night before
Jacob was going to meet his brother Essau whom he tricked.
Jacob still had a second chance to make the choice between
right and wrong. To concede that he had tricked his brother. He
was reluctant to do that. Finally the Angel of the Lord had to
touch him and make him weakling. The next day we meet Jacob
appearing before his brother Essau limping. Then he fell down
and gave the honor due to his elder brother. Every one of us
struggles with God. We still can make choices against God and
prevail. But it will lead to disaster. God in his mercy may touch
and make us limping just to humble ourselves to chose the right
from the wrong.
The 'angel of the LORD' who visited the patriarchs was God
Himself, not any creature masquerading as God. God himself
authenticates it thus:
Ex. 6:2 God also said to Moses, "I am the LORD.3 I appeared to
Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my
name the Yhvh I did not make myself known to them.
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