As Jacob journeyed he was coming to his brother Esau. Jacob feared Esau, after all he had fled from him 20 years prior. As he prepared to meet Esau Jacob was left alone by night and a man wrestled with him throughout the night. This man dislocated Jacob's thigh causing him to walk with a limp. The man that he struggled with was the Lord Himself. So Jacob named the place Peniel (The Face of God) because he saw the face of God and lived. All goes well with Jacob's meeting with Esau.
After this a man forcibly laid down with Dinah one of Jacob's daughters. Jacob's sons wanted to avenge their sister, so they killed all the men of the city by deceit and took all of their positions, including the women and children. This made Jacob angry at them, not for avenging their sister, but for killing all the men of the city. He feared that this would cause others in the land to attack them.
Jacob was told by the Lord to go to Bethel, this was the place where Jacob had previously dreamed about a ladder ascending and descending from heaven to earth. That vision was a prophecy about the Lord, because Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you here after you shall see heaven open and the angles of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." (John.1.51).
God made their Journey to Bethel safe by causing terror to fall upon the cities around them. Jacob built a pillar at Bethel and worshiped God. God gave him the name Israel and promised him a nation and a land, the land that He had promised to Abraham and Isaac. Jacob named the place Bethel (The house of God). God also told him that kings shall come forth from you. A King did come forth from him, in fact He is the King of kings; Jesus Christ the Lord.
Genesis 32-35
Bibliography
Holy Bible, New King James Version. (1982). Thomas Nelson, Inc.
New American Standard Bible. (1995). The Lockman Foundation.
