“Who You Lookin' At?”

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

In Genesis 32:30, Jacob called the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”  Did Jacob really see God face to face?  Please explain.  Because John 1:18 says, “No man has seen God at anytime...”

Sincerely,
Look Me In The Eye

Dear Look Me In The Eye,

Jacob did not actually see God face to face; Jacob was simply using poetic language to describe the fact that he had wrestled with an angelic, heavenly being and survived (Gen 32:24-25).  God specifically told Moses that if anyone saw God’s face, they would die (Ex 33:20).  Jacob had come face to face with a spiritual being sent by God and lived to tell the tale (Gen 32:28).  That is all that is meant by the phrase “face to face”.

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