TWO WAYS OF LOOKING AT THIS:

A lack of faith
Praying and acting in a ministry of reconciliation

Whichever one it is for Jacob, God is still in control

(Genesis 32:1-2)
And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

Whenever angels appear, it is almost always in a human form on earth, since no one panics
However the form is, it is still recognizable as angels
The appeared thus far to Abraham, to Lot, to Isaac, Hagar, etc. and now to Jacob

MATTHEW HENRY:

When God designs his people for great trials, he prepares them by great comforts.
While Jacob, to whom the promise belonged, had been in hard service, Esau was become a prince. (Genesis 32:3)
And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.

The Edomites are really "Esau-ites"
Jacob has a promise given to him directly from God
While in our feeble mortality, we get afraid of man, we should lean on God's promises, not on our own eyesight
This looks bleak, but Israel is to be a nation

(Genesis 32:4)
And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:

Just in case he asks where I was hiding-er, I mean, at all of this time
He submits himself to Esau by referring to Esau as "my lord Esau"......he hints to them to "makes sure you add that in, 'my lord' "
He further submits himself to Esau by referring to himself as "thy servant"
Jacob's future glory awaits him as it is, promised by God
Jacob temporarily lived, and DID NOT LEAVE THERE-he wants to get that across
Perhaps letting Esau know that he was available in the distance the entire time would help

SOJOURN, v.i. so'jurn. To dwell for a time; to dwell or live in a place as a temporary resident, or as a stranger, not considering the place as his permanent habitation. So Abram sojourned in Egypt. Genesis 12.

SO'JOURN, n. A temporary residence, as that of a traveler in a foreign land.

(1 Peter 5:5-6)
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

(Ecclesiastes 10:4)
If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.

(Genesis 32:5)
And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.

"That I may find grace in thy sight", when he already has and will be given grace in the only sight that counts-God's
He was just with angels (v.1)

(Genesis 32:6)
And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.

The four hundred men can be taken two ways: Fear of Jacob or Revenge against Jacob
Jacob takes it as revenge, not counting God into the mix
Things are not always what they seem to be to us.
When he started out, the angels of God were with him (v.1)

(Genesis 32:7)
Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;

These are the "sacrificial bands"
Willing to give up half of it all to save his own skin?

(Genesis 32:8)
And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.

All that counts is he escapes. Period. The perfect 21st century general
Using people as pawns doesn't hardly wins wars much. It is not God's way.

(Genesis 32:9)
And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:

He is at this point, The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob

(Genesis 32:10)
I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.

He was not commanded of God to divide up
He is humble before God and man
He is undeserving of either, admittedly here
He is therefore ripe for grace and mercy
This is just like the Gospel for us, this grace and mercy >Seeing Esau would normally have been a certain death

STAFF, n. plu. [G., a bar, a rod. The primary sense is to thrust, to shoot. See Stab.]

A stick carried in the hand for support or defense by a person walking; hence, a support; that which props or upholds. Bread is the proverbially called the staff of life.
The boy was the very staff of my age.
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Psa 23.
A stick or club used as a weapon.
With forks and staves the felon they pursue.
A long piece of wood; a stick; the long handle of an instrument; a pole or stick, used for many purposes.
The five lines and the spaces on which music is written.
An ensign of authority; a badge of office; as a constables staff.
The round of a ladder.
A pole erected in a ship to hoist and display a flag; called a flag-staff. There is also a jack-staff, and an ensign-staff.
In military affairs, an establishment of officers in various departments, attached to an army.
The staff includes officers not of the line, as adjutants, quarter-masters, chaplain, surgeon, _c. The staff is the medium of communication from the commander in chief to every department of an army.
A stanza; a series of verses so disposed that when it is concluded, the same order begins again.
Cowley found out that no kind of staff is proper for a heroic poem, as being all too lyrical.
Stave and staves, plu. of staff. [See Stave.]

(Genesis 32:11)
Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.

Deliverance is a common prayer in the Bible
Contrast this with David's attitude

MATTHEW HENRY: The best we can say to God in prayer, is what he has said to us.

(1 Samuel 17:37)
David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.

(Job 6:23)
Or, Deliver me from the enemy's hand? or, Redeem me from the hand of the mighty?

PSALMS

(Psalms 7:1)
Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the LORD, concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite. O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:

(Psalms 25:20)
O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.

(Psalms 27:12)
Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

(Psalms 31:1)
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.

(Psalms 31:2)
Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.

(Psalms 31:15)
My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

(Psalms 39:8)
Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.

(Psalms 40:13)
Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.

(Psalms 43:1)
Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.

(Psalms 51:14)
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

(Psalms 59:1)
To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him. Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.

(Psalms 59:2)
Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.

(Psalms 69:14)
Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.

(Psalms 69:18)
Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies.

(Psalms 70:1)
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance. Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD.

(Psalms 71:2)
Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.

(Psalms 71:4)
Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

(Psalms 119:134)
Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts.

(Psalms 119:153)
RESH. Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy law.

(Psalms 119:154)
Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word.

(Psalms 119:170)
Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thy word.

(Psalms 140:1)
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man;

(Psalms 142:6)
Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.

(Psalms 143:9)
Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.

(Psalms 144:7)
Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children;

(Psalms 144:11)
Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:

(Genesis 32:12)
And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

Repeating back the promises of God is not for God's sake, but Jacob's, to serve as a reminder to himself.
God does not need to hear this, He just wants to hear from us.

(Genesis 32:13)
And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;

He has graciously been given these livestock by God, and it is here acknowledged that God is the source of it all

BACK A BIT: (Genesis 32:7)
Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands; (Genesis 32:14-15)
Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.

This is about half of all of it
Multiply times two and Jacob is very wealthy in the earth's goods-literally
Divide this by the number of servants sent

(Genesis 32:16)
And he delivered theminto the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.

Separation + Sacrificial Substitute+ Space=Safety in Jacob's eyes
We should wonder what the servants thought of all of this sacrificing they were facing
This was the ultimate servanthood and ultimate sacrifice

(Genesis 32:17)
And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose artthou? and whither goest thou? and whose arethese before thee?

IOW, "When he interrogates you"
"Who are you?" because he will be a stranger
"Where are you going?" because of the flocks, the desert, and him being a complete stranger
"Whose are these?"....perhaps because he LOOKS like a servant and may have stolen the livestock? OR because he will suspect these are Jacob's things?

(Genesis 32:18)
Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us.

A lust for blood is not going to be satiated by an offer of some livestock.
If Esau wants Jacob's head and Jacob dead, its' going to happen either way
Esau is a prince, so he is wealthy
And, "Oh, by the way, he is taking up the rear."
No doubt Jacob was way out of eyeshot and the trail behind the servant would have led right to him anyways-could this plan even work?

(Genesis 32:19)
And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all That followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him.

Several servants, one united story-a plot in case of discovery, capture or worse.
Criminals work this way, not God-fearing men, who are trusting God for deliverance
Remember Jacob's prayer (v.9-11)

(Genesis 32:20)
And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me.

This also speaks of Jacob's impression of Esau, that he would accept a gift, a bribe to leave Jacob alone.

TWO WAYS OF LOOKING AT THIS:

A lack of faith
Praying and acting in a ministry of reconciliation

(Genesis 32:21)
So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.

The mention of "in the company is a sign that he may have had his own tent previously, but wanted to "blend in"

(Genesis 32:22)
And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok.

No images available directly, but the Yarmouk/Yarmooch River cuts through it and it has steep sides
This was a natural barrier between the two, to slow Esau down if he had ever attacked but God is on control anyways Jabbok means "wrestler"

(Genesis 32:23)
And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.

The last to cross over is Jacob, out of fear of Esau
He must have been so scared that God had to once again meet with him and comfort him
Once across, there would be no route for retreating. Total commitment. The struggle with Laban was outside of the Promised Land; with Esau it was within it
The same struggle is within us, as the world and the flesh. Jacob's mother never apparently sent for him when "Esau's wrath turned away", so he is going blind, because Esau said he would kill Jacob.
He stole Esau's birthright
He stole Esau's blessing from Isaac
Esau could amass an army by now, after all of this time
Now it is just Jacob and God

(Genesis 27:41)
And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.

(Genesis 27:45)
Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?

(Genesis 32:24)
And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

He forgot the visit from the angels
Verses 9-12 is his prayer of faith, fear, humility
This is a pre-incarnate Christ, not just any man

(Genesis 32:25)
And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

Perhaps this signifies that he will also prevail in gaining the favor he seeks with Esau
He already has favor with the LORD, and has prevailed in his wrestling with the LORD
We wrestle when we pray, and when we wrestle in prayer, we always win in the end
This is by divine design, God desiring us to pray, letting us win
We can't defeat God, nor move His Hand, but we can win over the struggle when God is with us

(Genesis 32:26)
And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

Who does not want a blessing from God, especially after so long wrestling with the issue?

(Genesis 32:27)
And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.

Jacob means deceiver

(Genesis 32:28)
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

Israel means "Prince of God" or "One who fights with God victoriously," or "Prevailer"
Israel means a great nation blessed of God, in favor with God, a powerful nation with land, people, through whom all of the promises to Abraham and Isaac came
It means that today also

(Genesis 32:29)
And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

Jesus Christ is not to be named until His time.
No one got the real name then at that time

(Judges 13:18)
And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?

(Genesis 32:30)
And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Peniel means "the face of God"
Jacob knows that seeing God the Father would be death
This shows that this was no ordinary angel, but is none other than God the Son, Jesus Christ

(Exodus 33:20)
And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

(Job 19:26)
And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

(1 Timothy 6:16)
Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

(Matthew 5:8)
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

(John 1:18)
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

(1 John 4:12)
No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

(Genesis 32:31)
And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.

Meeting with God always means a sun rise. And a Son Rise
2 Peter 1:19 is the perfect verse for this
The "halting on his thigh" may be a way to keep Jacob humble before God and Esau who he is about to encounter

(2 Peter 1:19)
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

(2 Corinthians 12:7-9)
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

(Genesis 32:32)
Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.

A tradition held still today, called eating "The twisted nerve", which they call gid hanasheh, or the sciatic nerve, and so today still it cannot be eaten and is removed by the butchering process called nikkur