Crazy and Christmas

So, I've been studying Genesis this fall, and I've thorooughly enjoyed it. Recently, I spent some time in the "Jacob wrestles with God" passage (ch. 32). I'll share two thoughts about it, one crazy and one Christmassy.

First, could it be that the "man" Jacob wrestles with is not God, or even an angel, but rather Esau? Here are some supporting facts/inferences from the text:

1. Esaus knew Jacob was coming, but Jacob wouldn't have known whether Esaus was coming or not. Thus is it reasonable to suppose that Jacob wouldn't have assumed this man was Esau.
2. They hadn't seen each other in 20 years. Thus, it is reasonable to suppose that Jacob would not have recognized Esau.
3. Esau was the "hairy" outdoorsman, and would not have been easily beaten by Jacob in a wrestling match.
4. Esau was probably still angry at Jacob, and wanted to confront him.
5. The "man" renames Jacob -- who better to do this, since Jacob was the "supplanter" of Esau? "Your name shall no longer be "supplanter." This could be a means of reconciliation.
6. The "man" says, "You have striven with God and men." (emphasis mine)
7. Jacob asks his name, and the "man" seems surprised, as if Jacob should know.
8. We can explain v. 30 "I have seen God face to face" by supposing that Jacob, still unaware that this was Esau, thought he had wrestled with a divine being. (I admit, this is a stretch -- the weak link in my case.)
9. Esau was probably strong enough to dislocate Jacob's hip. (plausible?)
10. Here's the kicker: in ch. 33, when Jacob does meet Esau, Jacob offers him bountiful gifts, and says to him, "for I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably."

If nothing else, it's interesting. Thought-provoking. Probably wrong, but thought-provoking.

Second, here's the Christmassy thought . . .

Suppose this is God with whom Jacob wrestles. Have you ever stopped to think on this event? GOD incarnate visits Jacob and wrestles in the dirt. The omnipotent Creator of a billion galaxies put on flesh and embraced Jacob. We need to stop and meditate on the wonder of the incarnation more often. "Immensity cloistered in a womb" as John Donne puts it.