Day 20: Jacob changes name

Names are of huge significance in the Bible. I've been struck by the poignancy of the names Leah chose for her children - desperately hoping that Jacob would come to love her. What happens now that God chooses a new name for Jacob? Will he change his character?

Jacob's departure from Laban continued
Genesis 31:33-55
Jacob's apprehension at meeting Esau
Genesis 32:1-23
Jacob wrestles with the angel
Genesis 32:24-32
Jacob's name changed
Genesis 35:10
Jacob meets Esau
Genesis 33:1-16
Jacob returns to Shechem
Genesis 33:17-20
Dinah's defilement
Genesis 34:1-12
Well, Jacob and family get away with it again. He and Laban huff and puff at each other, and eventually agree to part, making a solemn agreement not to interfere with each other in the future. There's been tricks on all sides, some pretty strange and untrusting relationships, but on the whole it's been a good time for Jacob. He went to Uncle Laban for refuge, and he leaves with family, flocks and status. A patriarch indeed.
But the patriarchs never relax for long. Their trust in God is always undermined by their fear of what other people might do to them. Jacob is panicking about meeting his brother again.
He disposes his forces as if defending them against enemy attack, and the night before he is due to meet Esau, he is left alone, for a different encounter. He wrestles with an angel until dawn. One thing Jacob doesn't lack is tenacity. He wrestles a blessing out of the angel, and gets a new name into the bargain. "Israel" means "he struggles with God." Yes, Jacob does struggle. He struggles to trust, but he struggles to preserve himself and his family, and in so doing he protects the promise that God has given to his dynasty.
When they meet, Jacob and Esau have a friendly exchange. Esau invites him home, but Jacob doesn't come - instead he goes to Shechem. Seems he still has a problem with trust. It might have been better if he had accepted his brother's hospitality, because in Shechem, the prince with the same name rapes Jacob's daughter, Dinah.