Thank God that He has a way! It is true that Jacob was very capable and that his fleshly life and natural energy were stronger than anyone else's. But in the end God prevailed over him. If God had wrestled with him according to the usual way, the wrestling might have lasted for twenty years. But God knew that the time had come. When He saw that Jacob could not be put down, He touched the hollow of his thigh. Once God touched the hollow of his thigh, it came out of joint.
The sinew of the hollow of the thigh is the strongest sinew in the body. It represents the strongest part of a person, the seat of man's natural strength. God touched the seat of Jacob's natural strength.
God touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh because on that day, the sinew of it was revealed and exposed. On that day, he was afraid that Esau would come and kill him. He was afraid that his wives and children would be killed by his brother, and therefore, he put on the best performance of his life. He prepared his gifts, put some of each kind in each company, and asked the servants to walk in front and separate the companies by a distance. He also told them to speak good words when they met Esau. He came up with this smart way of mitigating Esau's animosity so that Esau would feel obliged to forgive. Jacob was putting his best ability forward; the sinew of the hollow of his thigh was exposed. But that day God touched the hollow of his thigh.
Man's natural strength always exhibits certain characteristics. There are always certain areas from which the natural strength manifests itself. There are always certain spots which are particularly strong. God intends to expose these strong spots. Unfortunately, many Christians do not know the vehicles upon which their natural energy is lodged. The most pitiful people are not those who are weak, but those who do not know that they are weak. The poorest people are not those who are wrong, but those who do not know that they are wrong. They are not only in error but in darkness. They do not live in the light. As a result they are not aware of their wrong. Some Christians can say that they are wrong in this and that, but the wrongs they mention are actually not the crux of the problem. There may be deeper problems which are not yet manifested, and God has not yet been provided the opportunity to expose them. God permitted Jacob to encounter Esau with the four hundred men so that all of Jacob's strength would be exposed and his characteristics revealed.