My takeaway has always been that Jacob’s worldly identity was sinful, but God still accepted him because of the promises/covenant that He made to Abraham. And when he struggled with the angel of the Lord, it showed how much he wanted God’s blessing.
One takeaway is that what we achieve by cheating and lying, we have to also keep by cheating and lying. What he did was not sanctioned, but Jacob did repent of his actions, though he suffered the consequences of it. Imagine never seeing your father and mother again before they died? Imagine living without his brother for many years and in all of that, he still didn't receive the birthright that he schemed for. God actually never said he would receive the birthright. He (and his mother) assumed that's what the promise meant. Their actions were wrong. And we can learn to do things the way God instructs, not the way we assume.
I believe it also shows how we can try to fulfil Gods purpose for our lives in our own strength and in our own way instead of allowing God to do it His own way. That's why Jacob had to go through the 14 years of training and being reintroduced to God and that's why He fought with the angel all night and left with a limp. God did not endorse what Jacob did..but in His mercies, He covered his flaws. You may watch Pastor Steven Furtick's sermon "The limp won't make you late". @mister_incredible3469 God bless!
