32:22 The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 32:23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 32:24 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 32:25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 32:26 Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." 32:27 So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." 32:28 Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed." 32:29 Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. 32:30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved." 32:31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
Jacob was a trickster. The youngest of 2 twins, we are told he came out grasping the heel of his brother, Essau. He was a momma's boy, favored by his mother for his good looks and his skill in domestic affairs. He also was very much like his mother's brother, Laban, another deceitful man who would trade whatever he had to make a quick buck. Jacob had stolen his brother's birthright and blessing, and was forced to move away in order to escape Essau's wrath. He went to spend time with Laban, where he became wealthy and where he also found himself crosswise with family, this time with Laban.
The passage above comes from Jacob's escape from Laban and return to his home. He and Laban had sworn an oath not to pursue each other any longer, as long as each stayed on their designated side of the desert. Now the question was how to work things out with Essau. How do you approach a brother you've never gotten along with, whom you have stolen from, and whose favor you now need for your survival? This thought must have been heavy on Jacob's mind as he moved across the wilderness toward his home. All Jacob knew was wrestling with people.
So it should come as no surprise that when Jacob stopped for the night he found himself in a wrestling match. This time he was wrestling with an apparent stranger, a man who seemed to attack for no apparent reason. Some have referred to the man as an angel of God, but Jacob believed he was wrestling with God himself. The wrestling was fierce and went on through the night to daylight. In the midst of the chaos the stranger pokes Jacob's hip, causing it to be dislocated. Yet Jacob did not stop wrestling with the man, and kept a tight hold on his opponent. The man demanded that Jacob release him, yet Jacob refused unless he first received a blessing, perhaps because he was still worried about seeing his brother, whose blessing he had stolen from their father. The man asked Jacob his name, and Jacob responded. The man then said, "You are no longer Jacob, but Israel, for you have now wrestled with God and with men and have prevailed." The man already knew Jacob's name, but he wanted to hear Jacob say it; he wanted Jacob to acknowledge that he was one who wrestled with everyone around him, as his name suggested. The man then gave his blessing to Jacob and went on his way.
What happened there on that evening? Why did Jacob have to wrestle with God? Why was his name changed? This is a coming of age story. We might say that Jacob grew up in this event. The name change was a gift from God, allowing him to return home to his brother in peace. The limp from the dislocated hip was a sign of maturity or old age; people seem to have more difficulty getting around as they age. Yet with that age there is often wisdom, which Jacob seems to have received with the blessing.
Have you ever wrestled with God? I think we all need to do this to grow in our faith. Too many times we are afraid to challenge God, to spiritually wrestle with God. We have a feeling that it is wrong and will make God upset. Yet we never really grow in a relationship until we challenge it. We need to push the boundaries and see the response. Wrestling with God is a necessary part of our faith journey. In fact, we would not even be here to talk about our faith if Jacob had let go of his opponent. We owe it to ourselves and to God to wrestle spiritually. If we don't, we will never really get to know God. But if we do, we will receive God's blessing!
So go, and wrestle with God!
No comments:
Post a Comment