Scripture: Genesis 32:22-32
A friend has a perplexed look on their face, so you ask “Is there a problem?” and your friend replies “I’m wrestling with a decision I have to make.” They aren’t talking about a physical contest, but rather an emotional one. They have to choose between two or three directions in their life, and the choice isn’t an easy one to make!
That’s true in many situations in life – whether it is something complicated or critical, such as decisions that we have to make in our careers, or in education, or in our relationships, or even something as simple as a clothing purchase or the color to paint a room in our house. But whether complex or simple, the decision could be just as difficult, and is probably just as important in your life’s experience.
For today’s consideration, though, we will take a look at the “wrestling” that a man of God had to go through, and what came from his struggle.
Even though we know the story of Jacob and his brother Esau, here is a quick refresher – how they were twin boys, born to Isaac and Rebekah, with Esau being born first; how Jacob had deceived his father in order to receive both the birthright and blessing that Esau deserved; and how the betrayal created a nearly irreparable break in the brothers’ relationship. (Genesis 27-28)
Jacob is forced to leave home to save his
life, and goes to live with his uncle Laban.
He meets his cousins Rachel and Leah, and marries both of them. (Genesis
29:1-30:24) He also pulls a fast one
with his father-in-law, and gains a substantial household of servants, as well
as flocks of sheep and goats, and herds of camels and donkeys, and becomes quite
wealthy. (Genesis 30:25-43)
And then the time came for him to return to his home and family in Canaan, but on the way, he sends a messenger to his brother Esau, to let him know that he wishes to reconcile. (Genesis 32:1-18) And our passage for today begins the night before the brothers meet again after many years of separation.
Read Genesis 32:22-25
All through his life, Jacob had been making decisions that would benefit himself. He deceived his father in order to cheat his brother out of his rightful inheritance. He married a woman who he didn’t really love so that he could marry her younger sister whom he loved far more. He deceived his father-in-law to become wealthy, who had also conspired against him in his marriage of the two sisters. And now he had to finally face up to the broken relationship with his brother. It sure does sound like a soap opera, doesn’t it!
But the truth is that God’s plan for the man is beginning to become more apparent. Isn’t it interesting that no matter how many false steps and turns we may make in this life, and no matter how much trouble we may have created for ourselves and others, eventually, when we finally come to our senses, we find ourselves right where the Lord wanted us in the first place! Jacob has, at last, become the vulnerable one, but that’s not a bad thing, as long as God has the upper hand!
So far, we have heard nothing about this strange man who comes to Jacob in the night - nothing about why he has come to Jacob, nothing about why he has initiated a wrestling match at this juncture in Jacob’s journey back home, or even why Jacob didn’t continue across the river with his family to meet up with his brother. But we do discover that while this stranger can’t quite win the conflict, he is able to injure Jacob in his hip.
The conflict continues throughout the night, as the combatants seemed equally powerful and committed in this fight. And we have to assume that each saw victory as an incentive to continue, regardless of any possible physical exhaustion. But why was this match up so vital to both?
Read Genesis 32:26-28
They wrestle all night, even though neither is able to gain the upper hand. But does this mean that no one wins, or that both of them win? Neither relents, neither submits, neither surrenders. But additional questions that may rise up within us could be “if this stranger is truly God, 1) why would he take on the form of a man, which, even though it does happen, is not all that common in scripture, 2) why would God even need to have a contest of strength with Jacob, and 3) why didn’t the Lord just win quickly and get it over with?
It may very well be that the Lord was bringing his opponent to a point where he was able to consider the quality of his relationship with his Jehovah God. For the past many years, Jacob’s life had been one of conflict, deception, and self-serving attitudes. But here he is, kept from proceeding with his wealth and family, finding himself alone with this God/Man who will not let him go until he understands.
And Jacob, in his request for a blessing, finally acknowledges that this other man is God. After all, only God can truly bless our lives, and how does the man respond to the demand? He gives Jacob a new name – Israel, or “the one who struggles with God”. Then Jacob’s opponent adds that his struggle has not only been with God, but also with men, and has overcome both. We have seen his conflict with other people, but what is this struggle with God all about? The faith of Jacob’s father had been a source of blessing to his father Abraham, but had Jacob been a blessing to Isaac? If he was, it certainly isn’t apparent, and the Lord has called all of us to care for others in the way of our Almighty God, and when we don’t, we become an obstruction to God’s blessings.
God neither let Jacob win nor lose, and both persevered in the struggle to bring a new sense of God’s grace to the life of the man. He had struggled for many years with how to live a blessed life, and had never quite found it, until now. The Lord said that the new name means “You have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.” But a closer translation probably means “God reigns”, or “God rules” – either of which comes pretty close to the scriptural definition. But the more important question is “what has he overcome”? He certainly didn’t overcome God, and his deception in the lives of other men can hardly be described as a victory, so the question remains – what has he overcome?
I believe that in this struggle, Jacob had overcome himself and his own ways. And if we never struggle with the Lord, the only thing we have is a continuation of the conflict that reigns in our life. But if we allow our conflict with God and his ways to rise to the surface of our existence, he will never let go until we finally let go of ourselves, and seek his blessing in our life. This explanation makes a lot of sense for me, because this is the story of my struggle with God.
I know that I have shared my testimony with you before, but let’s put it in Jacob’s context. For years, literally, I had sought the Lord’s acknowledgment and acceptance of my desires for life, and all I ever received from him was silence – silence in faith, silence in correction, silence in blessing, silence in understanding. And then during one long and frustrating night, my “wrestling match” began, and not only didn’t God let go of me, but he refused to allow me to let go of him. And by the time that my “daylight” arrived, I had come to know that my ways weren’t even close to the Lord’s, and that the only thing he wanted from me was my trust that his ways were the only way. That was the night of the greatest blessing of my life. I’m not sure if he gave me a new name that night or not, unless it was “Christian”. And that is a name that I now know is a lot harder to live up to than Bill!
Read Genesis 32:29-32
Coming to the realization of just who God is for us personally is a life changing experience. But who is the one to be changed? Some folks actually believe that we can change the Lord’s mind, but that’s a fallacy – we are the only ones who are changed when we “wrestle” with the Living God. We may still look the same, but everything else about us becomes new – new language, new attitudes, new love, new compassion, new goals, new purpose, new direction, new strength – well, you get the point. And when we immerge from our struggle with God, our struggle with humanity becomes remade, too. It no longer is one in which we strive to destroy and conquer others, but rather one in which our desire is to lead them to their own experience of change.
Jacob had been changed to the point that he now knew that he had seen his God face to face, and had lived to tell about it. He wanted to know the name of this person, but what kind of name could God possibly have? So the man doesn’t get that request answered, but he is assured that this is truly his Lord God Jehovah.
And his non-specific hip injury? It would become his reminder of that precious night - the night when he wasn’t defeated by God, when he wasn’t destroyed by God, but rather became victorious through the struggle that he endured and survived through the grace of his, and our, Almighty and Loving God. He would no longer fear the pending encounter with his brother Esau, and indeed, would be embraced by him, and his life would take on a whole new meaning. (Genesis 33:1-12)
How has your wrestling match with God been going? Are you winning? Do you feel that you are losing? Are you ready to give up? Or is it making a huge difference in your life? Remember that wrestling with God is never about winning or losing – it’s all about the change that takes us from being a person who exists solely for ourselves, to one who lets the Lord become their sole purpose.
Let perseverance be your strength until
the “daylight” comes, and then you will understand the incredible change, and the
glorious victory that only a perfected struggle with God can bring.
