WRESTLING FOR A BLESSING
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on November 18, 2018 under 2018 |
Bethany Bible Church Sunday message; November 18, 2018 from Genesis 32:22-32
Theme: Our Lord sometimes makes us wrestle with Him for His promised blessings.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
The man who wrestled with God was the patriarch Jacob.
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Jacob was the son of Isaac, and the grandson of Abraham. He came from a great lineage of faith. But if you or I had met Jacob at the time of our story, I suspect that we might have wanted to keep a careful eye on him. He had a reputation for being a real deceiver—a real ‘heel-grabber’. That, in fact, is what his name ‘Jacob’ meant. He got that name when he was born. Jacob came out of his mother’s womb right after his twin brother Esau. And as he came out, the Bible tells us that he grabbed hold of Esau’s heel. And so, they named him ‘Jacob’—’Heel Grabber.’; which was slang for ‘a deceiver’. And that proved to be an appropriate name for him.
Jacob’s father Isaac once intended to pass on the blessing of the firstborn to his first son Esau. But the younger twin brother Jacob managed to steal that blessing from Esau through deceit. He, as it were, grabbed his brother’s heel once again! It embittered Esau so much that their mother and father sent Jacob a way to a foreign land to seek a wife—and to preserve his life from Esau’s vengeance! He ended up working for his uncle in this foreign land, and then he himself got deceived by his uncle. He got tricked into marrying the sister of the woman he loved—along with the woman he really wanted to marry—and ended up having to work for several years on his uncle’s ranch for the hand of them both. But then, he managed to take much of his uncle’s livestock in a way that led his uncle to believe that Jacob stole them. After twenty years of ripping one another off, Jacob left his uncle. He finally gathered his two wives, their two maids, his many children, and his livestock, and headed back home. And then, as he sent greetings ahead to his brother Esau that he was coming back, Esau rode hastily out to meet him—with an army of 400 men!
You know the old saying, “Time heals all wounds”? Well; Groucho Marx once said, “Time wounds all heels.” And I suspect that that’s how Jacob must have felt. All his years of deceiving and being deceived were finally coming down on him at once; and even though he had stolen the blessing of his father, he must have wondered how it could be that he could ever be blessed of God.
And so, it’s then at this moment of crisis—as Jacob was standing by the riverside in the middle of the wilderness; having severed all ties from the land of his deceitful uncle, and now facing the possibility that his brother was coming to take deadly vengeance upon him—that we come to our very strange and fascinating story. Genesis 32:22-32 tells us;
And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Just as he crossed over Peniel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the muscle that shrank (Genesis 32:22-32).
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Now; I believe this story is meant to teach us an important lesson about our lives as followers of Jesus Christ—and about the mysterious way our God works.
Have you ever wondered why it is that the Christian life is—sometimes—such a hard thing to live out? Haven’t you had times when you’ve said to yourself, “I thought that now that I have believed on Jesus, my life should go smoothly. Shouldn’t most of my struggles and troubles be over? Shouldn’t the pathway to God’s blessings be easy now? Why does it seem as if so much of the Christian life is such an uphill climb? I feel sometimes as if I am having to struggle to lay hold of God and have Him bless me. Why does it seem to be such a battle?”
Think of Jacob. He was the inheritor of a great blessing—a great promise. That promise was first given to his grandfather Abraham in Genesis 12:7; when Abraham passed through the land of the Canaanites, and God said to him,“To your descendants I will give this land.” That promise was later passed on to Jacob’s father Isaac, when God told him,
“Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws” (Genesis 26:3-5).
That promise had been passed on to Jacob too. But now, we find him having to wrestle God for it.
This story teaches us something about God our Savior—something that we may not like, but that is nevertheless true—something that is for our good. It’s that our God often makes us wrestle with Him for the blessings that He wishes to give us.
Now; this is not talking about any kind of ‘name-it-and-claim-it’ theology. This isn’t meant to tell us that we can declare whatever ‘blessing’ we want and demand it. Rather, this is speaking of the things that God desires to do in our lives—the blessings He purposes to give us. In His wisdom and love, He doesn’t allow His intended blessings to be easy for us to grab hold of. Rather, He seems to have a way of making us wrestle for them—making us yearn for them, and almost have to grasp at them in such a way as to become broken in the process—and then made to grow more dependent upon Him—and finally matured into who He wants us to be.
This seems to be a way that He often works with those He blesses. He makes them wrestle for those blessings.
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Let’s walk through the several stages of this story and learn how this is so. First, notice …
1. THE MOMENT OF CRISIS.
For Jacob, that moment of crisis came when he heard that his brother was on his way with 400 hundred men. Immediately, Jacob—helpless against the attack that he believed was coming upon him as a consequence of his own deceit—took steps to appease what he thought was his brother’s rage. We’re told that Jacob arranged gifts to be left along the way that his brother would find. And we’re told that Jacob arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons—along with all that he had—and crossed over the River Jabbok. Perhaps he was meaning to use the river as just one more line of defense. And after everything and everyone was sent over the river, we’re told—in verse 24—“ Then Jacob was left alone …”
This, I believe, was Jacob’s dark night of the soul. And I suspect a good sense of what was going on in his heart at this time is shown to us in Hosea 12:2-4; where the prophet says,
“The Lord also brings a charge against Judah,
And will punish Jacob according to his ways;
According to his deeds He will recompense him.
He took his brother by the heel in the womb,
And in his strength he struggled with God.
Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed;
He wept, and sought favor from Him” (Hosea 12:2-4a).
I believe Jacob—all alone—was struggling in his soul. He had really messed things up. He wondered, “Will God still bless me? Will He still show me favor? Will He still keep His promise? Will I still inherit the land? Will I still receive the promised blessing given to my grandfather and my father?”
And what a remarkable thing it was that then happened!
You see; the promise from God that was passed on to Jacob wasn’t just about a land. It was also the promise of the coming of the Messiah—that the Redeemer of mankind would come from Jacob’s lineage. And it is my belief that that very same promised Redeemer then came upon the scene. We’re told that though Jacob was alone, he wasn’t really alone at all. Verse 24 says, “… and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.” That leads us to a second element of this story …
2. THE WRESTLE WITH GOD.
As we look at this whole story, it’s very evident that we’re encountering a great mystery. God took the form of a Man and appeared to Jacob—long before He came to be conceived in the womb of Mary and to be born into the human family as one of us. This was not the same kind of thing as His incarnation in the womb of Mary. That was something that He did in order to become one of us—to become completely united with us as a full member of the human family—in order to pay the penalty for our sins. Rather, the Bible sometimes speaks of this kind of an appearance as an appearance of ‘the Angel of the Lord’—a physical manifestation of God to men for a specific purpose.
And what’s more, Jacob knew who this was! Somehow Jacob knew that he must not let this Man walk away from him and leave him until He blessed him with that all-important blessing that he feared he had lost. He grabbed hold of the Man—in a way that must have been very bold—and held on to Him. This Man—who was the Lord Himself—must have given the appearance of wanting to walk away; but Jacob would not let Him go. He gripped Him; and wrestled Him down; and would not release Him. He wrestled with Him through the night in a desperate grasp for the blessing.
This reminds me of something that the Lord Jesus once said later in history—after His birth into humanity. He was speaking of the ministry of John the Baptist; and He said,
“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12).
That was the character of the kingdom of God—as Jesus presented it to us. It suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. I wonder if the thing that the Lord Jesus was saying is reflected in the way Jacob held on to this Man with whom he wrestled. Jacob absolutely must have the blessing; and he would not take ‘no’ for an answer!
I dare to suggest to you that that’s the way the Lord works with us. That’s the kind of passion He desires to see in us. He wants us to wrestle with Him for the blessing that He truly wants to give to us. He wants to prove, by our actions toward Him, that we are insistent, and that we really mean to take possession of what He really wants to give us.
Now; I believe it is an amazing thing that God Almighty would condescend to be wrestled with by a mere man! He certainly didn’t have to allow Himself to be wrestled with at all—let alone all night long! But He did. And it’s then that we’re told of another event in this remarkable story …
3. THE CRIPPLING BLOW.
We’re told in verse 25, “Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.” My translation says “touched”; but really, the idea is more that He struck Jacob’s hip with such a blow as to permanently cripple him. From that day on, Jacob walked around with a limp. When I imagine this story, I can almost hear the thud of the blow—and Jacob’s piercing cry of pain.
Why would God do this? The story tells us specifically that it was because this wondrous wrestler—God in the form of a Man—saw that He could not prevail against Jacob. But I believe that this is what Bible teachers call an ‘anthropomorphism’. God was behaving in a human-like way in order to teach a lesson. He made as if He could not get away. But if He is God, shouldn’t we understand that He was willingly allowing Jacob to prevail? He was letting Jacob win.
And yet, nevertheless, He still struck Jacob a crippling blow. I wonder if this isn’t something like what Paul talked about in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. He wrote;
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
Jacob had an experience that is astonishingly rare and unique in human history. He physically wrestled with God! What a story that would be to tell! But from them on, he would have to tell it with a limp in his step. Whenever he walked on the land that God gave him, he limped as he went along. That limp was there to remind him that he didn’t win because he was in any way stronger than God. It was a battle that God wanted Jacob to engage in—and that Jacob only won because God allowed him to prevail over Him.
What a picture this is of the amazing way that God wants us to fight with Him—and prevail over Him—and all for the blessings He wants to give us.
And how did Jacob prevail? How was it that he won? I believe we see it in …
4. THE REFUSAL TO LET GO.
Even though God had struck Jacob’s hip out of joint—and even though Jacob perhaps howled in pain—and even though he suffered in the process—the wrestle for the blessing still went on. In verse 26, we’re told that this Man said to him, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” Do you realize what that means? Jacob most likely would have sent his wives and children over the river while there was still some daylight—or at least in the early part of the evening. And so, Jacob was wrestling with this wondrous Man all night long and into the morning hours! What persistence!
Perhaps the Lord did not want others to see this struggle. Perhaps He didn’t want anyone else to join in. Perhaps it was meant to be only between Him and Jacob—with no other eyes looking upon this holy and sacred event. Perhaps that’s why the Man was saying that it was enough—that the dawn was coming—that the struggle should end. But even still, Jacob would not relent. He desperately wanted the promise. He said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”
We see this illustrated for us in a story from the life of our Lord Jesus. Do you remember the Canaanite woman who came to Him? Matthew 15 tells us;
Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour (Matthew 15:21-28).
Clearly, the Lord Jesus wasn’t refusing her because He didn’t want to bless her. Rather, He only appeared to be refusing her in order to bring out the persistence of her faith—to make her wrestle. When He saw that she would not take no for an answer—which was what He really wanted to hear from her—then He rewarded her faith. And I believe that’s what the story of Jacob illustrates to us. God often makes us wrestle with Him for the blessings He wants to give us.
And it was then—when Jacob said those words of persistence—that the story took a turn. In verse 27, the Man with whom he had wrestled asked him what his name was; and Jacob answered, “Jacob”. Perhaps Jacob winced in pain as he held his hip and tried to stand erect and speak. And more; perhaps Jacob even felt ashamed when he said his name; because that name meant “Deceiver”. Perhaps it was a reminder to him of his unworthiness.
But that’s when we come to …
5. THE CHANGE OF NAME.
In verse 28, the Lord said to him, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” The meaning of the name ‘Israel’ is best understood by the reason why it was that God gave it. It means “Prevailing with God”.
Jacob wrestled with God and won. And that became his new identity from then on.
Now; perhaps it was because the Man had just asked Jacob his name that Jacob now became bold enough to ask the Man’s name. Verse 29 tells us that he said—perhaps still gasping and panting from the night-long struggle as he did so—“Tell me Your name, I pray.” But the Man said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And I don’t think that the Man was meaning to say that it wasn’t Jacob’s business to ask. Rather, I think He was saying, “Why do you bother to ask, Jacob? You know perfectly well Who I am.”
Indeed, Jacob did. That was why he held on to the Man. That was why he wrestled with Him. That was why he said he would not let go of Him until He blessed him. And that leads us to …
6. THE BLESSING OF FAITH.
After it was all over, verse 29 tells us, “And He blessed him there.” We’re not told what the words of the blessing were, but I suspect it was very much along the lines of what He had said to Jacob long ago—back when he first began fleeing from Esau;
“I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you” (Genesis 28:13-15).
The promise would be kept. The blessing that he wrestled so hard for was his.
And now; look at verses 30-32. It’s there that we find …
7. THE MEMORIALS OF THE ENCOUNTER.
First, the place in which this occurred received a new name. We’re told in verse 30, “So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: ‘For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.’” Clearly, he knew who that mysterious wrestling Man was. What an awesome thing it was that this wrestling match was ‘face-to-face’ with God! How bold that was of Jacob! And how condescending and gracious it was of the Lord! Jacob won—and that was something that God wanted!
And second, the event was memorialized by a new tradition. Verses 31-32 says, “Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. Therefore to this day, the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the muscle that shrank.” This was not a man-made ritual. It was a commemoration of the lesson that was taught to Jacob—and to the people of Israel that would come from him. The people of Israel are a people who fought with God and men and won—and in such a way as to be utterly dependent upon the very God over whom they prevailed.
Oh; and I should mention that Esau then showed up—and embraced his brother in love!
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This whole story is a lesson to us about how God works. He often makes those He wants to bless wrestle hard with Him for that blessing. His blessings do not come easy. We have to wrestle for them. And He wants us to wrestle for them; because He wants us to have a genuine yearning for them and a sense of dependency upon Him in them.
There’s something that the Lord Jesus taught to His disciples about this. It’s found in Luke 18. We’re told;
Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me’” (Luke 18:1-5).
This dear widow was a fighter! She wrestled with the judge for what he did not want to give—and prevailed!
Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (vv. 7-8).
Do we want God’s blessings? Well; He wants to give them. But here, we learn that He sometimes makes us wrestle with Him for what He wants to give us. That’s the wrestle of faith. And may He find faith in us!
EA
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