Wrestle with God
Genesis 32:1-33:17
Key verse 32:27-28
Since last Tuesday the federal government has shut down. The
impact is enormous: hundreds of thousands of federal employees on furlough,
troop’s paychecks stopped, $85 billion in cuts to federal programs, national
parks and museum closed, and etc. Most of all the US would run out of money by
October 17 and be in bankruptcy. All these are happening because the stalemate between
Republicans and Democrats continues. What if such a stalemate happens between you
and God? The result would be terrible. In fact, many Christians are in a
stalemate with God and suffer from spiritual bankruptcy. Actually, almost all
Christians experience this in the course of their lives and you may be in such
a situation now. How can you overcome this?
In today’s passage, God wrestled with. The wrestling was so
intense but eventually changed Jacob forever into a different person. How come?
Let’s see how God changed him.
I. Jacob prepared to meet Esau (1-19)
By God’s grace, Jacob could escape from Laban
and go on his way. Now he was heading to his homeland. He should have been
excited. As he was going on, however, he became nervous and even fearful at the
thought of Esau. Jacob fled to Paddan Aram because Esau tried to kill
him for his deception. Now it was inevitable to meet him and possibly could be killed
by him.
1 Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met
him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the
camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim.
When he came near his homeland, Jacob saw the angels of God and
named the place Nahanaim (two camps). This indicated that many angels accompanied
Jacob. What did this mean? God had promised that he would be with Jacob and
watch over him all the way. (28:15; 31:3) As he promised, God protected Jacob
from Laban and so he would protect him from Esau as well. Jacob was impressed
by the angels but seemed to be unaware of God’s protection with him. Instead,
Jacob tried to protect himself in his own way. He sent messengers ahead of him
to Esau to find favor in his eyes. His message read:
“I have been staying with Laban and have remained there till
now. 5 I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats,
male and female servants. Now I am sending this message to my
lord, that I may find favor in your eyes.”
Jacob sent a respectful message in hope that Esau would show him
favor. However, the report his servants brought back greatly troubled him.
6 When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your
brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with
him.”
When he heard the report, Jacob thought that Esau was coming to
avenge his deception. “O, No!” He felt his heart stopped. He was greatly
troubled. That was the worst scenario he expected. In great fear and distress,
Jacob took three actions in preparation for the coming of Esau.
First, he divided his people and herds into two groups to minimize
and manage the potential loss of his people and herds.
Second, Jacob prayed to God. Let’s read verses 9-12. Basically, Jacob
reminded God of his promises and asked him to save him from Esau
as he promised (28:13-15; 31:3).
And then, Jacob prepared 550 of sheep, goats, and camels as gifts for
Esau to send them ahead of him. He gave his servants instructions on how to
arrange the gifts and what to say to Esau.
·
Keep some space between the herds
·
Say to Esau that these were gifts for Esau whenever they met him
on their way.
Why did Jacob prepare a lot of gifts and want to give them to Esau
in such a way? Jacob’s tactics was to maximize the effect of his gifts in order
to somehow appease Esau. Let’s read verse 20.
For he thought, “I will pacify him with these gifts I am
sending on ahead; later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive
me.”
The word pacify (כָּפַר) means to cover, purge, make atonement, or make
reconciliation. So, Jacob’s purpose was not simply to appease Esau but to reconcile
himself with Esau. In other words, he gave the gifts for his forgiveness. Jacob
felt guilty about what he did to Esau in the past and that guilty sense actually
made him so fearful. Though twenty years passed, his guilt was not erased. Rather,
as he was coming to Esau, his guilty sense came back and made him so fearful
and distressed. Sin is never erased in itself nor is it forgotten or forgiven
over time. Outwardly, fear was Jacob’s problem, but actually his fear had to do
with his sin.
As we can see, Jacob did everything he could to brace for the
coming of Esau. Interestingly, while he asked God for help, he also depended on
his own strength and schemes. We too could do the same thing when we are
situated like Jacob. We pray to God on one hand but also try to solve our
problems by ourselves on other hand. Sure, we may need tactics and schemes but
they all should be based on our dependency on God not apart from God. Though he
prayed, Jacob did not entirely depend on God. Rather, he used prayer as a way
to solve his problem along with his own schemes. His schemes were thorough and well
planned out. But did his schemes really work out?
II. Jacob wrestled with God (21-33:20)
When things were ready, Jacob sent his gifts ahead of him and
spent the night in the camp. That night Jacob got up and sent his wives and
children across the ford of the Jabbok.
23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So
Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.
That night Jacob sent his family and all his possessions across
the Jabbok. But strangely he himself did not cross the river. Instead, he was
left alone and stayed there by himself. All of sudden, Jacob found himself
alone. He was wealthy and had a big family. Overnight, however, he was left
alone. He could mot move forward together with them. Why?
He had worked hard to build his family and to make his fortune,
thinking that they would make him blessed. But now everything he had acquired
became a great burden to him, not a blessing any more. And because of them he
could not run away for himself. Actually, he was trapped with them. Even worse,
no one could be with him and help him. Even his loving family could not help
him. Nothing could save him.
Though he planned out things well, his schemes did not help. He
was still afraid of Esau. He was afraid that Esau could divest him of
everything he had acquired and his life. Actually, his fear was not the fear of
Esau but the fear of death. When he was captured with the fear of death, all he
had became meaningless and worthless to him. That fear gripped him so much that
he could not move forward. He sat on the banks of the Jabbok River, looking at
the other side of the river in darkness. He was lonely, helpless and distressed.
In the course of life, you can be situated like Jacob. Though you
have family members and friends, sometimes you feel lonely and fearful. Though
you may be successful in school or at work, you will find yourselves empty. You
may try to overcome yourself somehow, but it does not work well unless you
solve “this one” inside you, which is the fear of death caused by your sins. No
one can help you with your sin problems and thus your fear.
24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till
daybreak.
Jacob was stuck with the fear of death. At that moment a man
appeared to him out of the blue and wrestled with him. Who was this mysterious
man? It was likely that the man was an angel or God himself. When Jacob was
badly in need, God was with him as he promised, and wrestled with him. We don’t
know exactly why they wrestled and what kind of style it was. But the reason
the man wrestled with Jacob was to subdue him. (25a) The wrestling, however,
was so fierce that neither of them could win until daybreak. The man tried to
overpower Jacob, but Jacob did not yield. I don’t think that any wrestlers in the
world can fight for such a long time.
This wrestling tells us who Jacob was. He was so tenacious,
persistent and obstinate. That was his strength but also his problem as well. All
his life he had struggled with people. He struggled with Esau and then with Laban
until he got what he wanted. There was no give-up in his life. He never thought
about it. Even though he was overwhelmed now by the fear of death, he tried to overcome
it by his will and strength unsuccessfully.
25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the
socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the
man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is
daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
Neither of them won and so the stalemate continued until daybreak.
Seeing that Jacob did not yield, the man wrenched the socket of Jacob’s hip. In
a moment, he collapsed. He tried to get up but he could no longer sustain
himself. He could no longer fight. Now he was vulnerable to Esau’s attack since
he could not walk well. He broke down for the first time in his life. Finally,
he realized that there was nothing he could do by his will and strength. He was
at the mercy of God.
While wrestling with the man, however, Jacob suspected that the
man was God. When he finally broke down on his will and strength, he learned that
what he really needed was God’s blessing, not anything else. Even his
birthright, his family and his huge possessions could not save him. Now he
began to acknowledge that only God could save him from Esau and the fear of
death. He desperately asked God for his blessing.
He cried and begged for God’s favor. But we know that Jacob had already
received God’s blessing (30:27,30) and that God was surrounding him with his
angels to protect him as mentioned earlier. But Jacob did not entirely trust God
or believe that only God could save him. Instead, he had tried to overcome his
fear by himself. Now Jacob realized that only God could save him and bless him.
27 The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered.
28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be
Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and
have overcome.”
A name tells who the person is. As his name meant, Jacob was a struggler
or a deceiver. That was what he was. He tried to be his own boss. But that was
why he was stuck here.
But now things would be changed. His name would be Israel. By
asking and changing Jacob’s name, God indicated his authority and power over Jacob.
Now it was time for Jacob to surrender to God, who gave him life and fostered
him for his purposes with patience. Jacob should let his ambition and greed go
and live up to God’s will. Now his name was Israel.
The original meaning of Israel (יִשְׂרָאֵל) indicates two meanings.
·
“He has wrestled with God.” As God said, Jacob wrestled with men
and with God and overcome. Jacob won the victory over Esau and Laban. He even
overcame in the wrestling with God, which does not necessarily mean he defeated
God, though. Rather, it meant that he was successful in his struggle with God
to understand his limitations and receive God’s blessing. Jacob should be no
longer a deceiver or fighter who tries to get something by himself. Instead, he
would be Israel who struggles with God and depends on God alone.
·
“God prevails, rules, or fights.” This can be understood as God’s divine
authority that God would control and rule Jacob’s life and also as his promise
that he would protect him. This implied that by God’s help Jacob would overcome
the fear of Esau.
Now Jacob’s name changed into Israel who would struggle with God
and be ruled by God. After changing his name, God blessed him and left.
Here we can learn that Jacob was not blessed because he won the
struggle with God. Rather, he was blessed when his ego broke down and he surrendered
to God. Interestingly, the word “bless” here in Hebrew is barach (בָּרַךְ), which also means
kneel. God’s blessing is given when our ego and strength break down and we kneel
down before God and honor him as God. As long as we still depend on our own
strength and scheme, God cannot truly bless us. That is why sometimes we have
troubles or hit rock bottom. We should know that we are totally helpless. We
should repent of our pride and stubbornness and then ask him for his help. We
should surrender to God. Sure, it takes long but God does not give up on us. That
was why God waited long until Jacob broke down and surrendered to him.
Are you hitting rock bottom? Are you troubled with fear and your
sin? Are you struggling with yourselves? Then, wrestle with God and surrender
to him. Let your ego go and ask him for help. He wants to wrestle with you and
bless you.
29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do
you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. 30 So
Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to
face, and yet my life was spared.”
Jacob asked the man’s name but he slipped away without saying his
name, but now Jacob knew who he was. He was God! Jacob came to realize that he
saw God face to face but he was still alive. God is holy so no one can survive
before God. As we have learned so far, Jacob was a man of greed, selfishness,
unbelief, and self-dependence. His fear was actually caused by these sins. So,
he suffered fear. Nevertheless, he survived even though he saw God face to
face. That meant that God accepted such an unworthy and sinful man and forgave
him. God’s grace preserved him. This was a sign that he also would survive the
face-to-face encounter with Esau. (33:10)
31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was
limping because of his hip.
Influenced by my parents, I became a type of
person who planned out things in advance and worked hard according to the
plans. When I became a Bible teacher, I worked hard to bring college students
to Bible study. I even sacrificed my school to serve the ministry. However,
when I graduated from college, I remained as an unfruitful Bible teacher and
failed to enter graduate school. So, I had to join the army. I was so miserable
and fatalistic about myself. The fear that I was a loser overwhelmed me. But
anyway I tried to overcome my fate by myself. Most of my seniors in my platoon
were younger than I and many of them were uneducated. They made fun of me and
persecuted me for my faith in God. I was stationed at a remote place where
there was no tapped water and no electricity. I worked at night, went to bed in
the morning and labored in the afternoon for two years. I drank water from
puddles and sometimes ate grasses when food was not supplied well. I suffered from
a sever skin disease, cold weather, loneliness, mosquitos, and centipedes. I
tried to overcome all by my will and strength. But soon I hit rock bottom. One day, I totally broke down and cried. My pride and self-esteem were
all broken. Though I had prayed, deep in my mind I was proud of my hard work,
my school, my good brain, and my faith. But I lost such pride during my
military service. No one could help me. I was left alone. I was just a sinful
man before God. I often cried and prayed, holding a tree. That was the only
thing I could do. Then, gradually I was convinced that God was with me and
began to look to God sincerely, humbly and entirely. When I began to understand
who I was before God and surrendered to him, I became a new creation before God.
After being discharged from military service, I made a commitment to God, working
fulltime for the ministry. Then, God brought me many Bible students and raised some
of them as disciples of Jesus. As such, when I broke down on my pride,
selfishness, and self-esteem, I received God’s forgiveness and overcome my
fear. God changed me from a loser to a blessed man. Amen!
Now it was time to meet Esau. Seeing Esau
coming, Jacob arranged his family in a line according to his wives and their
children and then he himself went on ahead. He was not afraid of seeing Esau
anymore. He humbly bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached Esau.
And then there was a reversion.
4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his
arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.
Against Jacob’s anticipation, Esau welcomed him with a hung and a
kiss. He even seemed to forget Jacob’s wrongdoings and truly showed his
affection to Jacob. Jacob was moved and relieved so much that he wept together
with Esau. Later, he said to Esau, “to see your face is like seeing the face of
God, now that you have received me favorably.” (10) Jacob was thankful to
see how God took away his fear and blessed him. Then, Jacob happily introduced
his family to Esau and presented his gifts to him. Esau wanted to accompany
Jacob but Jacob politely turned down his offer, excusing his family and his herds.
That day Esau started on his way to Seir where he lived. However, Jacob went to
Succoth where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock.
There he could take a rest after a long struggle.
After all, Jacob’s scheme and plans did not save him, but
God’s grace saved him. The Jacob who fought by himself was a troubled
man but the Jacob who surrendered to God became a happy man. Are you still struggling
with men and with yourselves? Do you try to sustain yourself by your strength
in a stalemate with God? Wrestle with God and then you will know that you are
absolutely weak and sinful. Surrender to God and then he will help you
overcome your fear and receive his grace of forgiveness. I pray that we all may
be happy losers before God.
By David Yun
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