I find Jacob's wrestling bout with the Angel of the LORD compelling. The background of the life-changing encounter was Jacob was terrified upon hearing his brother Esau approached to meet him with 400 men. Jacob separated his family into two groups and sent droves of animals by the hands of his servants before him, hoping to placate a potentially violent and aggressive enemy. After night fell Jacob was alone, and the next we read he was grappling with an unknown Man who possessed divine authority and identity.
Genesis 32:24-28 says, "Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 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. 26 And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!" 27 So He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob." 28 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."
Let us not for a moment think this match was even or that Jacob forced the Man with whom he wrestled to submit. Jacob's opponent merely touched the socket of Jacob's hip and put it out of joint, and this was painful and crippling. All Jacob could do was hold on and beg for a blessing--and it was not possible for Jacob to even hold his grip against the Angel of the LORD (a rare of appearance of God in human form before Jesus Christ) unless He wanted to be held. And this is a beautiful thing: God wants to be known and held close by us. This wrestling match was a culmination of Jacob's life which always was a struggle to be first, to acquire and win at any cost. But he could not scheme his way out of the Angel's grasp, nor could he overpower him. The only way Jacob could prevail over the Angel of the LORD was ultimately by complete surrender.
Hosea 12:3-5 provides insight about Jacob Moses did not mention in the Genesis account: "He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and in his strength he struggled with God. 4 Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; he wept, and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, and there He spoke to us-- 5 that is, the LORD God of hosts. The LORD is His memorable name." The God of Abraham and Isaac revealed Himself to Jacob in Bethel, and He was the one who grappled with Jacob in the darkness. The weight of his circumstances, the fear of facing his brother, the physical pain he experienced, and his inability to win brought Jacob to tears. Jacob struggled with God all his life until the moment when, like a horse calmed by a gentle expert equestrian, God touched him. Jacob's realisation of his need for God came as day broke. By the help of God Jacob surrendered and in doing so prevailed with God: instead of relying upon himself to fight his battles, Jacob's name was changed to Israel: "God contends."
Jacob is not the only one who has wrestled with God all their lives, but he is one of the few who finally prevailed through surrender. The Genesis passage says a Man wrestled with Jacob, and the order is significant. The Man who suddenly appeared in the text was the initiator of this physical wrestling match which was the culmination of a lifelong spiritual conflict of Jacob fighting for himself. No matter what Jacob tried, he couldn't escape and he couldn't force his Opponent to submit. It was he who needed to submit, and having done so he held on to the One who made a promise to him all those years ago Jacob struggled to believe. If we desire the transformation, blessing, and to prevail with God, with God's help we are called to surrender to Him. We cannot escape His grip, and He is glad to be held close by us, to bless us, and to keep His Word.
Genesis 32:24-28 says, "Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 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. 26 And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!" 27 So He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob." 28 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."
Let us not for a moment think this match was even or that Jacob forced the Man with whom he wrestled to submit. Jacob's opponent merely touched the socket of Jacob's hip and put it out of joint, and this was painful and crippling. All Jacob could do was hold on and beg for a blessing--and it was not possible for Jacob to even hold his grip against the Angel of the LORD (a rare of appearance of God in human form before Jesus Christ) unless He wanted to be held. And this is a beautiful thing: God wants to be known and held close by us. This wrestling match was a culmination of Jacob's life which always was a struggle to be first, to acquire and win at any cost. But he could not scheme his way out of the Angel's grasp, nor could he overpower him. The only way Jacob could prevail over the Angel of the LORD was ultimately by complete surrender.
Hosea 12:3-5 provides insight about Jacob Moses did not mention in the Genesis account: "He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and in his strength he struggled with God. 4 Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; he wept, and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, and there He spoke to us-- 5 that is, the LORD God of hosts. The LORD is His memorable name." The God of Abraham and Isaac revealed Himself to Jacob in Bethel, and He was the one who grappled with Jacob in the darkness. The weight of his circumstances, the fear of facing his brother, the physical pain he experienced, and his inability to win brought Jacob to tears. Jacob struggled with God all his life until the moment when, like a horse calmed by a gentle expert equestrian, God touched him. Jacob's realisation of his need for God came as day broke. By the help of God Jacob surrendered and in doing so prevailed with God: instead of relying upon himself to fight his battles, Jacob's name was changed to Israel: "God contends."
Jacob is not the only one who has wrestled with God all their lives, but he is one of the few who finally prevailed through surrender. The Genesis passage says a Man wrestled with Jacob, and the order is significant. The Man who suddenly appeared in the text was the initiator of this physical wrestling match which was the culmination of a lifelong spiritual conflict of Jacob fighting for himself. No matter what Jacob tried, he couldn't escape and he couldn't force his Opponent to submit. It was he who needed to submit, and having done so he held on to the One who made a promise to him all those years ago Jacob struggled to believe. If we desire the transformation, blessing, and to prevail with God, with God's help we are called to surrender to Him. We cannot escape His grip, and He is glad to be held close by us, to bless us, and to keep His Word.
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