Preaching the Word
Preaching the Word
Gen 32:22-32 - Jacob Wrestles with God - The Mysteries of God's Word
Prepare to uncover the mysteries of one of the most captivating encounters in the Bible—the wrestling match with God in Genesis 32. What if a seemingly physical struggle could teach you great spiritual truths? Join us as we delve into Jacob's dramatic night, where he wrestles with a mysterious figure, identified as the pre-incarnate Son of God. As Jacob stands on the brink of meeting his estranged brother Esau, burdened with fear and uncertainty, we explore this intense confrontation and the transformation it triggers. Through Jacob's struggle, we learn about the mercy of God, the irony in his quest for blessing, and the life-altering moment when he is renamed Israel, marking a pivotal change in his relationship with the LORD.
As the sun rises, Jacob emerges marked by a limp, a physical reminder of both his human vulnerability and the victory He has through God's grace. This episode illuminates the lasting impact of Jacob's encounter at Peniel. Whether you're familiar with Jacob's story or are hearing it for the first time, join us for an exploration that offers timeless lessons about faith, resilience, and the influence of divine encounters on our journey.
Email: nathan@nathandietsche.com
Grace and peace to you. Thank you again for joining me for the Mysteries of God's Word. Today we are at the end of Genesis, chapter 32, where Jacob wrestles with God. Last week we read about Jacob meeting up with a camp of angels, and that was just prior to Jacob learning that his brother Esau was coming with 400 men. Jacob then sent servants with droves of animals as gifts to his brother Esau, in front of him the night before. And that night is where we pick up in the narrative right now, starting at verse 22.
Speaker 1:The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven children and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream and everything else he had, and sent them across the stream and everything else he had. In the first two verses we learn that Jacob took everything he had his wives, his children, everything, all of the animals that were left with him, all of his servants, and he crossed the Jabbok. Now, the Jabbok River was actually more of a stream than a river, and it's east of Jordan River. The stream begins in the mountains of Gilead, where we find Jacob, and the stream itself will run and empty into the Jordan River about 45 miles south of the Sea of Galilee, kind of halfway between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. Today this river is known as the Zirka or Blue River. So the text tells us the same night, jacob arose and took all of his possessions. So again, this is the same night that Jacob had sent his servants with those droves of animals ahead of him, as a gift to Esau. That very same night, jacob took his entire family, including his two wives, his two female servants, his eleven children at this time, and he helped them to cross the Jabbok ford with everything he had. Just a note on what a ford is if you're not familiar with it, river fords provide a place where people can cross a stream or a river easily. It's a low water crossing. Some fords are naturally occurring, while others are man-made constructions to help facilitate crossings. A ford still has water that runs over the top of it, but the water is shallow enough to be waded through.
Speaker 1:Picking up in verse 24, we're going to take that verse by itself it says Jacob was left alone. So after Jacob had helped his family and all that he had across the Jabbok Ford, he was left alone on the other side and it says a man wrestled with him. So while Jacob was alone, suddenly a man appeared and engaged in a full contact wrestling match with Jacob. This is perhaps the most vivid and clear picture of how God took on physical form and interacted with man during the times of the patriarchs, both to teach and guide them, both to teach and guide them. The name that Jacob gives to this location where he wrestles with this man later in our text is Peniel, which means the face of God. Furthermore, as we will see, the prophet Hosea declares that this man was the angel of the Lord and identifies him also as God. This man that Jacob is wrestling with was certainly an appearance of the pre-incarnate Son of God, and they wrestled until the breaking of the day. This full contact wrestling match lasted until the dawning of the day, describing an intense, very long battle Verses 25 and 26. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said Let me go, for the day has broken. But Jacob said I will not let you go unless you bless me.
Speaker 1:Let's examine these two verses to get a feel for what's going on during this wrestling match. It says that this man did not prevail against Jacob. What an interesting statement. Now, it's not saying that the angel of the Lord couldn't overcome Jacob if he didn't want to, but rather it's saying that he allowed Jacob to prevail. This is an incredible display of God's mercy in the midst of this very real physical struggle, which is very symbolic of Jacob's spiritual struggles. It displays how Jacob has tried many times to bring about God's plan and purpose through his own scheming and his own effort. But even in the midst of Jacob's foolishness, god has been with him and God has blessed him and brought about his plan, not through Jacob's deceptions, but according to God's own purposes. And as Jacob is about to face his brother Esau, the Lord himself is encouraging Jacob that, in spite of his own failings and his own foolish efforts, god is at work in his life, allowing him to prevail.
Speaker 1:Then we see that Jacob's hip was put out of joint as quickly as we see the angel of the Lord showing Jacob mercy and allowing Jacob to prevail. We see the angel of the Lord simply touch Jacob's hip socket and it comes out of joint, while the Lord wants to encourage Jacob in this physical wrestling match. He also wants to remind Jacob who he needs to trust in. Even after Jacob's hip socket was put out of joint, jacob persisted and he continued to wrestle with this man. But the man says let me go. The Lord is telling Jacob let go, jacob, let go. In this physical combat, the Lord is continuing to reveal his mercy to Jacob, in spite of Jacob's tendency to hold on to things with his own strength. The Lord is encouraging Jacob, before he faces his brother Esau, that Jacob will prevail in this upcoming conflict, also not through his strength, but through the Lord. And Jacob says I will not let go unless you bless me.
Speaker 1:There is a great irony going on here that Jacob is holding on to the angel of the Lord with all his strength, demanding a blessing from him, as if it were through his own power that he could obtain a blessing. Let's look at verse 27 and 28. And he said to him what is your name? And he said Jacob. Then he said your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed. 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. Here, in verses 27 and 28, we see the Lord asks Jacob what is your name? And the name Jacob means heel catcher or deceiver. And the Lord tells Jacob here your name will no longer be deceiver, your name will no longer be heel catcher, your name will be Israel, which means he strives with God. And the Lord tells Jacob for you have striven with God and with men and you have prevailed.
Speaker 1:Struggles certainly defines the life of Jacob. Jacob struggled with his brother, with his father, with his father-in-law, with his wives, and now he has struggled with God. Yet through all of Jacob's struggles, including now, just as the Lord was wrestling with him, god continues to be with him and protect him and bless him. This is why jacob prevails. And then, of course, jacob asks please tell me your name. The angel of the lord doesn't give him an answer, but rather questions jacob as to why are you even asking me? It implies that Jacob already believed. He knew who this was and the angel of the Lord knew that Jacob knew and he just wanted some confirmation. And then we read that there he blessed him. The angel of the Lord blesses Jacob in addition to the blessing of changing his name to the blessing of changing his name. It's very possible that the Lord once again reaffirmed the Abrahamic covenant to Jacob and his plan for his people through Israel, picking up in verse 30. So Jacob called the name of the place, peniel, saying For I have seen God face to face and yet my life has been delivered. I want to take this verse by itself. It says Jacob called the name of the place, peniel. Again, peniel means the face of God, and Jacob said here I have seen God face to face and yet my life has been delivered. Jacob states now that he is certain of whom he's wrestled with. Whatever the blessing was that the angel of the Lord gave to Jacob, jacob now understands who this was, and this was indeed God in human flesh, god in human flesh.
Speaker 1:At this point I'd like to read two verses from Hosea, chapter 12, verses 3 and 4. These two verses describe Jacob and his encounter with the Lord. Here In verse 3, it says In the womb he took his brother by the heel and in his manhood he strove with God. He strove with the angel and prevailed. He wept and sought his favor. In those two verses of Hosea it tells us that this was the angel of the Lord. This was Jacob striving with God as the angel of the Lord. This was Jacob striving with God as the angel of the Lord. And finally, jacob says my life has been delivered.
Speaker 1:This is a very common statement from men in the Bible. Whenever a sinful man interacts with the Lord, they understand the holiness of God. And when they recognize that they are still alive, they understand the holiness of God. And when they recognize that they are still alive, they understand the grace and mercy that's been shown to them. And that is exactly what Jacob understands and is communicating. He has been shown the grace and mercy of God through this encounter with the angel of the Lord. It's here that Jacob realizes that the Lord God is not just the God of Abraham and Isaac, but he is the God of Jacob. It is here that Jacob recognizes that the Lord God is his God and his Redeemer.
Speaker 1:Picking up again in verse 31, the sun rose upon him as he passed Peniel, limping because of his hip.
Speaker 1:Therefore, to this day, the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that's on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip on the sinew of the thigh. In these last two verses, as we're wrapping up, we see that the sun rose on Jacob. It is here we recognize that by the time the sun had risen, the angel of the Lord was gone and Jacob was once again alone. And Jacob was limping because of his hip. Jacob was given a thorn in his flesh as a lasting reminder of this encounter with God. While Jacob is declared victorious by God through his relationship with God, he was made lame to keep him humbled before the Lord. And finally, we see that the people of Israel did not eat the sinew of the thigh, and that became a tradition amongst the Israelites. This tradition that's mentioned here was later written down in some rabbinic writings along with the names Israel and Peniel. Thank you for joining me and God bless you this week.