Jacob's Wrestles
1. God’s election and Human’s responsibility
The LORD said to her,
“Two nations are in your body.
Two tribes that are now inside you will be separated.
One nation will be stronger than the other.
The older son will serve the younger one.”
He said to Jacob, “Quick! Let me have some of that red stew! I’m very hungry!” That’s why he was also named Edom.
31Jacob replied, “First sell me the rights that belong to you as the oldest son in the family.”
34Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. Esau ate and drank. Then he got up and left.
So Esau didn’t care anything at all about the rights that belonged to him as the oldest son.
2. Jacob is very selfish and sneaky man, but God is holding him.
Esau said, “Isn’t Jacob just the right name for him? He has cheated me two times. First, he took my rights as the oldest son. And now he’s taken my blessing!” Then Esau asked, “Haven’t you saved any blessing for me?”
Jacob heard what Laban’s sons were saying. “Jacob has taken everything our father owned,” they said. “He has gained all of this wealth from what belonged to our father.”
2Jacob noticed that Laban’s feelings toward him had changed.
3Then the LORD spoke to Jacob. He said, “Go back to your father’s land and to your relatives. I will be with you.”
6The messengers came back to Jacob. They said, “We went to your brother Esau. He’s coming now to meet you. He has 400 men with him.”
13The LORD stood above the stairway. He said, “I am the LORD. I am the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your children after you the land on which you are lying. 14They will be like the dust of the earth that can’t be counted. They will spread out to the west and to the east. They will spread out to the north and to the south. All nations on earth will be blessed because of you and your children after you.
24So Jacob was left alone. A man struggled with him until morning. 25The man saw that he couldn’t win. So he touched the inside of Jacob’s hip. As Jacob struggled with the man, Jacob’s hip was twisted. 26Then the man said, “Let me go. It is morning.”
But Jacob replied, “I won’t let you go unless you bless me.”
27The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.
28Then the man said, “Your name will not be Jacob anymore. Instead, it will be Israel. You have struggled with God and with men. And you have won.”