Striving With God

[Example of underwhelming solution to an overwhelming problem]

Maybe we feel like that. The problems, troubles, difficulties in our lives are overwhelming. And we don’t have the resources to deal with it.

Maybe that’s not how you feel. But you SHOULD! Things in your life might be fine, but there is an overwhelming problem in the world. And, to be honest, we don’t have the ability to solve it.

This might sound less than encouraging, but this is just the problem. And this problem has been around for quite a while…

Let’s pray, then I’ll elaborate.

Pray

Jacob has 12 sons, through his wives Leah and Rachel, and their concubines Bilhah and Zilpah. These sons are the heads of the families that will become the twelve tribes of Israel. It appears God’s promise to make a nation from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is finally gaining strength.

Jacob had begun in weakness, and ended in strength. He summarized his journey like this:

Genesis 32:9–10 ESV

9 And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,’ 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.

Jacob had worked 20 years for his father-in -law Laban. And when it was time to leave, he left with much possessions and people. But he also left in secrecy. He ended up fleeing Laban, only to fear coming home to his brother Esau. For all the increase of wealth, his deceitful dealings with others seemed to have him surrounded.

Yet, God was still with Him.

God had directed him when it was time to go home. He encouraged him on the trip. And as Jacob was about to meet his brother, to whatever end that might be, God met him again.

Genesis 32:22–31 ESV

22 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. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. 24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 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. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 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.” 29 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. 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.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.

Jacob’s Struggling

Jacob - who God renamed Israel - struggled! His relationships with family, with his kids, his wives, his neighbors… They were hard. Often, his choices made them hard. Sometimes troubles found him.

But, Jacob struggled with God too! He struggled to reflect God’s character. He struggled to submit to God’s authority. He struggled to physically with God!

The passage says that he struggled (fought, contended, etc.) with God and prevailed. What does this mean? What can it mean?

Let me summarize the rest of this passage to help us understand a little more, then we’ll come back to this passage to close.

When God said Jacob struggles with men and with God and prevailed, it couldn’t mean that he overcame, defeated, concurred. Because Jacob kept struggling with people.

He faces his fear of his brother and comes to meat him. He still doesn’t seem to deal entirely honestly with him. Instead of following him home like he said, he goes and settles in another place.

And there, he contends more. When he settles down, he builds an alter to God. He sets us up in a land where everyone worships other gods. He does take a stand, but we find out that stand is not absolute. He still keeps idols and is hesitant to let them go.

But he also contends with his neighbors here. A daughter is assaulted. A wrong is done. His sons hear of the rape first. They devise a scheme and deceive these neighbors. Under the pretense of a covenant - God’s covenant of circumcision - they lay a trap and kill the whole clan.

Jacobs response seems to be more concerned with how they will live with their neighbors rather than the unjust response to the injustice they recieved. Or worse, the use of God’s covenant to murder an entire clan.

Jacob’s overcoming in striving with God was not in becoming of one mind with God.

What was once a promising new home became a new place to flee from. God directed them to “Go up at once to Bethel” Jacob flees from the place he had built an alter called The God of Israel is God (or The God of Israel is Strong) to a place he had been before and called the house of God.

It seemed like another failure. Another shortcoming. More sorrow, contention, fighting. Yet God was still with him.

After all that heart-ache and trouble, fear, fleeing, and failure; God confirmed the promise He made to him in the beginning.

Genesis 35:9–15 ESV

9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. 11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” 13 Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. 15 So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

A New Name

This section ends with the death of his favored wife, of his father, and of even more terrible things happening in his family. Jacob would NOT be free of the striving. Yet God declared that he had prevailed. What does this mean? And what does it mean for US?

Two times in Jacobs life God declared his name was no longer Jacob - the name his parents gave him - but Israel.

Naming means authority. And defines WHO a person is - their character.

So what does Israel mean? It means God Fights or He Fights with God. God’s name for Jacob - and for the entire nation from that moment until today - is a reminder to contend with God.

That doesn’t mean contend against God. It means to grapple with the reality of God. With His nature, character. It means to continue to cast our lives against the unchanging goodness of God and force ourselves to come to grips with the difference between who His is and who we are.

Remember that we were created in God’s image? And that in sin that image is marred, deformed, disfigured, and corrupt. If we are to contend with God, we must look with as much clarity to God and as much honesty at ourselves. That difference must be nothing else that revolting.

Revolting - That we revolt from the desire, habits, assumptions, attitudes, and loves that mark the difference between ourselves and God.

Jacob would spend his whole life struggling to put aside his old name - which meant deceiver - and live up to his new name which drive him to align himself with God.

Now, God’s covenant and promise to him was given when he was still living his old name. He was not worthy of any of it. But God used those situations and interjected Himself into Jacob’s life again and again to transform him from what he was into what God could use.

But see this, God used him all along the way. Competent or not. Righteous or not. Enough or not.

I know that what God is calling you to do is beyond you. Beyond your character right now. Beyond your ability right now. Beyond your strength.

Is that a reason to not strive with God? It is not!

If there is any message for us today it’s this. We are not enough, but God is calling us anyway.

He’s calling us to be his disciple - to learn to live like Jesus did.

He’s calling us to love our neighbors - in real and tangible way, and by showing and telling them about the love of Jesus.

He is calling us to have the courage to face the fear of the troubles around us, flee the places of sin, and set up monuments of faith in our lives. He is calling us to be a testimony to our neighbors.

And, He is calling us to keep striving. To not get stuck on failures of the past. To allow His healing and forgiveness to make old things new.

Jacob kept returning to places God had visited him in the past. He had more to learn. He was a new person on the second trip, and God was not through with him.

Will you allow God to keep working on you? Will you contend with God - see what needs to be removed and what needs to be added? Will you seek Him to call you into the land He has prepared for you?

Maybe that’s obedience where you’ve wandered. Maybe that’s ministry. Maybe that’s in attitude, love or forgiveness.

Will you contend with God this morning?

Contend With God

Pray