WRESTLING WITH GOD

God’s Camp

On the way to Laban, Jacob dreamed of the ladder that reached into heaven with angels ascending and descending on it. Now on the way back, the angels of God met him. It is as if he is seeing the reality that his dream pointed to.

Here we see the Lord going to great lengths to show Jacob that He is going to keep His word.

Psalm 34:7–8 “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

Hebrews 1:14 “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”

Mahanaim means “two camps”.

Help My Unbelief

Though Jacob was filled with fear, he held on tightly to the promises of God.

Mark 9:24 “Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!””

See Hebrews 6:13-20...

God’s promises are sure and steadfast anchors for our soul.

Hebrews 2:1 “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”

Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (See John 17:17)

Jacob doesn’t base his prayer on his own faithfulness, but on God’s mercy and faithfulness.

Daniel 9:18 “O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.”

Holding On For Dear Life

Jacob refused to let go until the Lord blessed him.

Hosea 12:3–4 “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. He met God at Bethel, and there God spoke with us—”

Let us have the same kind of attitude and hold on to the Lord through prayer and faith.

See Luke 18:1-8 (the persistent widow) and see Luke 11:5-10 (the impudent friend)...

James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

Though the Lord blessed him, He left Jacob with a limp to remind him who he depended on.

See 2 Corinthians 12:7-10...

Isaiah 26:3–4 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”

Jacob: Heel catcher, or supplanter… Supplanter: to take the place of (another), as through force, scheming, strategy, or the like... Israel: “he fights, strives, or persists with God.”... Peniel: the face of God...