genesis 32 (2)

wrestling with God

intro

wrestling with God

Q. does anyone like wrestling

has anyone wrestled before

can someone name a pro wrestler .... the rock lol

when you think of wrestling

it is a sport where one person is trying to get the upper hand on the other

it is a macho type of sport

filled with pride

you dont want to give up

or give in to the other person

especially if your a man wrestling a girl…

that is the sole purpouse I did not wrestle in junior high

I didnt want to loose to a girl

no imagine if Jesus was on the other side of the mat

instead of a really strong girl

imagine wrestling against God

thats exactly what Jacob did

and his life

and name were changed forever

genesis 32:22-24

Genesis 32:22–24 NKJV

And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.

ford of jabbok - crossing place over the jabbok river

sends leah and rachel , 2 servants , and his 11 sons ( benjamin not born)

jacob sends his immediate family over the ford of jabbok

on the way to meet esau

and he stays back

he is alone

and we read a man approached jacob

and started a fight

this wrestling match had lasted all night

as we read it was until the break of day

now notice Jacob didnt start the fight

Has that ever happened to you?

somebody just comes up and has beef ....

this man had a problem with Jacob and

started to attack him

and the struggle continued through the night

Genesis 32:25–26 NKJV

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. And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”

the man wrestleing Jacob

saw that he was not prevailing … meaning

jacob was not giving up

Jacob was going toe to toe

he was very stubborn

therefore the man needed to finish the job

so he dislocated his hip

this would have been excruciating

pain level 10 out of 10

but do you think jacob gives up after this

noo.

something happens to him

through this long and excrutiating

time of wrestling

Jacob begins to see that this is no mere man

the more he wrestled

and the more he struggled he was able to understand

q. do you know who he is wrestling with

God himself

christophany

pre incarnate Jesus in human form

at this moment Jacob is bareley hanging on

truly not a threat anymore

but he finds himself in the same place as when he was born…

grasping at a heel

thistime instead of grasping onto his brother esaus heel in the womb

he is grasping on to Gods heel

as he refuses to give up

and proclaims I will not let you go until you bless me

in his defeat he realized that he needed Gods blessing

and that he couldnt achieve anything in his own power

He surrendered

thats our first point to wrestling with God

surrender to win

its an anomoly

but its true

surrendering to God is the only way into his blessing

you cant win in your own strength

this was Jacobs biggest problem

everything he did

he did it in his own strength

it always seemed like he was winning

because he would strive in the flesh to

get what he wanted

yet there was no blessing in it

remember when he stole the birthright from his brother

it led him into struggle with esau

remember when he lied to his dad

it led him into a struggle with his family

remember when he tried to marry rachel...

it led to being tricked into marrying leah

remember when he married rachel

it led to family problems

that whole time he struggled with laban

He had been doing things his own way

and paying the price for it

q. who here is struggling with others?

discontent, feel like your being treated unfairly ....

im struggling with my bosss

and I have not surrendered it to God yet

this means ::God I cant keep fighting im giving it to you

some of us need to surrender our problems to God…

he had only recently started surrendering to Gods way

God told him to leave laban and go back to canan

it didnt seem like a good idea but he listened to God

did it his way

and God worked it out

now God is bringing jacob to a more intimate place of surrender

he is bringing him to the point of agony and tears

where all he could do is lay on the ground and grasp at Gods heel

and beg for a blessing

Hosea 12:4 NKJV

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—

this shows us the posture of Jacobs heart

and the climax of this wrestling match

in tears

and with no ability to keep fighting

he was weak

and could only rely on the grace and power of God

may this be our posture toward God

knowing we need him

and his blessing is far better than our best efforts

Genesis 32:27–29 NKJV

So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” 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.” Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there.

God asks Jacob his name

and then proceeds to change his name

this is something he did with levi and simon as well

God gives Jacob a new name

jacob - means deciever

Israel - means struggles with God

God gives him this name because he had struggled with God and men and prevailed

this means he overcame the situation

and landed in the grace of God

in his surrender to God

he won

there is a key that I think we can not miss

we need to be wrestling with God

this is what makes us his people

His people struggle with Him in the sense

of bringing their life to Him

and seeking His will

Start wrestling with God

this means that we need to be bringing our life to God

and start leaning on Him

instead of our own strength

we need to be praying and seeking

and wrestling with Him

to know His will

and to trust in His plan

Romans 8:26–27 NKJV

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

in prayer and in the word is where we do our wrestling

and in trusting His plan

and relying on Him is

where we prevail

story of being in the car and hearing God tell me

hope does not put us to shame

I wrestled with God

my faith was tested

and I came out trusting in His plan

and knowing that HE has got me

this is what makes us Gods people

we wrestle with God and prevail when we trust Him

JAcob asked God his name and

God did not tell him

and then proceeded to bless him

Genesis 32:30–32 NKJV

So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the muscle that shrank.

Jacob clearly understands that the one he was wrestling with was God

he named that place peniel

which means

boast in your weakness

jacob was a struggler

and hopefully you can relate with him

in your fear, darkness, lonliness, vulnerability, emptiness, exhaustian, and pain.

God is so good

he doesnt want to leave you there

in these times of conflict

bring your weakness

to God in prayer

and wrestle with Him

in your wrestling

you must come to a place of surrender

and in defeat we can turn to Him

and recieve His blessing

of himself

understanding that God is your everything

We need to come to that place where we

stop trying to find peace and answers

in anything other than

God Himself

Jacob ends up with a limp from his hip injury the rest of his days

and surely that injury was a clear reminder

to trust God in his struggles the rest of His days

may your weakness point you to trusting God the rest of your days

as well.

lets pray

genesis 32:

story of pro football player gets injured