Genesis 32:9-30

Genesis 32:9-30

In the upside-down ways of Jesus, His power is made perfect in our weakness.

I think it is vitally important to take care of your body. To eat well, moderate across the board (still working on this myself!) Move, a lot. And push your body. Lift heavy things. Care for the temple.

If you are looking for a new sport to try out, I hear that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a great option. And as you improve you get belts!

Core component of the sport is grappling - a style of fighting that emphasizes close-quarters combat using throws, joint-locks, and choke-holds, ground fighting. The goal is to control an opponent through physical techniques to either force submission or gain a dominant position.

One of my favorite phrases from the sport is “get heavy!” Relates to the ability to effectively utilize your body weight to create pressure and control and the opponent making it difficult for them to move. Not about being physically large, but about strategically distributing your weight using leverage to maximize the “feeling” of weight on your opponent.

I asked my good friend Ben B. what he likes about the sport: “The draw is multiple things: it’s very physically demanding, it’s hard, painful, so you feel accomplishment, it builds camaraderie with your team because you do it together, and one of the biggest things, it’s one of the few places you’re totally in the moment. Someone’s trying to choke you, you're not thinking of bills or stress, total focus on a single problem.”

It is also a great sport if you need a hug!

What does Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or grappling, have to do with church? Well it's in our story, in Genesis 32, and it is the exact metaphor and reality, of our faith, of our belief and trust in Christ.

But we must be careful to see it correctly. We don’t want to get it twisted and miss what we are meant for.

In the upside-down ways of Jesus, His power is made perfect in our weakness.

Why “upside-down?” His is the upside-down kingdom. Things work opposite from what we would expect and vastly different from the world systems we swim in everyday.

Through Jacob’s famous wrestling match, we might gain some insight for our own lives when they “get heavy” and pin us down.

Here’s the set-up: We’ve fast forwarded a bit, Jacob has prospered, the Lord has blessed him (and his Father-in-law Laban because of him) but that favor between the two was spoiling a bit. Jacob heard from the Lord it was time to leave so he fled from Laban, with 11 sons, daughter and wives. But Laban wants to keep his good thing going so he tracks Jacob down but God visits him in a dream telling him to not mess with Jacob.

Jacob goes on his way with the angels of God.

He still holds the promise from Yahweh to possess the land, to flourish there. Now is the time to return, “I will be with you” is what the Lord tells him.

In this story we finally come to meet an honest Jacob, who in the hardest of times comes to the most meaningful of realizations, and experiences the greatest of transformations. And I believe this is really Jacob’s conversion, into belief, trust, dependence, like never before.

It will take some Fear, prayer from a solid Foundation, some Fumbling, then Formation.

In the upside-down ways of Jesus, His power is made perfect in our weakness.

Fear

Just before where we read this morning, Jacob decided, we don’t fully know why, to go to Esau, his brother. The one he tricked out of his birthright and blessing.

It’s not in the text but after 20 years, it is as if he wants to make things right, apologize for all that went down. At the least avoid death. Remember the last we heard of Esau, he wanted to kill Jacob.

So he sends messengers.

Genesis 32:4–5 “instructing them, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now. [5] I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.’” (ESV)

Favor.

It is out of the way, he can get to Canaan/Hebron without heading toward Seir, but this is his burden.

Messengers returned with the report that Esau was on his way to meet Jacob, along with 400 men… an army.

Not the reception he hoped for.

Genesis 32:7–8 “Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps, [8] thinking, “If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape.” (ESV)

Fear controls.

Up against the odds he feels his inadequacy. His brother bearing down on him.

Jacob begins a “dark night of the soul.”

A profound spiritual experience characterized by a sense of abandonment by God, leading to existential despair and spiritual desolation. Struggle, suffering, crisis.

It can be an experience marked by darkness and pain, not due to the absence of light, but because of a new, intense illumination into the knowledge of God. But he has to get through it first…

Jacob doesn’t have time to contemplate all this, to sojourn with the mystics, he has to “deal.”

We can feel that, in our own “heavy” moments, life bearing down on us.

The conversation we have to have

Confession that must be made

Judgment pending

Test results coming back

The counseling session they finally agreed to go to

The meeting where you have to fire the young parent

The mocking of our faith by those claiming to be our “friends”

The sin that continues to demand attention

Whatever it might be.

All of it can leave us despairing, at our wit's end, not sure what to do.

And that is a great place to be.

First step for Jacob. He has to go where he never has before.

“The reason why the soul not only travels securely when it thus travels in the dark, but makes even greater progress, is this: In general the soul makes greater progress when it least thinks so, yea, most frequently when it imagines that it is losing. Having never before experienced the present novelty which dazzles it, and disturbs its former habits, it considers itself as losing, rather than as gaining ground, when it sees itself lost in a place it once knew, and in which it delighted, traveling by a road it knows not, and in which it has no pleasure. As a traveler into strange countries goes by ways strange and untried, relying on information derived from others, and not upon any knowledge of his own—it is clear that he will never reach a new country but by new ways which he knows not, and by abandoning those he knew—so in the same way the soul makes the greater progress when it travels in the dark, not knowing the way. But inasmuch as God Himself is here the guide of the soul in its blindness, the soul may well exult and say, “In darkness and in safety,” now that it has come to a knowledge of its state.”

― St. John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul

Foundation

From fear Jacob lays claim to promise and reveals that he knows his standing before God by going to him in prayer.

Genesis 32:9 “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,’ (ESV)

Genesis 32:11–12 “Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. [12] But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’” (ESV)

He is staking his claim on who God is (covenantal God, Abraham, Isaac), His promise (do good and make his offspring a multitude that can’t be counted).

“He was putting his personal need in the powerful setting of the whole saving purpose of God outlined in the everlasting covenant (Gn. 17:7).” Joyce G. Baldwin

In the midst of this petition he is finally honest about himself. Genesis 32:10 “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.” (ESV)

Not worthy and he can’t earn God’s favor.

Humility.

“Prayer is a humble appeal from our impotency to God’s omnipotence. . . . We give him the glory of his sovereignty and dominion, and acknowledge that he is not only able to procure for us what we ask, but can give us a right to, and the blessing of, what he gives.” William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour

He does the first thing right, he goes to God. When he loses control he goes to the One in control and anchors himself in the promise of God. His foundation for what is to come.

“When we pray, we do not change the mind of God as if he might have chosen wrongly. We act out the infinite wisdom of God, in the midst of all the brokenness in front of us, and welcome the inscrutable goodness he had always planned to do through our prayers.” Marshall Segal

“Here then is the design of prayer: not that God’s will may be altered, but that it may be accomplished in his own good time and way” A.W. Pink

[We never change God’s eternal plan when we pray, but we are called to pray, and pray expectantly, for change. We are to pray that the sick would be healed (Acts 28:8; James 5:14). We are to pray that the lost would be saved (Matthew 9:37–38; Acts 26:18). We are to pray for all kinds of change in our hearts and bodies, in our neighbors, in our workplaces, in our nation, in the world, but never for any change in God. Christians pray, in whatever we pray, “Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10).] DG

This is where we remain when the storms come, stay in prayer and the promise of God. Our only hope.

Fumbling

In his sovereignty, God will use our fumbling.

Jacob still has to Jacob…

There is an old phrase “pray like it all depends on God and work like it all depends on you.” (Augustine, John Wesley, Ignatius of Loyola) We even went to a church that had it as a core value.

Marks the importance of both prayer and action. We trust God’s power through prayer, and also take responsibility for our efforts. Pray fervently, work diligently.

That is all fine, and it is likely trying to merge two theological streams.

But maybe a better phrase would be “pray like it depends on God, listen like he wants you to join him, and obey like you trust him to win.”

He begins in obedience.

Genesis 31:3 “Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” (ESV)

Jacob adds to it and tries buying off his brother. He comes up with a strategy to send droves of cattle to Esau one after another as an offering to soften him up. Buying his favor.

Genesis 32:20 “and you shall say, ‘Moreover, your servant Jacob is behind us.’” For he thought, “I may appease him with the present that goes ahead of me, and afterward I shall see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.” (ESV)

I give him points for using what he has. Clever strategy. Shrewd thinking.

But I have labeled this brief point “fumbling” because there is a sense that Jacob’s real trust is in his strategy. Yes, he has prayed, but he is sure Esau would rather be paid.

This is the tension of trusting God, and I am still figuring it out for myself.

Listening well, Acting in obedience over my scheming and strategizing.

It wasn’t the cattle that won favor.

Genesis 33:4 “But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.” (ESV)

The unreserved manner in which Esau greets and embraces Jacob reveals he holds no animosity toward his brother. The description of this reconciliation even sounds a lot like Jesus’ account of the lost son returning to his father.

Esau would even try to turn down the cattle as he had enough of his own.

If we have eyes to step back and see who is orchestrating how every interaction is unfolding, it is the Lord who changes Esau, whether over those 20 years or the minute he saw Jacob.

Peace where fear reigned.

And Jacob will realize where it came from. But he has to go through the night first.

Formation

This is the grappling with God.

Jacob separated himself from everyone that would be in danger. “And Jacob was left alone.” We can imagine that he had the full sense of fear in that moment, absence of help.

“And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.”

“That long night (six or seven hours?) became one of burning sweat, dripping hair and beard, and slipping appendages. There came brief periods of labored breathing, and then renewed fury, gouging, pulling, butting. And then more rage — and more pain and thirst — and smothering frustration.” Hughes

To get a blessing…

Now, this is where my warning about getting it right comes in. We can read this and make it all about our effort to hold on, to be strong and prove how awesome our faith is because we can wrangle God until he gives us what we want.

I could tell you to wrestle your way through the dark night with fervent prayer (not a terrible idea), then have the Power Team come out and rip a phonebook in half and send you out with smoke and lasers.

But most of you don’t know who the Power Team are or what a phone book is!

And you would likely end up discouraged.

“In fact the passage says less about prayer than about God’s search for us. Certainly Jacob was facing a crisis, and for that reason found a place on his own where he could think and pray, but God took the initiative in appearing to him as a wrestling opponent. God was in charge, not Jacob, and that was precisely the point. When it comes to dealings with God, though we may think that we took the initiative, we find that he was there first, loving God that he is, putting into our minds good desires that aroused our discontent and drove us to himself. In Jacob’s case it took God twenty years to bring Jacob to this point of surrender on the border of the promised land; the Lord is not in any hurry, crucial as the transaction is. But when his time comes the transformation is complete: it is a transition from death to life, from self-help to faith in the God who cripples Jacob in order to bless him.” Joyce G. Baldwin

Peace through weakness.

Now, I am not talking about national security, or physical weakness. I began this morning telling you to workout. I throw kettlebells around a few times a week myself, so I am a fan of being strong.

This however is a realization that before God, and to conquer my soul, the difficulties that I will face, the challenges of life, living His way, I am weak, and that is good.

Weaknesses: “experiences and situations and circumstances and wounds that are hard to bear and that we can’t remove either because they are beyond our control or because love dictates that we not return evil for evil.”

Jacob is going to learn something profound and be reminded of it everyday.

“Certainly he did not see the wrestling for what it was — a parable of his entire life. Throughout the long narrative, Jacob’s life has been characterized as a grasping struggle. Jacob had wrestled with his brother (25:22), and then with his father (chap. 27), and then with his father-in-law (chaps. 29 — 31), and now with God (chap. 32). Jacob had always struggled with both man and God.” Hughes

And here the wrestling would end, with his weakness.

When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob he touched his hip socket, and his hip was put out of joint.

Man: “Let me go for the day has broken…” Jacob: “I will not unless you bless me.”

Man: “What’s your name?” Jacob: “Jacob.”

And he said ‘Jacob’” (v. 27). Here it was a confession of guilt — “I am fraud. I am deceiver. I am supplanter. I am rightly named Jacob, for I cheated my brother twice!” (cf. 27:36). This confession evoked amazing, transforming grace, because instead of merely blessing him, his assailant changed Jacob’s name, announcing his new character.

“The man of physical prowess, Jacob, is made weak through the wrestling—a match that ends with God ironically declaring that Jacob has “prevailed” (32:28), despite showing his divine power by crippling Jacob with a touch (32:25, 31). Thus, we understand that Jacob prevailed not by strength but by declaring his dependence upon the blessing of God (32:26)—a vital lesson in grace. So, despite “prevailing,” Jacob lives the rest of his life with a limp (32:31)—another lesson in what it means to be a conduit of God’s grace.” GTB

Hosea 12:4 “He strove with the angel and prevailed;

he wept and sought his favor.

He met God at Bethel,

and there God spoke with us—” (ESV)

“It was not from proud dominance that Jacob asked for blessing, but with tears. His request came when he was at the end of himself, helpless. “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (v. 26) was a tear-choked plea.” Hughes

This is gold. Dependence, what he, what we are meant for. Now Israel, this is what all who will carry his name are supposed to realize.

“From the beginning God made us look to him for all we are and all we need. Weakness is the soil in which faith grows, and faith is where life flourishes.” Eric Schumacher

Jacob had a vision of angels ascending and descending a heavenly stairway. Yahweh stood beside him and gave him covenantal promise. He has been to the heights. And now is humbled for his good.

Paul the apostle would experience much the same, great visions and experience with the resurrected Christ. Still kept low.

2 Corinthians 12:7–10 “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. [8] Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. [9] But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [10] For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (ESV)

This is where we grow, where Christ’s power is made perfect.

This wrestling match only foreshadows the ultimate struggle and victory found in Jesus, who faced trials, temptation, the torture of the cross, in weakness, to win forgiveness, freedom, and peace for us.

And when we come to him in our need and honest weakness saying…

“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…” He lavishes us with his grace.

“Though you and I do not ‘see the Lord’, he still deals with us personally, breaks down our defences, and moves us to return to him in repentance so that we may receive the blessing he has for us.” Joyce G. Baldwin

Purpose in our weakness. As Paul says:

“First, he says that Satan has the purpose to buffet you or harass you (v. 7). And so it is ok to pray for relief. That’s what Paul did until he got word from the Lord. Pain is not a good thing in itself. God does not delight in your suffering. Satan does, and he must be resisted.

Second, God’s purpose over and through Satan’s harassment is our humility. Paul was in danger of pride and self-exaltation and God took steps to keep him humble. This is an utterly strange thing in our self-saturated age. God thinks humility is more important than comfort. Humility is more important than freedom from pain. He will give us a mountaintop experience in paradise, and then bring us through anguish of soul lest we think that we have risen above the need for total reliance on his grace. So his purpose is our humility and lowliness and reliance on him

Finally, God’s purpose in our weaknesses is to glorify the grace and power of his Son. This is the main point of verses 9–10. Jesus says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” God’s design is to make you a showcase for Jesus’s power. But not necessarily the way the market demands: not by getting rid of all our weaknesses; but by giving strength to endure and even rejoice in tribulation.” JP

Living with a limp with Jesus is the best life. He is our peace. He is our power.

“The deepest need that you and I have in weakness and adversity is not quick relief, but the well-grounded confidence that what is happening to us is part of the greatest purpose of God in the universe — the glorification of the grace and power of his Son — the grace and power that bore him to the cross and kept him there until the work of love was done. That’s what God is building into our lives.” JP

In the upside-down ways of Jesus, His power is made perfect in our weakness.

Be Honest: Don’t face the night alone. Let others hold you up, let the Lord know. Rehearse his promise, be reminded of his grace.

Be Humble: His grace is sufficient for you. Hold onto that, don’t let that truth go, it is your blessing.

Jacob experienced a struggle that led to his transformation. The Lord still uses these things to grant us self-discovery, more knowledge of Him, and transformation.

May we be those who grapple with God.