Lesson In The Limp

Text

Genesis 32:24–32 NASB95

24 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” 31 Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh. 32 Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.

God is sovereign in nature. Meaning He is supreme in power and authority and he exercises His will in this world as He sees fit. This means that when God works, blesses, provides and even judges; He does it when He is ready.

What this means for us is that God will work in our lives when it’s right for Him and that doesn’t always looks like it is right for us. When we work, we like there to be optimum conditions so that we can know our efforts will be most effective.

ANALOGY: The building contractor would like there to be gravel, cement, a mixer, workers that are there early, funds that are on time, hot sun - so they can cast the foundation. These are optimum condition for a smooth and event-free workday.

We assume, like the contractor, there needs to be optimum conditions for Him to work. We think that if it doesn’t look favourable to us, then it is not favourable to God.

Then we expect God to do the same thing with us. We sometimes expect God to show us the path, the method, the means, the avenues, the people He will use. We want Him to give us a play by play, ball by ball commentary on how things are going. Everything needs to be lined up, Everything needs to be in place - Can you trust God, when you’re down to nothing?

God doesn’t need the optimum to get the work done, He doesn’ need a lot to work with - in fact God could work with nothing!

So you might be down to nothing, at the same time, God will be up to something

The narrative given of Jacob is an interesting one. He is the son of the child of promise Isaac. His grandfather is Abraham, his mother was actually barren and he’s a twin and he was born grabbing his brother’s heel.

Prior to his birth, his mother is told by the LORD that there are two nations in her womb.

The story gets interesting as we begin to read about the character of each of the brothers, and by extension the family. Trickery, scheming and plotting seems to be a go to for everyone.

One day after coming back from a hunt, Jacob swindles his brother out his birthright, which he foolishly gives up. Hebrews 12:16 “16 that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.”

Why would you sell your brother food? Why would you ask for his birth right? This seems to be the part of a plot. Jacob was destined for greatness, I have no doubt that he was aware of this, his mother certainly was because God spoke to her (Gen 25:23) and she loved Jacob (Gen 25:28). So it seems to me that scheming and plotting is the methodology used to get by.

Instead of God making a way he is trying to make the way - he struggles but he seeks to overcome by his plotting.

APPL. That’s not to dissimilar from what we do sometimes - plotting, planning, scheming, trying push our way to the front, hoping that God would sign off on it. So before we judge Jacob, judge yourself.

As the account progresses, we see Jacob and his mother scheme and deceive their way into getting a blessing that was to go to Esau.

Now Esau is now short of a birthright and now a blessing and he is fuming, to the extent that he now wants to kill Jacob. To avoid this Jacob is sent away to his uncle’s house.

After all this scheming, life has a way of catching up with you because now Jacob has to leave the land of his fathers, the promised land, and go Paddan-aram (The land Abraham left).

Not only that, but he is going to meet an even bigger, more experienced swindler than himself in his uncle, Laban. He’s trading one frustrating situation for another frustating situation.

Despite all of this, God (Gen 28) confirms the promise to Jacob. But is Jcaob going to trust God or, is he still going to try to plan his way to where he needs to be. Gen 28:21 He asks God to keep him safe, what we see later on is Jacob is making plans to keep himself safe.

LABAN a trickster par excellence

Tricks Jacob into marrying Leah after working for him for 7 years

Gets him to work another 7 years for taking Rachel

Gets him to work 6 more years all the while enriching Laban - God was blessing Him because of Jacob - APPL. Don’t get jealous when God is blessing someone else, get closer and maybe some blessing that runs over might spill on you.

CH 31 - God says to Jacob, it’s time to go home

Genesis 31:3 “3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.””

This should be good news, but one thing: Esau is still trying to kill him

So Jacob begins to gets things ready to go, he recognizes that God has been and will be with him and will protect him from Laban, but at the same time he tries to protect himself from Laban through schemes [Genesis 31:20 “20 And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing.” ]

He left trouble at home

Came to trouble and tricks in Laban

Trouble in the home between the two wives

Rachel is a trickster too becasue she steals Laban’s idols and lies about it

God comes and says leave that trouble and head back to Canaan (where Esau is still mad at him and wants to kill him)

This is the time where I am thinking, “God what are you doing?”

Before we judge Jacob too hard, we find it hard to trust God when all around us is frustration and trouble. God is telling us to move, but the direction has trouble in it. These are the times I am tempted to design a plan of my own for God to approve instead of trusting God’s plan that’s already a done deal.

APPL. While you’re wasting time plotting God is making provisions

Genesis 31:29 “29 “It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to speak either good or bad to Jacob.’”

Don’t waste time trying to fix and manipulate fights God has already won.

God can handle the battles you know about and the ones you don’t know about.

Once again God reminds Jacob of His protective presence in Genesis 32:1–2 “1 Now as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him. 2 Jacob said when he saw them, “This is God’s camp.” So he named that place Mahanaim.”

How does Jacob respond to this?

He sends a company ahead with gifts to appease Esau (Gen 32:3-5) - He’s still scheming

When he hears his brother is coming with 400 men wat does he do? Schemes again (Gen 32:6-12) - greatly afraid, he divides his company into 2 groups

He prays for deliverance and presents his “two company” plan to God

After this he sends some more gifts (Gen 32:13) sends everyone in three (3) droves before him

He was trusting the gifts to do what God already said he was going to do

Finally, Jacob takes his wives, servants, and children sends them across the river with all his possessions (Gen 32:23)

God isn’t responding like before, What more could God say?

Genesis 32:24 “24 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.”

The text presents this narrative in this way to communicate something to us.

Jacob is now alone, alone with his fears, anxieties, frustrations

He has no servants, no company, no caravan, no livestock, no children, no wives, no gifts - He is down to NOTHING! But this is where God is up to something

He wrestles with a man (whom the bible calls God, angels of God) - wrestling with the divine.

APPL. God doesn’t mind if you wrestle with Him, as long as you hold on to Him.

When Jacob was down to nothing, that’s when God showed up in a great way. And even though he struggled with God, he hung on to God.

APPL. You might feel alone right now, with your fears and failings, problems and predicaments, brokenness and bills, sickness and sorrow. You might feel alone, but if God is in your life, your never alone.

Hang in there, God is coming through I don’t know when He is coming, but “He’ll never leave you or forsake you” - You might be down to nothing, but God is always up to something

After the encounter Jacob had a limp (Gen 32:31)

We don’t know how long the limp lasted, but everytime Jacob limped it was a reminder of what God did

That limp is God’s evidence that proves no one else could done this but Me. When there was no way, when the mountain was too big, when the giant was so terrifying, when the way was long and road was rough, when doctors lost all hope, when you could see your way out - that limp is your reminder that God did when you didn’t think it could be done.

This might sound fanciful to you but there are others who can testify that when you are down to nothing God is up to something

Joseph

Job

Gideon

Samson

The widow of Zarephath

Paul

Then I spoke to Jesus!!!