The Blessing of the Battle
Notes
Transcript
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. 29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. 30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. 31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
Introduction
Introduction
I want to speak on the subject, The Blessing of the Battle…
When we arrive at our text today, Jacob has spent the last 20 years running from the murderous wrath of his brother Esau, from whom he had defrauded both birthright and blessing. Now, after 20 years, God had told Jacob it was time to return home, and while Jacob was happy to be going home, the issue with Esau was yet to be resolved.
Word reaches Jacob that Esau is approaching with four hundred men, and the clever "supplanter" finds himself trapped between a brother he has wronged and a God he has not yet fully surrendered to.
It is here, at the border of the Promised Land and the end of his own resources, that Jacob is steered into a divine appointment that would forever change his walk and his wandering.
Jacob had been in a fight all of his life, and to this point, he had done most of the scoring, but we are about to see that Jacob’s career as a fighter is about to end…
A Divine Confrontation
A Divine Confrontation
Jacob is in a mess! And in this mess, THAT HE CREATED by the way. He says to God,
12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
In other words, at this time in life, Jacob says, “Lord, you said!” - All these bad things are happening, but you said!…
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
He finds himself along, at night, in a mess, it’s a bad time for him, and he says, “Lord, you said…”
And at that time, a man showed up and wrestled with him. Notice what I just said…look at verse 24, “…and there wrestled a man with him…” We know from reading out text already that this man is actually God, so I want you to understand right here…
Jacob is not here to wrestle something out of God, God showed up to wrestle something out of Jacob.
Got took the initiative! He didn’t wait for Jacob to come to him, but God took the first step to come to Jacob.
This is not man’s search for God, but as God’s search for man. God took the initiative with Adam after he had sinned and he has been doing the same ever since.
If he hadn’t taken the first step toward us, we wouldn’t be able to make a move toward him. Because of our sinful nature we would never seek God. Therefore, he makes the first move toward us. Aren’t you thankful for that?!
God had made a promise to Jacob, but Jacob could never possess God’s promise the way he was. He would have to become a different man altogether.
Jacob was trying to lay hold of the promises of God his own way. He was trying to grab hold of God’s promises the same way he had taken possession of everything else in his life and Jacob the crook, the liar, the cheater, the supplanter, had to be changed because the blessings of God can only be obtained by a changed man!
The Bible says Jacob was left alone…
God has to get us alone before he can do anything with us. He must have our undivided attention, and he can’t get it when we are caught up in the hustle and bustle of the crowd.
The man who is content to be one of the crowd will never be the man he ought to be. He will never become the man only God can make him.
In order to shape a man God has to get him away from others who also are trying to shape him.
Jacob was a capable man in a crowd, but alone in the presence of God he found out just how helpless he was.
Have you ever been in the wilderness alone? Have you been in a place where everything was just a struggle?
Have you been in the place where you wrestled with God?
I don’t know about ya’ll, but my wrestling often sounds like this… “God, where are you? God, will you just speak to me? God, what are you up to? I wish you’d tell me? But God, you said…”
I often feel that God is so far away in these moments…But recently, in my own life, after God seemed to be silent and distant for so long, He spoke! He spoke through this very passage I’m preaching out of today…
He said, “Son, you can’t wrestle with someone from a distance.”
To wrestle is to be chest-to-chest, breath-to-breath, and heart-to-heart. When God engages us in a season of struggle, He is closing the gap between our self-sufficiency and His sovereignty.
Understand this my dear friend: God didn't put you in the wilderness to abandon you; He put you there to get rid of distractions and teach you something!
Silence is the laboratory of the soul. God moves the crowd out of the way so He can get a clear shot at your heart.
We want the mountaintop experiences, but listen to me this morning, nothing grows on the mountaintop! The growth is down in the valley…
Jacob’s wrestling match shows us that God is nearer than we know and He is closer than we feel.
A Desperate Cleaving
A Desperate Cleaving
25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
After a long night of wrestling, the Lord touched the hollow of his thigh.
Listen to me now…The word touched means “striking or defeating.” This tell us that God went to the source of the problem and he touched Jacob in such a way that he had no choice but to submit. It was futile to fight against the Lord any longer.
In wrestling, the thigh is the source of man’s stability. In boxing, the thigh offers stability, but also power. The thigh initiates the sequence of muscle activation that sends power from the ground to the fist. In other words, it’s where your strength comes from.
By touching Jacob’s thigh, God took away his ability to "push back."
When Jacob could no longer stand, he could only cling.
Jacob is no longer fighting, he’s merely holding on.
You want to know what happened just a little while before that moment that God spoke to me recently about the fact that you can’t wrestle someone from a distance?
I got on my knees, and I told God that I didn’t know how long He was going to be silent, I didn’t know how long He was going to be distant, but I was done trying to figure it out, I was done worrying about it. I said, You are good, you are holy, you are right, you are just, you are God! And I’m going to be right here praying, reading, studying, and praising no matter what.
You might be wondering, what is that all about Preacher? It’s all about holding on when you can’t fight any longer…That’s the point!
God blessed Jacob only after breaking Jacob.
You see? We want the blessing while keeping our strength intact.
We want God’s favor without God’s finger touching our pride. But the 'Desperate Cleaving' happens when you realize that if God doesn't hold you up, you will fall.
6 …Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit,
Saith the Lord of hosts.
A limp is often the greatest trophy of grace a Christian can carry. It serves as a constant reminder that we walk by His strength, not our own.
God will put us out of joint so He can put us in His hand.
This breaking and cleaving brought about number 3…
A Decisive Change
A Decisive Change
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
Before the blessing comes, we see the breaking comes, but there’s something else here, that is confession…
God asks Jacob, "What is thy name?" Just as He had done in the garden with Adam and Eve; God wasn't seeking information; He was seeking an admission.
Jacob replies, “Jacob” - to say "Jacob" was to admit, "I am the cheater, the deceiver, the supplanter, the one who takes you by the heel.”
Jacob had to come to the place of seeing himself as he really was before the Lord could use him. By the way, God can’t use any of us until we are willing to admit the truth about ourselves to Him. He already knows, but we have to confess…
After Jacob confessed who he really was, God changed his name.
The Jacob who left Canaan was capable of deceiving his brother, lying to his blind father, of cheating a crooked uncle.
But, the man who returns is a man with a new nature. No more Jacob the “Trickster”, but “Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.”
He walked away with a new name and a new nature.
Conclusion
Conclusion
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. 31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
The sun rose upon him, and though he had a limp, he walked in a light he had never known.
The wilderness wasn't just a place of struggle; it was Peniel—the place where he saw God face to face and his life was preserved.
We see the final result of this wrestling match in…
21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
When we read of the "Hall of Fame of Faith" in Hebrews 11, we see the Holy Spirit includes a specific detail: the staff.
Why was he leaning?
Because decades earlier, at the brook Jabbok, God had touched the hollow of his thigh and every step Jacob took from that night forward was a reminder of his encounter with the Almighty.
The staff wasn't just a mobility aid; it was a sermon in wood. Every time Jacob reached for that staff, he was reminded: "I am weak, but He is strong. I am a cripple, but I am a Prince."
That verse also says that he blessed both the sons of Joseph, that was his grandchildren, imagine the scene: young Ephraim and Manasseh looking at their grandfather. They see the staff, they see the limp, and they hear the story.
The staff told his grandchildren: "I didn't get this blessing because I was a clever deceiver. I got this blessing because God broke me, and in my breaking, He made me."
When we are willing to "lean" on God’s strength in our wilderness, we leave a testimony for the generations that follow.
Our kids and grandkids don't need to see how strong we are; they need to see how strong our God is when we are weak.
The world says, "Stand on your own two feet," but God says, "Lean on Me."
Jacob started his life running on his own two feet, but he ended his life leaning on a staff—and God called that Faith.
If God is wrestling with you today, don't fear the brokenness. That brokenness will become the foundation of your worship.
Your life beings with your surrender!
When those around me are gone,
When at last I’m still and alone;
God comes in darkness beyond measure
To show me his heavenly treasure.
Afraid of what he wants me to do,
I wrestle with him the whole night through;
As long as I can,
I resist his plan.
Though I feel the grip of his might,
I continue to fight all through the night.
What will it take for my will to bend?
What will it take for my ways to mend?
What will it take for this struggle to end,
And for God to be my friend?
The answer comes at the breaking of day,
When at last I let God have his way.
