The Life of Jacob: Jacob Wrestles With God

Genesis 32 From Jacob to Israel Introduction: In Chapter 28 we see the sun setting as Jacob lays himself down to sleep at Bethel. Here at the close of chapter 32 we see the sun rising on Jacob after his encounter with God. It is the dawn of a new day. Jacob is a changed man. What chapters 28-32 record for us is a story within a story. A story of Jacob’s radical change as he struggles with God and overcomes. How did we get here? Jacob has just left Laban victoriously after serving him for twenty years. He is now returning to the land of his fathers to receive the full blessing that God had promised. Upon entering the land Jacob sends a message of peace to Esau. He gets news back that Esau is coming and that he has 400 men with him. The scripture says, “Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed”. Remember Jacob had fled the land of Canaan in fear of the wrath of his brother; now upon returning he fears the wrath of his brother. The Hebrew text of verses 17-31 uses the word "face" (Paneh) no less than six times. Jacob knows that he must face Esau; he hopes that Esau will accept him or literally "Lift up his face". But before Jacob can face Esau, he must face someone else. Jacob must face God himself. 1. Jacob. a. Jacob is self reliant. i. It needs to be remembered at this point what kind of man Jacob is. Jacob is a self reliant man. It was prophesied before Jacob was ever born that He was God’s chosen man but that hasn’t stopped Jacob from constantly asserting himself and taking the blessing for himself. Remember Jacob is the man with an inner emptiness. He has an inner vacuum and he struggling to find fulfillment, identity and blessing. He struggled with Esau - in the womb, for the birthright and the blessing. He struggled with Isaac - for his favor and recognition of his God given right. He struggled with Laban for his daughters and for wealth and prosperity. b. Jacob is strong and strong willed. i. Not only that but Jacob is strong and he constantly relies on his strength to take what he wants. c. Jacob is a runner. i. Up to this point Jacob has been a man of flight; he fled from Canaan, he fled from Haran, He fled from Esau, and he has fled from Laban. 2. The turning point. a. Jacob must face God alone. i. Up to this point Jacob has been living vicariously through Abraham and Isaac’s relationship with God. Jacob has not yet taken Yahweh as his God. All of this is because of Jacob’s self reliance. But things begin to take a turn in this chapter. Esau is coming to meet Jacob and he is, “greatly afraid and distressed”. Jacob knows that he is no match for Esau and 400 men. He cannot turn around, because Laban is behind him, and God has already told him to return to Canaan. What Can he do? ii. Jacob first of all gets alone; he removes all others from himself. iii. Secondly Jacob cries out to the Lord. 1. “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,’ 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. 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. 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.” a. Although Jacob is crying out to God he has still not fulfilled his vow that he made at Bethel. He has not made God his God. b. Jacob must face God in his weakness. i. Jacob cries out to God in desperation and what does the Lord do; does he comfort Jacob; does he dispel all of his fears; does he consume Esau and his four hundred men? No. He does what we would never expect; he wrestles with Jacob and cripples him. 1. I think sometimes we have this view about God that if we just do the right thing everything will be alright. And so here is jacob and he’s done the right thing. He’s gotten all alone - now he can be with God. He has cast his cares his plight upon God, he needs help and is looking for God’s salvation from Esau... And what is God’s response? He breaks him. a. I couldn’t help but think of Mr beaver talking about Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia: "Safe?" said Mr. Beaver [...] "Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you." i. God isn’t ultimately out for our safety he is out for our brokenness and our sanctification! He wants total and complete reliance upon him. 2. Think about this: Jacob has just barely escaped the wrath of Laban. He deceitfully fled from him back to Canaan. God intervened for Jacob. Now Jacob has crossed into the promise land and he sends word to Esau basically saying I don’t need the family monetary blessings; God has richly blessed me. Jacob gets no reply from Esau just the news that he is coming and there are four hundred men with him. Definitely a worst case scenario. If that isn’t enough Jacob splits up all of his company and sends gifts ahead to hopefully divert the wrath of Esau. Last of all he takes his family across the river so they can flee if there is an attack at night. Jacob is alone, maybe now he can think, or have time to pray; but instead he is met in the dark by a mysterious adversary who wrestles with him until the breaking of day and leaves him crippled. a. It is in Jacob’s most vulnerable state that God meets with him and breaks him. b. “God has to wrestle us into a transformed life rather than comfort us into a transformed life” - Tim Keller 3. What does Jacob find in his weakness/brokenness? a. He finds God: his power and his grace. i. Up to a certain point Jacob is wrestling to get away from this mysterious man, but as this man simply puts the slightest touch on Jacob’s hip, his hip is suddenly out of socket and now Jacob wrestles to hang onto his opponent. 1. It seems that in the moment that God showed his ability to crush Jacob that Jacob realized who it was that he was wrestling with, and in his moment of greatest weakness he clung to the Lord. 2. The Man said to Jacob let me go for the day breaks. Jacob responds I will not let you go until YOU bless me. a. At the end of this encounter Jacob names the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face and yet my life has been delivered.” b. God said to Moses, “no man can see me and live”. Jacob knew this and even though the Lord tells him Jacob’s words and actions show us his heart. c. What do they tell us? i. Jacob is saying, Lord if I don’t have your blessing than I don’t want to live. Let the sun rise and let the glory of your face strike me dead but I’m not letting go until YOU bless me. ii. Jacob has realized in this moment that God has been the blessing that he has been looking for all along. His struggle hasn’t been with Esau, Isaac, Laban, or any other person it’s been with God himself and now that he knows it’s all that he wants; it’s everything to him. iii. In Jacob’s brokenness he doesn’t just find the blessing of God he sees God himself! b. Jacob finds a new identity. 4. Israel. a. Israel is a worshipper of God. i. God is no longer simply, "the God of my fathers". He is now El Elohe Israel - "God, the God of Israel" (v. 33:20) ii. His self-reliance had turned into worship. b. Israel is weak. i. Jacob’s name is changed to Israel. He is changed from “heal catcher/supplanter” to “he strives with God or God struggles”. ii. Jacob embodies that word in Hebrews 11:34 “Who through faith.... were made strong out of weakness” iii. Jacob was strong when it came to men; but he was no match for God; but Jacob became strong, he wrestled with God and overcame, when he surrendered. 1. “He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor.” - Hosea 12:4 2. Jacob found favor with God when he called upon God’s grace! c. Israel limps. i. For the rest of his life Israel will now limp because of his experience with God. At the end of Genesis we see Jacob worshipping as he leans on his staff.(Genesis 47:31) A reminder of his brokenness and submission to his God. ii. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was once asked, “What does a person look like who has truly met God?” Alluding to Genesis 32:31, he replied, “He walks with a limp.” After encountering the living Christ, Jacob was forever crippled—both physically and in regard to his ego. He could no longer fight, he could no longer run. Jacob never recovers. Jacob/Israel must fully rely and lean on God for the rest of his life. Conclusion: Jacob became a winner by losing. Blessed are the poor in spirit for their’s is the kingdom of heaven. 1. May God break each one of us so that we cannot ever recover or ever return to who we once were. 2. Some of us feel like Jacob; we wonder what on earth God is doing? It seems like everything is against and God himself is wrestling us. a. Hold on and don’t let go until he blesses you. b. All which I took from thee I did but take, Not for thy harms,But just that thou might’st seek it in My arms. c.