Wrestling with God

Context

A Dysfunctional Family

Grandpa had its scandals

Dad had his favorite

His brother hated Him

His Uncle abused Him

But with all these also Jacob had its own faults. He used his brother basic instincts for his advantage and deceived his blind and old father

Jacob was constantly fighting for his own rights, completely ignoring that was God himself whom promised to bless Him.

Jacob was a survivalist that spend his life struggling with others and with God until the day God meet him.

Explain immediate context of text. Jacob afraid of his brother

Genesis 32:22–32 NET

During the night Jacob quickly took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.He took them and sent them across the stream along with all his possessions.So Jacob was left alone. Then a man wrestled with him until daybreak.When the man saw that he could not defeat Jacob, he struck the socket of his hip so the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” “I will not let you go,” Jacob replied, “unless you bless me.”The man asked him, “What is your name?” He answered, “Jacob.” “No longer will your name be Jacob,” the man told him, “but Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked, “Please tell me your name.” “Why do you ask my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there. So Jacob named the place Peniel, explaining, “Certainly I have seen God face to face and have survived.” The sun rose over him as he crossed over Penuel, but he was limping because of his hip. That is why to this day the Israelites do not eat the sinew which is attached to the socket of the hip, because he struck the socket of Jacob’s hip near the attached sinew.

Focus on the main point which is Jacob struggling in trusting God until God touched Him. It was at that point of desperation that Jacob needed only one thing. The Blessing of God. And God did bless him.

God wants to lead us to a point of desperation and pain in our wrestling with Him so that we can desire only one thing… His Favor!!

If He doesn't do that we would walk away from Him, we would despise Him and finally rejected Him.

In His mercy He wrestles with us, He doesn't despise us or send us away. But He struggles as a loving Father that experiences the rebellion of his beloved children. He stays but if our stubbornness is too big to see, then He will hurt us a little no to destroy but to make us aware of our limited power and His unlimited Love.

What is one thing you have chased after in life (approval, love, etc.)?

How has God already given or promised the very things you’ve chased after?

Ephesians 2:1–10 NET

And although you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you formerly lived according to this world’s present path, according to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience,among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest … But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you are saved!—and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast.For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.