Fight, Flight or Freeze
Notes
Transcript
It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau.
It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.
Feelings of hopelessness, desperation or quitting make us cry out to God.
Desperate moments:
cold
pitch black
all seems lost
totally alone
feeling like things are out of control
There have been times in my life when I feel like this. I drop everything and pour my heart out to God.
There is nothing better when the rush of heaven comes in and breathes in new life to your weary soul.
This week we are going to look at another person in God’s Hall of Faith - Jacob.
He knew what desperation was but he sure ran from it until in the end he had to face it.
Jacob was Isaac’s son, Abraham’s grandson.
Jacob wrestled with the angel of the Lord. He had hand to hand combat with the supernatural.
Sometimes we have to be brought to these moments for us to realize that God is really our everything. He is really there for us.
There are situations that come about in life where people will fight, run (fly) or freeze. We see Jacob as an example of Flight.
Fighters strike back in confrontation. Flyers take off in the opposite direction of confrontation or trouble. Others look like a deer in the headlights when confrontation approaches paralyzed by fear.
Jacob was a runner, one of those who would flee as fast as possible.
There are three situations we are going to examine this morning in the life of Jacob.
But we see over and over tha Jacob gets himself in bad situations. Situations of his own making and what does he do? RUN!!!!
Fear brings on different reactions from every person. Like I said some face it and fight, some run from it (flight) and some freeze.
flight is a common response to fear. Most of us have fears we don’t want to talk about.
The what if’s:
What if:
something’s wrong with me?
I’m broken?
I’m inadequate?
not smart?
not enough?
not beautiful?
not capable?
Rather than being exposed we run.
Fear of rejection at times causes us to keep our friends at arms length. Even our spouse at times can be kept at a distance. All forms of flight are running away!
Thinking about fear often times makes us want to flee.
We often make tracks when fear is gaining on us.
When what we fear is fast approaching the natural response is to get away from it fast.
Jacob and Esau
Jacob and Esau
These guys are twins but quite different.
Esau was Jacob’s twin brother but born before Jacob. Actually Esau was born with Jacob clinging onto his brother’s heel.
The first one was very red at birth and covered with thick hair like a fur coat. So they named him Esau. Then the other twin was born with his hand grasping Esau’s heel. So they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.
Esau was :
a fighter
technically the oldest
loved the outdoors
a hunter
brought home dinner
father’s favorite
brawn
Jacob was:
a flyer
younger
indoorsy
would find a recipe to cook what was hunted by his big brother
momma’s boy
Brain
Jacob means “Grabber, deceiver, conniver, concealer”.
Jacob cons Esau out of his birthright.
Jacob heard about God blessing his grandfather Abraham. That blessing and birthright was passed onto Isaac and now to Esau because he was technically the oldest.
Jacob talks Esau our of his birthright for a bowl of stew.
Gen. 25:29-34 talks about how Esau comes home from the fields famished from hard work and at that moment a hearty meal seemed better than anything… even his birthright.
Jacob took advantage of this.
Time passes and Jacob then pulls another scam he had the birthright but the paternal blessing is also important.
Gen. 27 references this.
This is the ritual where the father lays hands on the son who is to carry on his legacy.
Knowing Isaac (his father) is old and almost blind, he poses as Esau to take advantage of that ritual.
Gen. 27:14-40 tells the whole story of how Jacob wore goat skins on his arms so Isaac would believe he is his hairy brother Esau when he reached out to touch him.
Jacob with the help of his mother makes it all work.
Now Jacob has:
The Birthright - the inheritance
The Blessing - the Father’s blessing - which is essential even if it is received through deception.
One question I just want to throw out there is how can a blessing come rom deception?
Jacob realizes he has cheated himself.
He cannot enjoy the prizes he won. This would require a fight and Jacob does not fight he runs!
When Esau found out what happened Jacob ran away because he knew surely his able bodied, brawny hunter brother would hunt him down and punish him.
Jacob and Uncle Laban
Jacob and Uncle Laban
Reference Gen. 29
Jacob runs from his homeland to his Uncle. He reconnect with him and gets a steady job working for him.
Jacob falls in love with Laban’s daughter Rachel.
Laban makes a deal with Jacob. Jacob wants to marry Rachel and in order to marry her Laban tells Jacob he must work for him for 7 years to earn her hand in marriage.
7 years pass, Jacob works hard to be able to marry the beautiful Rachel.
There was a wedding feart and that night when it was dark Laban took Leah to Jacob instead of Rachel. (v. 24-25).
When Jacob found out he was conned he confronted his uncle.
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree in this conniving family.
Jacob was furious.
Laban comes up with a new deal. 7 more years of work for Rachel’s hand in marriage.
The deal was made. While working for Laban this time Jacob begins to build wealth by buying his own livestock and embessling the best of Laban’s livestock.
Jacob did not learn from his first con. He still cons, connives and cheats. Laban finds out about the hustle and he is angry.
What does Jacob do?
RUN!!!
Jacob runs once again. This time with servants, family, & possessions.
Laban goes after Jacob and catches up to him.
Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too. Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You’ve deceived me, and you’ve carried off my daughters like captives in war. Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of timbrels and harps? You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. You have done a foolish thing. I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father’s household. But why did you steal my gods?”
Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force.
Jacob ran away because he was afraid.
Up to this point in Jacob’s life.
He manipulated, got found out, ran due to fear. These are the actions that have been repeated.
Instead of doing the hard thing. He runs.
Our lives can reflect the same if we are not careful.
Our poor decisions can catch up on us.
We can run from job to job, relationship to relationship, commitment to commitment.
It becomes a vicious cycle that gets worse if you don’t deal with it!
We may think we can outplay, outwhit and outlast and if all else fails RUN!
It’s easier to run away from the messes we make than to face it.
Fear of failure is difficult to overcome.
Fear distorts our perception of reality.
Fear convinces us to give up before we’ve even tried.
Common fears:
Difficult conversations - afraid of how people will respond - so put it off. God wants us to do it but we just don’t want to go there.
Afraid of failure - being a mom and wife id everything to me. Sometimes they mean so much it causes us to operate out of fear. What if I am not strong enough, wise enough, what if I fail? Sometimes we run away from these things like to our workplace where we feel safer.
Running from what you are facing currently. What if I can’t connect? What if it just doesn’t work out?
What does giving up look like?
Running away before the race has started
Running from friendship to friendship
Running from conflict to conflict
Running from broken promise to broken promise
Step into the role as God sees you!
Stand up and say Enough is enough!
I am not running anymore.
Jacob ran until there was no where left to run.
Jacob on the border to home
Jacob on the border to home
Jacob and Laban can only settle their dispute through putting down a border where Jacob cannot cross. Jacob has damaged the trust between his Father in law and himself.
Jacob agrees he will never cross that boundary back to Laban’s land again.
Jacob continues west toward home.
The problem is Jacob’s home is also Esau’s home.
Esau may still be mad and want revenge on his brother.
This is a huge problem with running from things instead of facing them. You get so many then you have to face them anyway because there is no where left to run!
Jacob has Laban on one side and Esau on the other.
Jacob has no where left to run.
Jacob has not seen his brother since he cheated him out of his birthright and blessing.
Still Jacob schemes. He sends a delegation with gifts and a message saying he is coming in peace.
The men return with news. They saw Esau and he is headed their way with 400 men.
When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”
Jacob is terrified - rightfully so.
How does he deal with this?
His favorite way - FLEE!!
But that is not an option.
So he divides up everything he owns: wives, children, servants, livestock and all his possessions.
So when Esau attacks one group will have time to escape.
Instead of fighting, he diversifies in hopes of minimizing his losses.
He sends two groups ahead to see which group is the safest group to join.
Gen. 32 is where Jacob is alone in a clearing.
He sits in silence
He hears footsteps
The sound of someone coming behind him
The person is getting closer
It’s too darj to see
Jacob calls out - Who’s there?
Jacob’s heart is pounding, the adrenaline is rishing
The stranger grabs Jacob and throws him to the ground.
The 2 men begin to wrestle
They fight through the night
The sun begins to rise and the stranger realizes Jacob is not going to quit.
Not this time
The stranger reaches out and touches Jacob’s hip which comes out of socket
The stranger cries out “let me go for it is almost daybreak”
Jacob responds “I will not let you go unless you bless me”.
The stranger asks “What is your name?”
Jacob’s response “Jacob”
Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.
Jacob realizes he has been wrestling with a supernatural messenger from God.
Jacob’s situation is desperate.
his family is in danger
his life is hanging in the balance
in desperation he boldly asks God for help
He pleads for God’s blessing!
He won’t stop until he gets it!
“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”
new name
no longer known as a conniver or a con man
Jacob finally faced the challenge. Jacob has been wrestling with God. He faced the fight. He has avoided facing anything all of his life.
He has learned that you cannot run away from God.
Jacob was blessed but also his hip was touched to show him to stop running from things - to stop running!
The scheming
The fear
The flight
ALL STOP!
The blessing begins
Conclusion:
What if desperation is grace disguised?
What is fighting your way through darkness is the path to blessing?
The quickest way through desperation maybe to embrace it. Plunge into it!
Fight your way through the darkness into the marvelous light!
Jacob stops running and fights through the night!
He does not give up.
He does not flee.
The wrestling match changes everything.
He is blessed
Blessing comes
Name change
New name = new blessing
v. 27 What is your name God asks?
God knows his name but that’s not the reason he asks it. It is so that Jacob realizes his character. Who he really is.
This reality brings him shame.
Jacob - conniver, manipluator, scoundrel, cheater.
The meaning of a name is significant because it demonstrates your character. What has been spoken over your life. For Jacob, it has surely been the way he has lived.
This was truly his identity. Jacob knew it was not good. The need for change was exposed!
Jacob never liked this name because it revealed too much about him
It’s like saying he conniver, come here!
His life reinforced that lable, that identity.
So when he heard that name it reminded him of his sins.
Friends we too are here today being reminded of the things that we have been running from.
I pray the Holy Spirit exposes these things, these wrongs to us individually. That we will no longer run from them but run to God in desperation asking Him for forgiveness.
v. 28 God changes that name into something beautiful.
Israel - God strives!
He had to fight for his name and now it is
His name
His acheivement
His future
His blessning
Something that is between him and God and no one else.
What did he do to earn this blessing?
HE DID NOT GIVE UP!
How did he fight?
HE HUNG ONTO GOD AND DID NOT LET GO!
This morning run to God and let him give you a name change. Let it be a new name written down in the book of life.
Or a new chance a fresh start a do over.
Our God is merciful and He wants to have a beautiful relationship with us always!
Do not fear He is with you always!