God Wrestling with Jacob (Gen. 32:22-32)

Intro

Have you ever felt that God wasn’t answering your prayers? Sometimes in order to get that breakthrough that you need, like Jacob, you may need to wrestle with God.

The definition of the word “wrestle” from the Webster dictionary is:

to combat an opposing tendency or force

to engage in deep thought, consideration, or debate

to engage in or as if in a violent or determined struggle

Jacob physically fought God, to the point that he was left with a limp forever as a reminder of his battle. Not only is wrestling physically exhausting, but it’s also mentally exhausting because you have to be constantly thinking about your opponent’s moves while simultaneously trying to win as well.

It seems to me though that a lot of the times, some Christians don’t want to put the work in when it comes to seeking and asking God for something. If you were in a wrestling match with anyone , let alone God, some of you would’ve quit already. And some of you already have. Again one definition of wrestle is “determined struggle” that means a struggle with purpose and intention behind it. Just because you’re struggling, doesn’t mean it’s not from God!

Now the Hebrew word for “wrestle” is אבק (yē’āḇēq). This word also means:

to act against [to act in opposition] - While God in a sense was acting against Jacob, He was not Jacob’s enemy. Prov. 27:6 “Faithful are the wounds of a friend...” While wrestling with God wounded Jacob physically, God was doing it for his well-being in order to mend him spiritually

to destroy (damage) - God destroyed Jacob’s old reputation and replaced it with a new on (From Jacob to Israel)

to confine (detain) [deprive of freedom] - When you’re wrestling, usually grappling is taking place, so you’re holding on tightly to the other person. Jacob was unwilling to let God go until He blessed Him. We have to have this same attitude of earnestly not leaving the presence of God. It should be a struggle to just let God go

to remove [to remove from a position or an office] - In this sense, God was removing Jacob’s pride, his trickery, and deceitful ways

This word for wrestle in the Old Testament is significant because it is only found in 2 places in the Bible. Gen. 32:24 and Gen. 32:25.

I believe this is significant because God sill rarely be the one forcing the opposition. you do not get to choose when God challenges you. For the most part, God gives us choices, but if and when He does wrestle with us, He is trying toe prepare us for something.

Wrestling is Preparation

While Jacob didn’t realize it in the moment, God was preparing him for something greater than himself. God was trying to get something out of Jacob, the same way He’s wants to get something out of us.

By getting something out, it is a two-fold purpose, here’s what I mean:

1. Get out (to get rid of that is holding me back) - God may have to get rid of things in your life to help you advance in life 2. Get out (your spiritual development) - God doesn’t want us to stay stagnant where we are. We have to be constantly moving forward.

God wrestling with Jacob also shows that God is not a passive God. He does not stand by and watch us just live our lives without direction. The same way that God is not passive, we should also not be passive in our walk with God. Wrestling takes effort on both parties. We can believe God for something all we want, but if we don’t move forward to do our part, God cannot bless us. God will ALWAYS do His part, but He can NEVER do ours. James 2:17 “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

v. 22 - “The same night”

To preface, Esau was coming to see Jacob after many years after Jacob had deceived his father and took Esau’s birthright. In order to appease his brother who might still be angry, Jacob sent Esau gifts and also asked God to protect him.

Genesis 32:11 ESV

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.

The same night that Jacob prayed, was the same night that he wrestled with God. Ironically, Jacob feared that his brother Esau would come and attack him, when in fact it was God who attacked/wrestled Jacob in the middle of the night.

You won’t always be prepared the way you think you should be. God didn’t wrestle with Jacob because he was prepared, but rather to prepare Jacob. God is unpredictable in that He is not confined to the box most people place Him in and He does not submit to our rules of when we think we are prepared and should be doing things.

v. 24 - “Jacob was left alone”

Sometimes in order to obtain what you need from God, you have to be ok with being alone. The more time you spend alone with God, the more you will build your relationship with Him and be able to continuously recognize His voice whenever He speaks to you.

A great example of this is Moses. After delivering the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses went up to Mt. Sinai alone for 40 days and 40 nights and stayed in the presence of God. With this interaction, Moses was able to speak with God FACE TO FACE. After communing with God, Moses was then still surrounded by the presence of God so much so that his face was glowing with the glory of God. When you continually enter into the presence of God, building that relationship with Him, when you go out into the world and meet people, there should be this glow around you that is unmistakably God’s presence shining on your face.

Jesus also spent time alone with God when He was on earth. Matt 6:6

Matthew 6:6 ESV

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

A lot of the times God is preparing your for something in your future in your alone time with Him. In neglecting that alone time, you won’t be able to recognize His voice and His promptings when He is trying to direct you throughout life. Oftentimes we miss chances and opportunities we weren’t ready for because we weren’t willing to prepare for it when we were alone.

v. 24 - “A man wrestled with him”

The wording here is very important. Jacob was not the challenger in this situation. This was God in human form although Jacob did not know at the time until after the fight.

God does not intervene in our lives simply when we think we need Him to. Sometimes God will intervene to interrupt our lives in order to challenge us

v. 24 - “Until the breaking of the day”

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 32:22–25

The fact that the match lasted till daybreak is significant. For the darkness symbolized Jacob’s situation. Fear and uncertainty seized him. If Jacob had perceived that he was to fight God, he would never have engaged in the fight, let alone have continued all night.

On the other hand the fact that the wrestling lasted till daybreak suggests a long, decisive bout. In fact the Assailant did not defeat Jacob till He resorted to something extraordinary.

Until this point, Jacob had never lost against someone. Jacob always seemed to get what he wanted even if it was through deceitful actions. The thing about wrestling is that Jacob couldn’t just talk his way out of it this time. Jacob finally encountered Someone he couldn’t defeat.

This battle lasted all night. A lot of the times our battles involve praying. 1 Thes. 5:17 “pray without ceasing,” We have to pray through (the hardships) until we get a breakthrough. Some people will stop praying simply because they don’t see results right away, but sometimes it isn’t until you keep pushing forward that you see what you’ve been praying for come to pass.

v. 26 - “I will not let you go”

While stubbornness for the most part is seen in a negative light, this is where Jacob used it as his strength. God has equipped you with everything you need in this life including your personality to help better the kingdom. Because of Jacob’s resilience in not letting go, he obtained a blessing from God.

We can’t be so quick to let go just because the battle seems long. We miss out on things because we weren’t willing to be persistent.

Name Change

Names are significant in the Bible. When God asked Jacob what his name was, Jacob was also revealing his nature.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 32:26–29

It is significant that in response to Jacob’s request for a blessing the Man asked … What is your name? When one remembers that in the Old Testament one’s name is linked to his nature, the point becomes clear: Jacob’s pattern of life had to be radically changed! In saying his name, Jacob had to reveal his whole nature. Here the “heel-catcher” was caught, and had to confess his true nature before he could be blessed.

Jacob’s name was changed to Israel which means “God fights”

God changed his name because it states, Gen 32:28

Genesis 32:28 ESV

Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

With God, it’s not always about winning or losing, but prevailing, or not giving up. God wants to see how much effort you’re willing to give Him so that He can completely transform your life for the will and purpose He has planned out for you.

God challenges our nature. Without change, there is no growth in your spiritual walk. 2 Cor. 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Isaiah 43:18-19 ““Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” We must recognize that when God starts challenging us, that means He wants to do something new within your life. Many people tend to fight change because they have become comfortable where they are in life. You will never continue to grow in your comfort zone.

For example, if we confined a tree, like a maple tree, inside of a building to only grow within a specific parameters because we want it at a comfortable, manageable height, then we may never be able to see it grow to it’s fullest height. The same goes with us. If we continue to only do what we want within specific circumstances and remain comfortable, then we’ll never know what we’re really capable of

Blessed by God

God blessed Jacob with the same promise He gave Abraham and Issac. Gen. 35:10-12

Genesis 35:10–12 ESV

And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.”

There are some blessings God cannot just hand you. You will have to fight for it.

God is not a genie that just sits around and hands out blessings whenever you want it. If you never had to fight for anything in life, then you would never truly be grateful for it.

Left with a Limp

Jacob’s name means “heel catcher.” In order for God to incapacitate him, God touched his thigh. Both the thigh and the heel have an effect in how you walk, but God’s ways are highter than ours so He touched a point higher up in Jacob’s leg

The thigh is significant in the Bible. In Gen. 24:1-3, Abraham blessed his servant by having the servant place his hand on Abraham’s thigh

Also, in Rev. 19:16 Jesus will be returning with the inscription King of king and Lord of lords on his right thigh

After experiencing this struggle with God, Jacob was left with a limp for the rest of his life. This can be seen as a reminder that God was with him with every step that he took (Cel). Although Jacob became crippled in the natural sense, his faith was strengthened.

When we are humbled enough to lose to God, we can win over any situation.

Esau embraced Jacob

We can’t forget that the purpose of Jacob’s prayer was for God to deliver him from his brother Esau. As soon as Jacob finished with his battle with God, Esau appeared along with his servants. The most significant part about this interaction is found in Gen. 33:4

Genesis 33:4 ESV

But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.

Esau embraced his brother. The Hebrew word for embrace is חבק (chabaq)

It’s not a coincidence that God was just embracing Jacob, but to wrestle him and now his brother, Esau, is embracing him in love and forgiveness. Esau’s genuine love was so evident to Jacob, that he compared his brother’s forgiveness to God’s Gen. 33:10

Genesis 33:10 ESV

Jacob said, “No, please, if I have found favor in your sight, then accept my present from my hand. For I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me.

It’s also interesting to note that the Hebrew word for wrestle, אבק (yē’āḇēq), and the Hebrew word for embrace, חבק (chabaq), share 2/3 of the same letters in Hebrew.

Wrestle begins with א (aleph) which is the 1st letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It can mean ox, leader, strength, Adonai

Embrace begins with ח (tav) and it could mean ownership, to seal, covenant, to join 2 things together

Esau’s embrace may represent the new covenant God made with Jacob. So when God is wrestling with you, He is trying to strengthen you to become an effective leader. you don’t become an effective leader without oppositions or challenges

What does this mean for you and I? This means that your struggle will not end with more struggle. There will be a time of peace afterwards. One of your prayers may be exactly like Jacob’s where he was afraid to approach his own family and wasn’t sure of the repercussions when he met with Esau. Again, when you prevail with God, you prevail with men (Gen. 32:28). God will give you favor in the site of others.

Conclusion

I would encourage you today to not give up in your struggles. The battle may even seem impossible to you as impossible it is for Jacob to win against God. Ultimately, for us when it comes to the devil and his kingdom, the battle has already been won. 1 Cor. 15:57

1 Corinthians 15:57 ESV

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 2:15 ESV

He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

But in terms of Jacob, the battle had nothing to do with the devil. Jacob’s enemy was himself and his prideful ways. When we ask God to “deliver us from our enemies” sometimes that enemy is you and your own fleshly desires and God has to wrestle with you to remove that. You may be the one in the way of fulfilling you’re own life’s purpose. So when God does challenge you, it is not meant to harm you (Jer. 29:11).

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

God wants the best for you and the only way to remain steadfast in Him is through testing so that we are completely equipped for whatever comes our way.

James 1:2–4 ESV

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.