Sermon Tone Analysis

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.

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

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 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.

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”