Wrestling With God

Part 2


“When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

Genesis 32:25-26a

As the two men grappled throughout the early morning hours, Jacob struggled to maintain control. Even after his hip had been afflicted, through excruciating pain, Jacob refused to submit. Recognizing Jacob’s resistance the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” In a very real sense the man was saying, “Let me go, I am done contending for you.” Jacob was now forced to make a decision. Jacob could have let him go and moved forward to face Esau without God’s help. He could have, also, stiffened his neck and returned to tend Laban’s flocks rather than face his older brother. Instead, he latched himself onto the Lord and declared:

“I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

Genesis 32:26b

At some point, Jacob realized that he was wrestling with the Lord. Even so, it wasn’t until the Lord was willing to walk away from him, that Jacob grasped the implications of his decisions. He quickly realized that he was no longer wrestling for control, but holding on for dear life! As Jacob now lay clenching the man close to him, the man asks him:

“What is your name?

Genesis 32:27a

God was about to further humble Jacob, by causing Jacob to face himself! In ancient days, a man’s name revealed something about him. Jacob’s name meant heel-catcher, supplanter, schemer, swindler, deceiver. He had supplanted Esau’s birthright and obtained the blessing deceptively. He had been wrestling with his own identity for years. By acknowledging his “name“, he was confessing his shortcomings. It is here that God began the work of restoration in Jacob’s life. He gave Jacob a new identity:

“Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.”

Genesis 32:28

Jacob walked away from his encounter with God a changed man:



“So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.”

Genesis 32:30-31

Be certain of this, that those who wrestle with God walk away limping! They not only have a new identity, but they are visibly different, too. They act different, talk different and pursue different things. They are no longer dependent upon self, but humble themselves and put their trust in God. How long will you wrestle with God?



Pastor Scott Burr
http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com