8/21/22 - Wrestling With God - Genesis 32 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Perhaps you’ve read the famous story of Jacob wrestling with God. I’m not convinced my Sunday school teacher gave me all the details. For example, the text says Jacob’s hip was put out of joint with a touch. I’ve always pictured it being something like a solitary finger placed on the joint to dislocate. However, the Hebrew words translated as socket and hip are actually used to describe flesh and meat. At the very least this would be the fleshy part of the inner thy including the groin. Not at all a simple touch but rather a force hard enough to dislocate the hip socket. One more thing about this area of the man’s body - it was considered the place of family blessing. More on that in a minute, but let’s read about the fight scene...

Then he (the angel) said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 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.” 
-Genesis 32:26-28

Fascinating that the angel says to Jacob, “...you have prevailed.” In other words, Jacob never tapped out, he persisted. He continued the fight because he strongly desired a blessing for himself... and God gave it to him.

So what’s the message for us? I think it fits the larger relationship between God and humans. God has a desire to bless. We have a desire to be blessed, but rather than wait on God to provide the blessing we try and make it happen. Jacob didn’t have to scheme and lie and manipulate, he simply needed to trust God as the gift giver. 

Essentially, God says to him, “You don’t believe that I can give you a blessing apart from you helping yourself? Then here’s what I’m going to do, I’m going to wound you in the part of the body where you can generate your own blessing.” God wounds and heals us so we can receive what he wants to give us. Jacob, aka "Israel" will limp the rest of his days. The name Israel means, "one who struggles with God.” Is this not the story of the nation of Israel as God’s people from Exodus through Kings? God’s people struggle because they do not trust in Him alone to provide the blessings. 

I think it’s really cool how God doesn’t give up on this guy. It’s like God wounds him so that he won’t wound other people. God gives him a new identity as a result of this one on one battle. Jacob is fully aware of God’s presence in his life. You will never know who you really are, that is to say you won’t know your true purpose nor will your life be what you want it to be without acknowledging God.