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Jacob Wrestles with God

Text: Genesis 32:1-32

Introduction

Jacob finally extricated himself from his slave-like condition under his uncle Laban, only to find himself facing a life-threatening encounter with his brother Esau as Jacob returns home. For this reason, Genesis 32 is—among other things—a lesson on how to handle fear and anxiety; on how to face painful crises; on how to deal with tough decisions that must be made.

Another inescapable lesson from Genesis 32 is that we cannot expect to wrestle with God in agonizing, desperate prayer and expect to walk away from such an experience unchanged, unmoved, or untouched.

But above all, we learn that God condescends to meet mere humans on our own level, and that the only hope for humanity is clinging by faith to the God-man for blessing.

I. Jacob Is Afraid & Distressed (vv.1-12)

  1. vv.1-2 After leaving Laban, and before meeting w/ Esau, as he goes on his way Jacob is met by the angels of God.
    1. The only other place in OT where ‘the angels of God’ is mentioned was when Jacob had a vision at Bethel, back in Ge 28, & saw ‘the angels of God’ traveling btw heaven & earth on a stairway. As we saw then, Jesus identifies himself as that stairway by which heaven access earth, & earth has access to heaven.
    2. As Jacob is met by the angels of God, Jacob responds, “This is God’s host!”
      1. God sends His own personal angelic army to escort Jacob.
      2. Jacob names the place Mahanaim, which means ‘two camps’. Jacob knows that he is not alone after all; there are now two camps for his enemies to contend with.
    3. This is a very encouraging beginning! But the encouragement, even from such an amazing and timely display of God’s strength and concern, soon fades in the face of what feels like far more tangible troubles…
  2. vv.3-8 Jacob sends messengers before him, to his brother Esau.
    1. Just to quickly recap, when Jacob last saw Esau 20 yrs ago, Jacob had swindled Esau out of his rightful blessing from their old, blind father Isaac. Esau had sworn to kill Jacob, and so Jacob had fled for his life.
    2. Jacob’s message to Esau is unmistakably respectful, twice calling Esau ‘my Lord’ and expressing that Jacob desires to find favor in Esau’s sight. Yet when the messengers return to Jacob, they tell him Esau sent no reply, but rather is coming with 400 men!
      1. v.7 ‘then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed.’ Real armies of 400 men feel a lot more substantial than invisible armies of angels.
      2. Jacob handles this news, first of all, w/ his characteristic strategic way of thinking. He divides his own camp in two; if Esau kills one than perhaps the other can escape.
  3. Thankfully, in vv.9-12, Jacob handles his fear and distress in the only way that such deep concerns can be successfully dealt with: he takes his situation to God in prayer. And what a wise, reassuring prayer it is! Jacob prays, speaking
    1. of who God is;
    2. of God’s specific promises to him;
    3. of his own unworthiness;
    4. yet asking God for help anyway, while openly admitting his fear; and
    5. reminding God of his own promises and begging him to bring them to pass.

II. Jacob Makes His Best Plans (vv.13-21)

  1. It is striking that one of the best examples of pleading prayer in all the Bible, is immediately followed by intense, thoughtful, strategic effort
    1. Jacob is covering all his actions in prayer, but he is active!
    2. Thus follows a mundane list of accounting details, in vv.13-15, as Jacob sets aside a
      generous gift that he hopes will ease any resentment Esau may still hold.
  2. vv.16-21 contain Jacob’s deliberate, tactical maneuvering in order to best approach Esau, and best protect his family.
    1. Dividing 550 animals from his herd into probably 5 groups, Jacob plans to send them one at a time, each with a message: ‘These are a present from Jacob.’
    2. v.20 The word ‘appease’ here refers to covering of guilt. Jacob is now admitting to himself and to Esau that he has grievously sinned against Esau.
    3. Have you ever attacked a relatnshp problem in your life w/ Jacob’s approach?

III. Jacob Prays Until He Broken…and Blessed (22-32)

  1. It seems Jacob experienced this event in much the same way we do as readers: it was sudden, unexpected, unprecedented, and confrontational.
    1. Jacob sends his family ahead of him (though not to Esau first) then lays down to sleep – ‘And a man wrestled with him…’! What? Where did this come from? – Whether he immediately discerned it or not, Jacob eventually becomes aware that he is wrestling w/ God in human form!
    2. Jacob had prayed fervently, had planned responsibly, had moved bravely forward the best he knew how to do. But instead of another reassuring dream, God comes to wrestle with Jacob in the middle of the night?!- Yet as Jacob wrestles all night, til dawn is approaching, God suddenly reminds Jacob that Jacob can’t really win: God touches Jacob’s him, maiming Jacob for life!
  2. But Jacob is surprisingly undaunted: he refuses to let go of his white-knuckled, pain-filled grip until he receives a blessing from God.
    1. And God responds with blessing! In fact, God changes Jacob’s name from ‘Jacob’ to ‘Israel’; from ‘schemer/cheater’ to ‘he struggles w/ God.’
      • God is teaching Jacob that the way to prevail with God is not through one’s own strength or ingenuity, but by helplessly clinging to God in the midst of your pain and powerlessness in the trial – and by faith insisting God’s power alone is your only hope!
    2. So in the morning, Jacob limps his way forward to meet up with his family. And Moses, as narrator, reminds his readers this is why the people of Israel still don’t eat the sinew of the hip socket: a reminder of the momentous night their forefather Jacob met with God and survived!

Conclusion

The life of Jacob is summarized in Hosea 12:3. Jacob begins striving with man for material blessings; but he comes eventually to strive with God for divine blessings! Which describes your life’s priorities right now?

Yet even this progression in Jacob’s life reminds us of the condescension and mercy of God. Jacob can only strive successfully with God because God became man. And the same is true of you and me. Our only hope is that God will bless us; yet the way to receive such a blessing is by clinging by faith to the God-man.