I’ve lost count of how many times someone has told me, “If you knew what I’ve done, you wouldn’t want anything to do with me.”
But the truth is, I did want to be their friend. I met them after their lives were transformed by Jesus, and they had become one of my good friends.
Jacob could have said the same: “After all I’ve done, why would God want anything to do with me?” Yet, here we see God meeting with Jacob again, continuing to refine him.
After praying a desperate prayer and sending gifts to his brother Esau, he made plans to protect his family and himself. At this time, God chose to meet with him and change his life forever.
A Wrestling Match
During a sleepless night, Jacob wrestled with a man. He later declared that he had encountered God (vs. 30). The prophet Hosea identified Jacob’s wrestling opponent as an angel (Hosea 12:5).
Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak (Genesis 32:24).
Many of my most profound encounters with God have occurred during periods of forced solitude or in the quiet of sleepless nights. When I set aside the distractions of social media, books, and television, and simply turn to God in conversation, I’m amazed by how readily He responds.
It’s crazy how easily I prioritize my phone’s news feed over the words of the Creator of the universe.
Prevailing Through Grace
Jacob was strong enough to roll the large stone from the well when he first met Rachel, but he was certainly not strong enough to defeat an angel or God in a wrestling match.
His ability to endure and receive a blessing from his wrestling opponent was solely due to God’s abundant grace.
When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.
Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me” (Genesis 32:25-26).
I’ve only read about those who wrestle with God through powerful, prevailing prayer.
Most people, like me, simply meet with God for communion, offering simple prayers and then trusting Him with the outcome. It’s remarkable that He chooses to work through ordinary individuals.
While there’s a place for Jacob-like wrestling with God, there’s also a place for everyday communion, where we present our needs in simple prayer.
What’s In a Name?
A name often reflects a person’s character.
So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.”
Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans and have prevailed.”
Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. (Genesis 32:27-29).
Jacob’s name change to Israel carries several possible meanings, including ‘God rules,’ ‘God heals,’ or ‘God judges.’ Hosea’s reference to Jacob implies that the name means, ‘he strove with God’ (Hosea 12:4).
Jacob sought his wrestling opponent’s name, but that request was denied. What he received in its place was a blessing.
My father had a saying I heard often: “A man’s word is his bond.” He lived by that, and I try to do as well.
While we don’t typically receive name changes like Jacob, our character should be shaped not only by an earthly father’s insights but also by the Heavenly Father’s wisdom through Jesus Christ.
The Grace of a Meeting
So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, yet my life is preserved” (Genesis 32:30).
Jacob’s realization, following his meeting, was that by God’s grace, he had seen Him face-to-face and remained alive to carry out his God-given purpose.
As I’ve stated in YouTube videos with Bruce Kirby and Rudy Ross, Jacob isn’t among my favorite figures in the Bible.
Yet, his story offers me hope. The fact that God could work with Jacob assures me He can work with me, and for that, I am thankful.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 