Do you enjoy watching wrestling, whether it be genuine, Olympic-style wrestling, or WWE wrestling, which is sports entertainment? In these matches, whether the genuine competitions, or the sports entertainment events which are usually choreographed, the two competitors are usually equally matched. They don’t put a huge, hulking man against a skinny, 100 pound weakling. However, none of these wrestlers, even the biggest and best in either type, have ever wrestled against God. There was a man, though, who actually did wrestle with God, and he didn’t come away defeated, either. We read about this in our Old Testament Scripture from this week’s Lectionary from the Book of Common Prayer.
Our Scripture begins with Jacob having left the upper Mesopotamian area he had been living in for the past twenty or so years with his wives and many children. He was going to be meeting his fraternal twin brother, Esau, who he hadn’t seen in over two decades. If you remember, when they were last together Jacob had schemed to cheat Esau out of his birthright, and then the paternal blessing from their father Isaac, and Esau had vowed to kill him. Now Esau was coming with a great number of men with him, and Jacob was afraid. He divided his family into groups, so that if Esau attacked one, the others might escape with their lives (vs. 3-8). Jacob knew that he was not the same man he was over twenty years earlier. He had gone through some rough times, especially at the hands of his father-in-law Laban, and he had matured from the man he was when he left his family. Jacob desired a peaceful reconciliation with his brother Esau.
It was only natural for Jacob to feel fear, knowing that a group of 400 men were approaching with Esau. However, he was not remembering God’s promise to him, made many years earlier in Bethel, where He promised that He would give the land of Canaan to him and his descendants (Genesis 28:13-15). Jacob was not fully trusting God. Instead, he was letting fear rule his mind and actions. Fear does not come from God (II Timothy 1:7). When fear arrives, remember God’s promises to us throughout Scripture, and put our full trust in Him to direct our path (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Later that evening Jacob went out alone, possibly to pray and meditate by himself. It was at this time that Scripture says he met a Man, and the two began to wrestle. This continued throughout the night (vs. 22-24). This was not just an ordinary man that Jacob met at night, nor was this an angel. This was a Theophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ (Hosea 12:3-5). The wrestling between the two was both physical and spiritual. Jacob was wrestling to receive a blessing from God, while God was wrestling for Jacob to completely surrender himself to Him.
God will often meet us when we are alone, in solitude and in prayer. That is when He can get our attention. We won’t be physically wrestling with God, like Jacob did. However, we can wrestle with Him in prayer. That is not an act of rebellion. It is the struggle of a soul being broken and remade. Sometimes God must wrestle us into submission before He can bless us, like He did with Jacob here. Also, sometimes we may have a burden on our soul, something that is not obviously outside of God’s will, something so heavy that we bring it to God, and “wrestle” with Him in prayer, not letting go until we receive His answer. Often this is prayer for the salvation of a loved one. We “pray through”, we do not let go until we receive God’s blessing (vs. 26).
God touched the socket of Jacob’s hip, putting his hip out of joint (vs. 25). He could have ended the struggle instantly, but God allowed the wrestling to continue for Jacob’s sake. His limp would be a lifelong reminder for him to always be dependent upon God, to cling to Him in faith. Sometimes God will give us a type of “limp” in our life, too. It might be painful, but it is better to limp in God’s will than to run in our own.
After this wrestling match, God changed Jacob’s name (vs. 27-28). The name “Jacob” meant “supplanter”, which had a negative connotation to it. It was here that God gave him the name “Israel”, which means “a prince with God”. This is a new identity, rooted in divine grace. God gave Jacob a new name, and when we come to Jesus in salvation, accepting Him as our personal Savior, He gives us a new nature (II Corinthians 5:17), a new identity in Him.
As we look back over this one life-changing night in Jacob’s life, do we see ourselves in any aspect? Are we filled with fear over some impending storm clouds on our horizon, as Jacob was? If so, we need to remember that this fear is not from God, it is from the devil, and we don’t want to accept anything from him! Remember the promises that God has given us in His Word, and start claiming them in our life. And just as Jacob did, hang on to God in prayer. Persevering in prayer is a mark of true faith (Luke 18:1-8). Cling to God in prayer, even when He might seem distant.
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