Jacob's Struggles

Good morning. Okay, I'm curious, how many of you already read Genesis chapter 34?

Genesis 34 · chapter mention

Let me take a peek. Look at that. That's coming next week.

This week, though, it is Genesis 32 and 33, as Mario said. And so here we go.

Two steps forward, one step back.

Three steps forward, two steps back.

One step forward, two steps back.

There seems to be the normal ebb and flows of the many parts of our life that look like that.

Business, dating, marriage, parenting, finances, health, church,

exercise, and dieting, like those things, right? Maybe you can relate to this, for example.

You've been to the grocery store. You've bought all the healthy stuff.

You skipped the sweets and the soda and the chips, all the things that taste really good.

Your gym clothes are packed in the bag and you are just getting after it,

stacking together good day after good day after good day, three steps forward.

But then the late night munchies, they come and they don't just sneak up on

you. They are owning you.

And somehow you were able to rummage through the freezer and there you find

a remaining somehow jug of ice cream.

And it's not just any kind of ice cream.

It's moose track ice cream. And the most self-disciplined person in the entire

world cannot overcome this one step back.

Or perhaps you can relate to me as I often contemplate, how can it be that one

day I am a candidate for husband of the year and on another day I am totally disqualified.

How can it be that consistent parenting is the way I am going,

and then it's as if I have never been consistent at all?

How is it that when I look into the checkbook, the finances,

oh, they're looking pretty good, to going to, where did all the money go?

How is it that on some Saturdays, I can dominate on that pickleball court,

but on other days, I am getting dominated?

These are the ebbs and flows of life. Two steps forward, one step back.

Times of advancing and progressing, but other times of stumbling,

bumbling, floundering, and even going backwards.

And what we are going to find today as we continue in this series from the book

of Genesis, the same kind of ebb and flow happens when it comes to spiritual growth.

Growing spiritually, it's a process. Times of growth, stagnation,

decline, but regrowth, victory, defeat, victory, victory, defeat,

defeat, defeat, victory.

Two steps forward, one step back. Here it comes, Genesis chapter 32,

Genesis 32 · chapter mention

33. If you have your Bible, turn there and look at it with me.

We've come to a place where...

Jacob and God have this most interesting interaction, and it would be difficult

to just read these chapters without first getting some context of the drama that has taken place,

mostly back in Genesis 27, and now it has been brewing for some 20 years between

Jacob and his twin brother, Esau.

Remember that these twin boys, Esau was born first, and because he was born

first, he was in line to receive the birthright and the blessing of the firstborn son of the family.

Culturally, this was the normal practice for the firstborn son to receive the

larger inheritance and to get the prestige, more prestige of the family name.

In this case, Esau was probably born just seconds before Jacob.

If you remember back at their birth, Jacob is seen grabbing the foot of Esau

as Esau is first being born. He made it out first.

And that's the situation here that we have. However, God had a different plan.

Different than the normal cultural way of doing things, before the boys were

born, God gave a message to Rebekah and Isaac, the parents, and said to them,

the older is going to serve the younger.

Isaac and Esau, they did not like God's plan. And Rebekah and Jacob,

they didn't trust God's plan.

And it leads to all kinds of trouble for the family.

The drama hits a climax when Jacob executes a deceptive plan created by his mother, Rebekah.

And they trick Isaac into giving the family blessing to Jacob instead of Isaac

giving it to Esau. and this angers Esau to the point that he wanted to kill

Jacob for what he had done.

However, Rebecca heard of Esau's plan to kill him.

She convinces her husband to send Jacob far away to her brother Laban and that's what happened.

And last week, if you were here, you would remember the wild,

and I mean wild, dysfunction between Jacob and Uncle Laban who also became father-in-law

Laban when Jacob married not one, but two of his daughters.

You getting a picture here? And not only the daughters were involved with this,

but the daughter's servants.

And they were having all kinds of babies in what was described as a breeding contest.

Baby after baby being fathered by Jacob. And then Jacob and Laman,

they have their own issues involving livestock and working arrangements.

And finally, God tells Jacob to leave the land.

And he does. he takes himself his

family and his life stack with him and now 20 years later from fleeing Esau

and leaving home Jacob is on his way back home which means he's on his way to

face Esau his steaming hot brother wanting to kill him.

Genesis 32 verse 1. Jacob went on his way and God's angels met him.

Genesis 32:1

When he saw them, Jacob said, this is God's camp. So he called the place Mahanaim.

Names of people and names of places often have significant meaning when they're

mentioned here in the Bible. And that is true here.

Mahanaim in the Bible, here it means two camps.

When God's angels show up and present themselves, Jacob acknowledges,

oh, there are two camps here now.

I have my camp, my family, my servants, and we have this heavenly camp of God's angels.

If you remember into Jacob's traveling times, this is the second time that angels

have shown up to Jacob while he's traveling.

The first time while he was leaving to Uncle Laban, he has angels show up.

And now on his return trip, the second time, more angels are coming.

The verses don't say why the angels came to meet him, but it would be a good

guess to say that they came to help and protect Jacob.

So I want you to notice that Jacob acknowledges the presence of God's messengers.

Like that is a step forward in a person's life and in Jacob's life to acknowledge

God's presence is with me.

Verse three, Jacob sent messages ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land

of Seir, the country of Edom.

Now I am not sure how he knew where Esau was, but apparently he did.

Verse 4, he commanded them, these servants, these messengers,

you are to say to my lord Esau.

This is what your servant Jacob says. I have been staying with Laban and now been delayed until now.

I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male and female slaves.

I have sent this message to inform my Lord in order to seek your favor.

So there are several things that we've been noticing about Jacob and his character

throughout these chapters.

And one of the things that we have seen is Jacob knows how to make a deal.

When he was much younger, he made a deal with Esau that took Esau's birthright

and gave it to Jacob for the cost of a bowl of soup.

He made a deal with God at a place that he called Bethel, which means house of God.

And here's the deal, that if God would protect him, feed him,

clothe him, and return him home, if God would do all of that,

then he would give a tenth back to God.

He made a livestock deal with his uncle and father-in-law Laban.

A deal that made Jacob extremely wealthy.

And now Jacob is laying the groundwork for another deal with his brother Esau.

And it is as verse five ends saying, Jacob is trying to earn the favor of his

brother by letting him know that he is financially loaded and that perhaps keeping

him alive might be more beneficial to Esau than killing him.

He is wheeling and dealing. Which really...

It's probably a dumb plan. Esau could probably kill him and then take his stuff.

But it's still the plan and more on the plan coming up. But what I really want

you to notice, did you notice the titles that Jacob is having the messengers say?

Look at verse four specifically.

Say to my Lord Esau, your servant Jacob.

That's not the way Jacob was talking 20 years ago.

So, Jacob probably, knowing what we know about Jacob, Jacob probably has much

more in his mind going on.

Let's just be the kind little brother.

Probably not. And I will say, if he is using flattery and deceit and manipulation,

these would be steps backwards and growing spiritually.

Verse 6, when the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, we went to your brother Esau.

He is coming to meet you, and he has 400 men with him.

Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people with him into

two camps, along with the flocks, cattle, and camels.

He thought, if Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, the remaining one can escape.

Jacob is assuming the worst. Again, I think his plan to divide and separate

the people into two groups, it's

probably a pointless act, because all one needs to know about 400 men,

That's typically in the Old Testament's way of saying it's a 400-person militia.

Esau has 400 fighting men in his unit. Certainly they could track down one group

and then go get the other group.

It sure seems having God's camp of angels in his presence is giving very little

comfort, very little confidence to Jacob in this situation as it is escalating

that his brother is coming to find him.

He's got 400 trained men with him it's not looking good.

It is a step back in not trusting God of a promise that God has already given to Jacob.

But wait, look at verse nine.

Then Jacob said, God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac,

the Lord who said to me, go back to your land and to your family and I will cause you to prosper.

I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness that you have shown your servant.

Indeed, I crossed over this Jordan with my staff and now I have become two camps.

Please rescue me from the hand of my brother Esau for I am afraid of him.

Otherwise he may come in and attack me, the mothers, and their children.

You have said I will cause you to prosper and I will make your offspring like

the sand of the sea which cannot be counted.

Jacob prays.

It's the first time in Genesis where we see Jacob explicitly praying.

Can we say, good job, one step forward, Jacob?

Yeah. And what a prayer it is. It is a good prayer.

I don't know if you know this or not, but not all prayers are good prayers.

This is a doozy of a prayer. And here's why.

Doozy number one. A good prayer will repeat what God has already said.

Verses 9 and 12. God, you said go back. God, you said you would cause me to prosper.

God, not that you need reminding of anything, but you said, you said it,

so you must keep your word.

You told me to take my family and go home. You promised all this prospering.

A good prayer repeats what God has already said.

If you want to have a good prayer life, find your Bible, pray scripture back to God.

It's what he already said. That's going to be a good prayer.

Doozy number two, a good prayer is given in humility.

Look at verse 10. I am unworthy of all this kindness and faithfulness that you

have shown to your servant.

A good prayer is going to have, what's that phrase? An attitude of gratitude.

Not entitlement, not demanding as in God owes Jacob something here.

Jacob recognizes the mercy and

grace from God, and it's showing in his countenance. That's a good prayer.

And doozy number three, a good prayer, ask God for help.

Verse 11, please rescue me, my children, their mothers.

Jacob is changing. Up to this point, he'd be all about figuring out,

how am I going to get out of this jam on my own?

Now he is praying. He's asking God for help. That's a big step,

maybe two steps forward.

Verse 13, he spent the night there and took part of what he had with them as

a gift for his brother Esau. Here's the gift.

200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, 30 milk camels with their

young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys.

He entrusted them to his slaves as separate herds and said to them,

go on ahead of me and leave some distance between the herds.

And he told the first one, when my brother Esau meets you and asks, who do you belong to?

Where are you going? And whose animals are these ahead of you?

Then tell him, they belong to your servant Jacob, and they are gifts sent to my Lord Esau.

And look, he is behind us.

He also told the second one, the third one, and everyone who was walking behind

the animals, say the same thing to Esau when you find him.

You are also to say, look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.

For he thought, I want to appease Esau with the gift that is going ahead of me.

After that, I can face him and perhaps he will forgive me.

So the gift was sent on ahead of him while he remained in camp that night.

During the night, Jacob got up, took his two wives, his two female slaves,

and his 11 sons, and they crossed the Ford of Jabbok.

Ford of Jabbok is not a Ford dealership. You just need to know that part,

right? All you Ford over Chevrolet, oh, look, it's in the Bible.

No, a Ford is a shallow part of the river where you can cross to the other side,

all right? That's where he got all his possessions across.

Some people look at these verses and they make the case, ah,

there's Jacob right back to his old ways.

He prayed, but then what's he do? He just goes out and tries doing his own plan.

Everything's going to work out on his own.

Like if that's the case, then certainly that would be a step back into spiritual

maturity and development.

Maybe that's the case here. I don't know.

The verses don't say one way or the other, but I tell you what,

I am inclined to give a little grace here to Jacob.

After all, once Jacob hears back from the messengers that Esau is on his way back with 400 men.

The next thing he does is not make a plan. The first thing he did was pray.

And then he makes a plan. Like my guess is we commonly get that backwards.

But here's my thinking.

God has given us a brain.

Are you good with that part? He's given us a brain. We should use it as well

as other means during crises.

Sure, we should make a plan, have a strategy, work some extra time to earn a

little money, talk to a counselor, take some medicine, but we should never exhaust

all of these and then come to the point of saying,

well, all we can do now is pray.

Like that's backwards. we start with prayer then make a plan pray first plan

second if he's doing that step forward if it's reversed wrong way.

If you counted, Jacob's plan includes giving away more than 550 animals as a gift.

That is a lavish gift with the big intention of earning Esau's forgiveness and

bringing peace to Jacob.

Did you get the plan? The plan is for Esau that all throughout the day for him

to continually keep meeting new servants and all these servants would have different

various animals as gifts to give to him. He would go a little further and get some more.

Go a little further, meet another servant, get some more animals.

It was a gift-giving parade of animals.

And each time Esau would meet one of these servants, the same message was told over and over.

These animals are a gift from your servant Jacob to you, Lord Esau, and he's behind us.

The plan's all ready. It's all in place.

But what happens next is totally unexpected by Jacob.

Verse 24, Jacob was left alone. His family was on the other side of the river.

Servants are out ahead of him. And a man wrestled with him until daybreak.

When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob's hip socket

as they wrestled and dislocated his hip.

Jacob is seemingly all alone, and out of nowhere, there's a man there, and they wrestle.

Who's the man? Where'd he come from? What's going on? Keep reading, verse 26.

Then he said to Jacob, let me go, for it is daybreak. But Jacob said,

I will not let you go unless you bless me.

What is your name, the man asked. Jacob, he replied.

Your name will no longer be Jacob, he said. I will be Israel,

because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.

Then Jacob asked him, please tell me your name. But he answered,

why do you ask my name? And he blessed him there.

Jacob then named the name of the place Peniel, for I have seen God face to face.

He said that, and he has delivered, and I have been delivered.

The sun shone on him as he passed by Penuel, limping because of his hip.

So this unidentified man earlier is now identified by Jacob as being God.

So if Jacob is correct, and this is God in the form of a man,

he came from heaven, and he got there however he wanted.

Now personally, I don't know much about the sport of wrestling.

There was like WrestleMania on TV last night. you guys into that?

Like, that is weird to me.

I'm not even sure it's wrestling. I'm not even sure it's a sport, all that stuff going on.

But I will say this, the wrestling match that happens here in Genesis 32,

it is the most significant event of the chapter.

The wrestling with God serves as a picture of Jacob's relationship with God.

But it also is a scene that raises some questions. Like first,

how can a person, let alone see God, wrestle God and live?

Like doesn't the Bible say elsewhere that at no time no one has ever seen God?

How is it that Jacob says that he has seen God face to face?

I thought that was a no-no. And then how can it be that Jacob the man,

mere little Jacob man, wrestle with almighty God, and it'd be like equal all night long?

Like Jacob is hanging in there with this wrestling match. That doesn't add up in my mind.

So a couple quick questions to these answers. It is correct that no one has seen God.

Verses like John 1.18, 1 John 4.12, Exodus 33.20, 1 Timothy 6.16,

all here on the slide for you, they all reiterate the same. No one has seen God.

So when Jacob and others interacted with God, these occurrences are interpreted

as indirect manifestations.

They are called theophanies or appearances of God, meaning that only some of

God's fullness is seen, but not all of it.

Only some of God's glory is unveiled, but not all of it.

So that's what Jacob is seeing here, God in the form of a man.

And then how does one go about explaining Jacob being nearly equal to God in

strength when it comes to all night wrestling match.

You should call it voluntary divine limitations.

Sort of like the same way a father allows his toddler to hang in there when

they play wrestle on the floor.

On the basketball court, even on the pickleball court, I suppose,

there is an expression that is used when a far superior player is toying with

a beginner or underdeveloped player.

And this expression goes like this. The superior player is playing with their food.

It is the idea that the superior person is in complete control of the situation

and at any time the superior player can devour the weaker.

Like that is the case for Jacob wrestling God.

It is only by God's grace that Jacob makes it through till daybreak.

God could have ended that match in less than a snap if that's what he wanted.

This entire scene, though, is significant in the life of Jacob because this

is the changing point of Jacob's life.

It's the point when he realizes his self-sufficient ways aren't good enough.

It's the point when he realizes fighting God is a losing fight.

It's the point when Jacob realizes that he is wrestling God in a way that starts

with him trying to escape from God, but it ends with him wrestling, trying to cling to God.

God here, he's demanding to be blessed. He realizes that he is totally dependent on God.

This change comes, and it comes with a new name.

His name changes from Jacob, deceiver, heel grabber, subplanter,

to Israel, one who strives with God, one who prevails with God.

This is the most significant spiritual step taken in Jacob's life.

And the blow to his hip that Jacob has here results in this lifelong limp.

But if you really think about it, it is a lifelong gracious reminder that I changed you.

The name changes. The name change, it symbolizes repentance and blessing and new identity.

So all this time, Jacob was thinking, I'm going to have this fight with Esau coming up.

But in reality, it was a wrestling match with God that was far more significant in his life.

So significant that the author makes this concluding note of just how significant this event is.

Verse 32, that is why to this day, the Israelites don't eat the thigh muscle

that is at the hip socket because he struck Jacob's hip socket at the thigh muscle.

To this day, Jewish people do not eat the thigh muscle from animals at the hip socket.

Why? Because of the symbolism of Jacob being struck and the impact and the change that resulted from it.

Like, I wonder if you listened in on a Jewish kitchen, we might hear something

like, mommy, how come we don't eat this part of the animal, but we eat all the other part?

Oh, because a very special thing happened between God and our founding father,

Jacob, that changed Jacob and us forever.

So here, Jacob is limping along, chapter 33, verse 1.

Now Jacob looked up, saw Esau coming toward him with 400 men.

Oh boy, reckoning day is here. So he divided the children among Leah,

Rachel, and their two female slaves.

He put the female slaves and their children first, Leah and her children next,

and Rachel and Joseph last.

If you remember through our study, it looks like he's kind of lining up the

family from the least loved and cherished to the most loved and cherished, all right?

So good job, Rachel and Joseph.

Verse three, he himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times until

he approached his brother.

Can you visualize each bow?

Like bow, please don't kill me. Bow, please don't kill me. Bow, please don't kill me.

Verse four but Esau ran to meet him hugged him threw his arms around him and

kissed him and then they wept well well well.

When Esau looked up, verse 5, and saw the women and children,

he asked, who are these with you?

He answered, the children God has graciously given your servant.

Then the female slaves and their children approached him and bowed down.

Leah and her children also approached and bowed down.

And then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down.

What a relief to Jacob and his family. This is going way better than anyone expected.

People are bowing down and standing back up with their heads still attached to their necks.

Verse 8, so Esau said, well, what do you mean by this whole procession that I have met?

To find favor with you, my lord, he answered.

I have enough, my brother, Esau replied. Keep what you have.

But Jacob said, no, please, if I have found favor with you, take this gift from my hand.

So somehow, some way, God has changed Esau's heart.

And I think the way that we read these verses, it's kind of clear that God did

this before Esau received all of Jacob's gifts of animals.

Like Jacob's plan really wasn't a factor in this. God did the changing of Esau.

Just want to let you know, God does stuff like this.

Somewhere over these last 20 years, God removed the deep-seated bitterness in

Esau, and he replaces it with forgiveness and love for his brother.

Verse 11, Jacob is talking, for indeed I have seen your face and it is like

seeing God's face since you have accepted me.

What an incredible scene. What an incredible memory here for Jacob and these brothers.

Esau's unexpected forgiveness and warm reception, it mirrors the divine grace

that Jacob was shown from God.

And now he is reconciled with God and he is reconciled with Esau as well.

The chapter ends with some more back-and-forth pleasantries,

and the brothers, they make these plans to reunite back in Esau's land. It never happened.

Jacob takes another big step back. He's like, yeah, yeah, I'm going to go see

you, and he lies, and he doesn't.

He goes on his own direction, and Esau goes his direction, but really what I

wanted to bring you to is the ending verse here in verse 20.

Jacob is getting settled. He's in the future promised land. he's built a house

for his family, he's built barns for his animals, and then verse 20.

And he set up an altar there, and he called it God, the God of Israel.

Jacob is making his relationship with God personal and public.

Public in that all who come by and see this altar that he had made to God.

Personal, and that he calls the name of the place, the God, the God of Israel, his new name.

Especially when you look back into chapter 32 and look at his prayer again, back in verse 9.

Remember when he prayed that, he prayed, then Jacob said, God of my father Abraham,

God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, you notice what's missing?

God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, but not my God.

But now, after a wrestling match, and the time that has passed from this,

Genesis 33 20 comes around, and he's declaring God the God of Israel.

Big step forward.

And that's where the chapter ends. So four lessons for you and me.

Forward steps in spiritual growth.

Like Jacob, number one, acknowledge God's presence being with you.

Like wherever you are, God is present.

Believing this way, thinking this way, it will help you to grow and trust God

more and more for all of the situations that you find yourself in in life.

Acknowledge God's present is with you. Number two, like Jacob,

use fear as a catalyst for prayer.

When you become fearful, become prayerful.

In other words, face your Esau's with prayer.

It will help you to grow as you talk and listen to God more and more.

Number three like jacob wrestle to

cling to god not escape god

like make your fight to get

closer to god in his word and not against him

in his ways this will help you grow in

a close close relationship with him and number

four make your faith in god personal and public claim him as god of your life

and let everyone around you know that he is your god let's pray.

Father, I thank you that you change names and change lives.

And you use such interesting ways to do it, including wrestling.

To anyone, Father, who might here be wrestling to get away from you,

I pray that you would change them to be a person who wrestles to cling to you and your word.

Be gracious to allow each and every one of us to come face to face with you and be delivered.

Help us to grow spiritually, grow spiritually strong.

And let us do this for your glory and our good. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Leave you with these good news, good news words from God's word, Isaiah 62.2.

You will be called a new name that the Lord's mouth will announce. That's good news.