Jacob Wrestles with God

Story: Jacob Wrestles with God

Passage: Genesis 32:22-32

Characters: Jacob, God

Summary: Jacob sent his family across the river. When Jacob was alone, he wrestled with a man all night. The man touched Jacob’s hip and set it out of joint. Jacob wouldn’t let him go until he blessed him. God asked for Jacob’s name and changed it to Israel. Jacob asked God’s name but He refused. Jacob had a limp. Jews don’t eat the sinew from the hip for this reason.

Notes: This is one of the more confusing stories in my opinion, yet it is very meaningful. Where did God come from? I wonder if Jacob knew who he was wrestling at first. That would have been so weird! Imagine a random stranger appearing and wrestling with you. This wasn’t a short match either! They wrestled until midnight! God could have won the fight at any moment, but He chose to let Jacob wrestle with Him on even ground. The way this struggle ended has a lot of meaning which I think we miss sometimes. First, God did not prevail over Jacob. Jacob struggled with all his might. When God asked to go, Jacob wanted a blessing first. I don’t know if Jacob knew this man was God, or thought he was an angel or something. All I know is he knew this man could bless him. God asked for Jacob’s name. In that culture, your name was very important and it was tied to your very identity. To give the man his name meant admitting defeat. Jacob gave God his name and God changed his name to Israel, which means He struggles with God. This is amazing foreshadowing to the nation of Israel’s relationship with God in the future. At this point, Jacob knew that this man was God. Jacob wanted to know God’s name though. He wanted a draw. God would have none of it and asked why Jacob would want His name? God was saying that He won. Jacob had struggled with God spiritually and now physically, but God had won and changed Jacob’s whole identity, including His name. It is interesting that God eventually did use His power to win the fight. He allowed Jacob to struggle with Him for a while, but then He revealed His power and drew Jacob back to Him and Jacob left the experience a changed man spiritually and physically. This encounter with God affected every single aspect of Jacob’s identity and is significant since Jacob is about to have to show whether he will keep his vow he made with God about returning safely to his land.

Questions: Where did God come from here? How long did it take for Jacob to know who he was wrestling with? Why did God let him wrestle with him? Who initiated this match? What was Jacob’s family doing this night without him? Was his limp permanent?

Lessons: Many times, we struggle with God. We try to use our will instead of following His. Many times, God will let us struggle with Him. He may even let it look like we are winning, but in reality, He is in total control the entire time and eventually He will show us His power and draw us back to Him and it is hard for us to avoid being changed by the experience. Another example of this is Job. Job argued with God and God let him argue before eventually showing Job His power and holiness and knowledge and Job was overwhelmed and changed. A similar situation happened with Habakkuk. God will let us struggle and wrestle with Him, but He has no intention of letting us win, but rather He will use it to show us His holiness and draw us closer to Him.