Jacob stuggles with God.

Genesis 32

Jacob the cheat is returning to his own land.

He had cheated Esau out of his blessing and his birth right

Esau had planned to kill Jacob upon the death of their father

Now Jacob with I think fear and dread after many years returned at Gods command and had to face his brother.

He must have been petrified

ONE THING WE CAN SAY FOR JACOB IS THAT HE WAS GOOD ORGANISER.  He had tended labons sheep and prospered.

Jacob started to prepare

If we are going to do anything for God, then we should pray, but we should also prepare if preparations are in order.

Jacob prepared by sending a messenger to his brother

V4-V6 Jacob tells the messenger what to say

The answer must have been what he dreaded.  Esau was on his way with meet him with 400 men.

Why would he come with 400 men. 

V7 Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed.

It is all very well to say that he should have held to Gods promises, but we humans have fear and Jacob looked at the circumstances and was afraid, I think not only for himself, but for all his family and servants.

He decided to do something about it.

He divided the company in two so that if Esau attacked one the other would survive.

V9 onwards

Jacobs prayer is amazing, 

He reminds God that it was God who told him to go back

It was god who told him he would prosper

V11 deliver me from my brother Esau.

Jacob was really asking God to honor what he had promised and perhaps if Esau attacked then God would see to it that his plan to save one of the companies would work. 

He would go alone.

It was God who promised him many descendants

He also selected gifts for Esau

V14-18  200 make goats, 200 ewes and 20 rams.  30 camels and their colts 40 cows, 10 bulls 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys.

Note that it says he selected them.  He would have looked at them and brought to that all his expertise in choosing the best. 

By doing so, he probably hoped to pacify Esau.

As the animals passed Esau they and he asked who’s they were, the servants were to say these belong to my master Jacob, they are a present to you and he is behind us

Esau would get that message again and again.

I also think that by saying Jacob was behind them, it would help Jacob with his own courage.  He was going regardless of his fear.  He had committed to God to do this, so he was going.

All preparations were made, and now JACOBS FATE WAS EXCLUSIVELY IN GODS HANDS

HAVE YOU EVER HAD THAT EXPERIENCE?  THERE IS NO MORE YOU CAN DO, IT IS ALL UP TO GOD?

If this was a  television drama this would be an episode cliff hanger.  Tune in next week to see what happens.

Bear in mind that Jacob was afraid.  He had no guarantee that his preparations would work, except Gods promise that he would prosper.  He already had family and so the potential for descendants through which God would carry out his promise and so he had no reason to take it for granted that he would personally survive.

Also, take note of Jacobs prayer

V10 I AM UNWORTHY OF ALL YOUR LOVING KINDNESS FOR WITH MY STAFF ONLY.  I CROSSED THIS JORDAN AND NOW I HAVE BECOME TWO COMPANIES.

He was saying that when he was last at this very river, running away from Esau, he had nothing except his staff.

It was like saying that he only had the clothes on his back. He owned nothing.

As he had been dividing everything into two companies, IT REMINDED HIM OF HOW GOD HAD LOVED AND PROSPERED HIM, IN SPITE OF THE SORT OF PERSON HE WAS.

When he said that he was NOT WORTHY, HE MEANT IT.

IT IS GOOD TO HAVE A SENSE OF YOUR OWN UNWORTHINESS FOR ONLY THEN WILL YOU START TO APPRECIATE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE LOVE OF GOD.

There he is alone

V24, a man wrestled with him until daybreak.  If you are in a difficult situation YOU NEED SLEEP.  JACOB GOT NONE FOR HE WAS FIGHTING ALL NIGHT.  He would be exhausted, and physically not fit for what he was going to do the next day.

Perhaps when the man appeared and wrestled with him, Jacob may have thought himself undone.  HE HAD THOUGHT THAT ESAU WOULD ATTACK HIM, AND HERE HE WAS BEING ATTACKED.

I would be petrified in that situation and I think you would be to.

The man did not prevail against him

V25 he TOUCHED THE SOCKET OF HIS THIGH.  HE ONLY TOUCHED IT and it was dislocated

That tells me that the man was well able to overpower Jacob. If he could do that by only touching, killing him would have been easy,

BUT this was no man.

This was God in the shape of a man wrestling with Jacob.

Jacob in the past had cheated to get Esaus Blessing and his birthright for HE SAW THE VALUE IN THEM.

Jacob in my view saw that this was no ordinary man.  He knew who he was wrestling with.  Jacob once again sought a BLESSING THAT ONLY GOD COULD GIVE.

He told the man that he would not let him go until he blessed him.

We can learn from that.  We are told in the new testament to be persistent in prayer.  WE wrestle with God and we should MIMIC JACOB

He persisted and told God that he would not let him go until  he blessed him.

HAVE YOU EVER DONE THAT?  We have the assurance that god wants to bless

BUT IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ASK FOR IT.

Jacob always saw the value in Gods blessings and he grasped for it.

YOU WILL RECALL THAT WHEN HE WAS BORN HE GRASPED ESAUS HEEL, SO HE WAS CALLED JACOB.

IT MEANT THAT HE GRASPED FOR THINGS.

IN THE BIBLE NAMES MEANT THINGS AND OFTEN DENOTED CHARACTER

That is what Jacob was, a grasper, a spive, he would lie and cheat get whatever he was grasping for.

My name, GEORGE means an earth worker or farmer. I know nothing about farming

I also know nothing about Falconry which my surname comes from.

Jacob lived up to his name.

In V27 WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

God knew the answer.  He was not asking because he did not know.  He asked to get Jacob to say it and by doing so, TO OWN UP TO WHO AND WHAT HE REALLY WAS.

He had prayed that he was not worthy, AND HIS NAME CONFIRMED THAT.

The man said YOUR NAME SHALL NO LONGER BE JACOB BUT ISREAL, FOR YOU HAVE STRIVEN WITH GOD AND WITH MEN AND PREVAILED.

Note this STRIVEN WITH GOD AND MEN.

We tend to focus in on the wrestling alone, but the truth is, Jacob wrested with god long before that.  He wrestled with men as well.  He wrestled with his UNCLE LABAN  and prevailed.  Arguably he wrestled with Esau in getting the birthright.   We are told that we do not just wrestle with me but with the principalities and powers.

JACOB WRESTLED ALL HIS LIFE AND FOR US THAT WILL BE OUR EXPERIENCE.

Also note this, JACOB ASKED THE MANS NAME, AND THE MAN WOULD NOT GIVE IT.

He was not just asking for identification.  All of Gods names that we know WHICH JACOB DID NOT are expressions of Gods character.

When we pray and ask for things in the name of Jesus.  IT IS NOT MAGIC.  We are told to pray in the name of Jesus, because what we are expressing is confidence in the character of God by using that name.

Jacob asked that to have more understanding of god but evidently he had enough for we know that Jacob gave that place a name.

He named it PENIEL.   FOR HE HAD SEEN GOD FACE TO FACE YET HIS LIFE WAS PRESERVED.

I think that Jacob after this had more confidence. For if you have seen God face to face and not been struck down then that same God would answer his prayer an preserve him from Esau.

Also note that Jacob knew he was god. THAT IS NOT MY OPIONION.  IT STATED HERE IN THIS PASSAGE.  Jacob knew that somehow this was god in the form of a man.

From then on as an act of remembrance for the Jews they did not eat the sinew of the hip because he touched Jacobs’s thigh. 

Even then in eating their food, the Jews would remember that Jacob strove with God and prevailed

How do we apply this to ourselves?  I have always struggled.

I struggle now, I expect to struggle until my dying day, but looking at this passage for the umpteenth time, I see all my life struggles afresh as struggling with God and God bringing me out and letting me know more and more of his character and purposes.

In all of life’s challenges, let us cling on to God and say to him as Jacob said.  I WILL NOT LET YOU GO UNTIL YOU BLESS ME.

AMEN.

Jacob stuggles with God.

Genesis 32

Jacob the cheat is returning to his own land.

He had cheated Esau out of his blessing and his birth right

Esau had planned to kill Jacob upon the death of their father

Now Jacob with I think fear and dread after many years returned at Gods command and had to face his brother.

He must have been petrified

ONE THING WE CAN SAY FOR JACOB IS THAT HE WAS GOOD ORGANISER.  He had tended labons sheep and prospered.

Jacob started to prepare

If we are going to do anything for God, then we should pray, but we should also prepare if preparations are in order.

Jacob prepared by sending a messenger to his brother

V4-V6 Jacob tells the messenger what to say

The answer must have been what he dreaded.  Esau was on his way with meet him with 400 men.

Why would he come with 400 men. 

V7 Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed.

It is all very well to say that he should have held to Gods promises, but we humans have fear and Jacob looked at the circumstances and was afraid, I think not only for himself, but for all his family and servants.

He decided to do something about it.

He divided the company in two so that if Esau attacked one the other would survive.

V9 onwards

Jacobs prayer is amazing, 

He reminds God that it was God who told him to go back

It was god who told him he would prosper

V11 deliver me from my brother Esau.

Jacob was really asking God to honor what he had promised and perhaps if Esau attacked then God would see to it that his plan to save one of the companies would work. 

He would go alone.

It was God who promised him many descendants

He also selected gifts for Esau

V14-18  200 make goats, 200 ewes and 20 rams.  30 camels and their colts 40 cows, 10 bulls 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys.

Note that it says he selected them.  He would have looked at them and brought to that all his expertise in choosing the best. 

By doing so, he probably hoped to pacify Esau.

As the animals passed Esau they and he asked who’s they were, the servants were to say these belong to my master Jacob, they are a present to you and he is behind us

Esau would get that message again and again.

I also think that by saying Jacob was behind them, it would help Jacob with his own courage.  He was going regardless of his fear.  He had committed to God to do this, so he was going.

All preparations were made, and now JACOBS FATE WAS EXCLUSIVELY IN GODS HANDS

HAVE YOU EVER HAD THAT EXPERIENCE?  THERE IS NO MORE YOU CAN DO, IT IS ALL UP TO GOD?

If this was a  television drama this would be an episode cliff hanger.  Tune in next week to see what happens.

Bear in mind that Jacob was afraid.  He had no guarantee that his preparations would work, except Gods promise that he would prosper.  He already had family and so the potential for descendants through which God would carry out his promise and so he had no reason to take it for granted that he would personally survive.

Also, take note of Jacobs prayer

V10 I AM UNWORTHY OF ALL YOUR LOVING KINDNESS FOR WITH MY STAFF ONLY.  I CROSSED THIS JORDAN AND NOW I HAVE BECOME TWO COMPANIES.

He was saying that when he was last at this very river, running away from Esau, he had nothing except his staff.

It was like saying that he only had the clothes on his back. He owned nothing.

As he had been dividing everything into two companies, IT REMINDED HIM OF HOW GOD HAD LOVED AND PROSPERED HIM, IN SPITE OF THE SORT OF PERSON HE WAS.

When he said that he was NOT WORTHY, HE MEANT IT.

IT IS GOOD TO HAVE A SENSE OF YOUR OWN UNWORTHINESS FOR ONLY THEN WILL YOU START TO APPRECIATE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE LOVE OF GOD.

There he is alone

V24, a man wrestled with him until daybreak.  If you are in a difficult situation YOU NEED SLEEP.  JACOB GOT NONE FOR HE WAS FIGHTING ALL NIGHT.  He would be exhausted, and physically not fit for what he was going to do the next day.

Perhaps when the man appeared and wrestled with him, Jacob may have thought himself undone.  HE HAD THOUGHT THAT ESAU WOULD ATTACK HIM, AND HERE HE WAS BEING ATTACKED.

I would be petrified in that situation and I think you would be to.

The man did not prevail against him

V25 he TOUCHED THE SOCKET OF HIS THIGH.  HE ONLY TOUCHED IT and it was dislocated

That tells me that the man was well able to overpower Jacob. If he could do that by only touching, killing him would have been easy,

BUT this was no man.

This was God in the shape of a man wrestling with Jacob.

Jacob in the past had cheated to get Esaus Blessing and his birthright for HE SAW THE VALUE IN THEM.

Jacob in my view saw that this was no ordinary man.  He knew who he was wrestling with.  Jacob once again sought a BLESSING THAT ONLY GOD COULD GIVE.

He told the man that he would not let him go until he blessed him.

We can learn from that.  We are told in the new testament to be persistent in prayer.  WE wrestle with God and we should MIMIC JACOB

He persisted and told God that he would not let him go until  he blessed him.

HAVE YOU EVER DONE THAT?  We have the assurance that god wants to bless

BUT IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ASK FOR IT.

Jacob always saw the value in Gods blessings and he grasped for it.

YOU WILL RECALL THAT WHEN HE WAS BORN HE GRASPED ESAUS HEEL, SO HE WAS CALLED JACOB.

IT MEANT THAT HE GRASPED FOR THINGS.

IN THE BIBLE NAMES MEANT THINGS AND OFTEN DENOTED CHARACTER

That is what Jacob was, a grasper, a spive, he would lie and cheat get whatever he was grasping for.

My name, GEORGE means an earth worker or farmer. I know nothing about farming

I also know nothing about Falconry which my surname comes from.

Jacob lived up to his name.

In V27 WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

God knew the answer.  He was not asking because he did not know.  He asked to get Jacob to say it and by doing so, TO OWN UP TO WHO AND WHAT HE REALLY WAS.

He had prayed that he was not worthy, AND HIS NAME CONFIRMED THAT.

The man said YOUR NAME SHALL NO LONGER BE JACOB BUT ISREAL, FOR YOU HAVE STRIVEN WITH GOD AND WITH MEN AND PREVAILED.

Note this STRIVEN WITH GOD AND MEN.

We tend to focus in on the wrestling alone, but the truth is, Jacob wrested with god long before that.  He wrestled with men as well.  He wrestled with his UNCLE LABAN  and prevailed.  Arguably he wrestled with Esau in getting the birthright.   We are told that we do not just wrestle with me but with the principalities and powers.

JACOB WRESTLED ALL HIS LIFE AND FOR US THAT WILL BE OUR EXPERIENCE.

Also note this, JACOB ASKED THE MANS NAME, AND THE MAN WOULD NOT GIVE IT.

He was not just asking for identification.  All of Gods names that we know WHICH JACOB DID NOT are expressions of Gods character.

When we pray and ask for things in the name of Jesus.  IT IS NOT MAGIC.  We are told to pray in the name of Jesus, because what we are expressing is confidence in the character of God by using that name.

Jacob asked that to have more understanding of god but evidently he had enough for we know that Jacob gave that place a name.

He named it PENIEL.   FOR HE HAD SEEN GOD FACE TO FACE YET HIS LIFE WAS PRESERVED.

I think that Jacob after this had more confidence. For if you have seen God face to face and not been struck down then that same God would answer his prayer an preserve him from Esau.

Also note that Jacob knew he was god. THAT IS NOT MY OPIONION.  IT STATED HERE IN THIS PASSAGE.  Jacob knew that somehow this was god in the form of a man.

From then on as an act of remembrance for the Jews they did not eat the sinew of the hip because he touched Jacobs’s thigh. 

Even then in eating their food, the Jews would remember that Jacob strove with God and prevailed

How do we apply this to ourselves?  I have always struggled.

I struggle now, I expect to struggle until my dying day, but looking at this passage for the umpteenth time, I see all my life struggles afresh as struggling with God and God bringing me out and letting me know more and more of his character and purposes.

In all of life’s challenges, let us cling on to God and say to him as Jacob said.  I WILL NOT LET YOU GO UNTIL YOU BLESS ME.

AMEN.

jory

I have never met Jory Micah nee Peterson.  She lives in the USA with her husband and I do not agree with her, Women are permitted to do anything stand.  It is driven by ambition not Gods word and she says she feels called.  Note the word feel.  Those who are called do not feel they are commanded.

However, I am praying for her and her husband as they have a life long battle on their hands.  He has type one diabetes and they are going to have to deal with this from now on day in day out.  Life will never be the same again.  She also has health issues, she had pain and they are a young couple facing health issues that I have never had to face.  For that reason, I pray for then and I hope they will learn more of God from this rather than ambition.

off to Dunfermline

We will be off to Dunfermline this coming weekend and for double family christening.  We will stay at the City hotel again as we did for a few days in the summer.  I am looking forward to it.  It will be a time for family relationships,

Quality is looking forward to seeing D again

issues

Most us us have issues. I know I do from a lifetime of being alone. However, I feel that in the past few days, though his word and things I read in the Directors update on fear and trust, and a little booklet I have that asked the question, "What will you say when God asks, do you give up too easily" God is dealing with my issues.  It is hard, but necessary and I hope a certain person will be patient with me.