THE MAN
WHO WRESTLED
WITH GOD AND WON
Jacob is remembered as a
patriarch of Israel. The son of
Isaac (the son of the promise)
and grandson of Abraham
(the father of faith), Jacob
comes from a line of great
men who are remembered
and characterised by their
faith in the living God. But
Esau’s younger twin brother
was not always seen in this
light. Once upon a time, he
embodied the meaning of his
name: deceiver.
He cunningly bought his
brother’s birth right, and
tricked his way to receiving
the blessing of the firstborn: He
dressed up as his brother and
took advantage of his aged
and blind father to get what
he wanted. From then, Jacob
became a fugitive whose
life was beset with endless
struggles; he was always fearful
and anxious because Esau
wanted him dead.
Jacob’s dream at Bethel (see
Genesis 28:10-22) marked a
pivotal point in his life. There,
he made a vow that, “If God
will be with me and will protect
me in this way that I go, and
will give me bread to eat and
clothing to put on, so that I
return to my father’s house in
peace, then the Lord will be
my God. Then this stone, which
I have set for a pillar, will be the
house of God, and from all that
You give me I will surely give a
tenth to You.” (Genesis 28: 20-22)
From that moment on, all that
Jacob put his mind to achieve,
prospered. So much so that,
when he decided to leave
his father-in-law, Laban, with
whom he dwelt with at the time
and return back to his parents,
Laban was reluctant to release
him, as it was so evident that
God had blessed his flock on
account of Jacob.
This did not deter Jacob,
however. His decision to leave
Laban, and go on to face his
estranged family and brother
who was still out for his blood,
led to the most critical event of
his life: Jacob’s fight with God.
“Then Jacob was left alone;
and a Man wrestled with him
until the breaking of day.
Now when He saw that He did
not prevail against him, He
touched the socket of his hip;
and the socket of Jacob’s hip
was out of joint as He wrestled
with him. And He said, “Let Me
go, for the day breaks.” But he
said, “I will not let You go unless
You bless me!” So He said to
him, “What is your name?” He
said, “Jacob.” And He said,
“Your name shall no longer be
called Jacob, but Israel; for you
have struggled with God and
with men, and have prevailed.”
(Genesis 32: 24-28)
Wrestling with God changed
Jacob’s identity. He was no
longer the one who received
his blessing by deception, but
rather the one who received
the blessing by prevailing with
God by faith.
Find the full story of Jacob in
Genesis Chapter 32.
Fight
WITH GOD, NOT
AGAINST HIM
Meditating on the passage where Jacob wrestled with God,
God made us see something unique; he revealed to us a
message, and Bishop Alvaro wants to share this treasure with us.
And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will
not let You go unless You bless me!” So He said to him, “What is
your name?” He said, “Jacob.” And He said, “Your name shall
no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with
God and with men, and have prevailed.” (Genesis 32:25-29)
By asking Jacob his name, God wanted him to look within. God
knows everyone; His purpose was not to find out who Jacob
was, but to make Jacob reflect on what he was doing, and to
stop fighting against Him.
And this is the same question God is asking us today: He is
asking us how long we will resist Him. Many people are fighting
against God, and when we speak of fighting, we are referring
to resisting against His will. Instead of fighting with God, many of
us are resisting Him.
God’s will is sovereign and it is the best for us, but sometimes
we begin to believe that we know better. Sometimes He might
show us that a job is not for us, which will affect our health and
family life negatively, but we choose to ignore His guidance.
When we continue fighting against God’s will, we get hurt.
God does not want us to feel pain, He wants us to be happy.
Unfortunately, we stubbornly continue pushing down the path
that is not cut out for us.
Some of us even go as far as questioning why He didn’t stop
us from doing things our way. God does not stop people; He
shows them that if they continue down the wrong path, they
will eventually fall.
We know people learn from their mistakes but let’s be wise,
when God shows us what is good for us, let’s pay attention so
that we don’t have to repeatedly go through the same pain.
So, let His will be. We have to fit into God’s plan - let’s stop trying
to fit Him into ours.