Saturday, February 25, 2012

Feb. 1, 2012 - Genesis 32

Jacob sent messengers ahead of him…
He’s not going to risk just showing up, since there’s no telling what Esau’s first reaction will be, or how he’ll be received. Instead, he sends notice in advance that he’s on the way, and begs for favor from his brother.

“We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”
Uh-oh. He’s bringing an army. And he’s totally still mad and coming to kill everybody. It’s not looking too good.

Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O LORD…Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother…”
I know I don’t deserve it God, but save me! For the first time recorded, Jacob is asking for help. So far he’s just been scheming his way out of tough situations, but now something is different.

…he selected a gift for his brother Esau…
Well, just because he asked for help doesn’t me he shouldn’t try, right? I mean, who can stay mad when they keep getting presents? Anyways, we’ve got bunches of groups of gifts now, and everything else split up and spread out, and Jacob is sorting everything out until eventually they’re headed out.

So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.
How did this start? Maybe God walked up and put Jacob in a headlock. Or maybe not. It seems more likely to me that Jacob initiates this in some way. He’s alone. Suspicious and on edge thinking his brother is coming to kill him. Mind racing going over all his property and which things are in what group, making sure he didn’t miscount something. And then a figure approaches. And somehow they become locked in a struggle. And it continues until dawn is approaching, and God very simply throws out Jacob’s hip, making the point that he could have easily won at any time. That no matter how hard Jacob tries to fight, this isn’t something he could ever win. But Jacob hangs on. Not trying to win now, just hanging on with everything to receive a blessing.

JacobàIsrael
“…because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.”
Did he really ‘overcome’ God? Not so much. Then what did he do? What did he overcome? What was this whole thing about anyways? Humility, maybe. Remember, this is just after Jacob asked God for help. For really the first time in his life, he turned to God to help him solve a problem, instead of just trying to do it all by himself. But he also sent some gifts, just in case. And then God shows up. And this wrestling match embodies everything Jacob is fighting to understand. Jacob doesn’t trust that God is enough. He doesn’t know if God really cares about his future. And he’s not the kind of guy to just let stuff go. He’s a quick thinker, a deceiver, not going to take things at face value. He wants to understand, to dig deep. And he’s willing to fight to get to the bottom of this. And so he wrestles with God, trying to hold him down, to wrap his mind around everything. And with a simple touch, God wrenches his hip out. No matter how much Jacob wants to control the situation, he just can’t do it with God. God is in control, and Jacob just has to learn to accept it. And he overcomes himself, his nature. He submits to God, and begs for his blessing. And God gives him another name. And although he will continue to be called Jacob, he also will be called Israel as the story continues. He doesn’t lose his old nature, but he overcomes it.

…and he was limping because of his hip.
Just as Abraham was given circumcision, Jacob/Israel has a physical thing to remind him that God’s promise is no dream. It’s not make-believe, or imaginary, but constantly with him, just as his limp is.

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