| Jacob wrestles with God That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me Gen.32: 22-26 I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Thank God for Jacob. Abraham is the man of Faith. Isaac is the child of promise. But Jacob is the supplanting one. He is the one who seeks his own interests over the interest of others. He took Esau’s birthright and blessing and he took Laban’s cattle. He is shrewd, clever, and full of guile. We can relate to Jacob. In this passage, his nature has gotten him in trouble. He has to meet Esau in order to go back home and he fears his life. He has sent everything ahead of him and he has put himself alone with God. He wrestles with God over his sin, his nature, his fears, and his doubt and unbelief. He uses his nature one last time to demand a blessing from God and God in his mercy does so. Jacob is wounded in the hip and his name and nature change to Israel. No matter what your nature is, if you get alone with God and wrestle with him, your nature can be changed. When Jacob meets Esau they embrace and kiss. Jacob, instead of trying to get from Esau, gives him an offering of cattle and gifts and even though Esau does not want them, he gives them anyway. His nature of taking has been replaced by a nature of giving. All of humankind is born with a corrupt nature, the seed of Adam. That nature has a sin nature component and cannot please God. When we are born again we receive a new nature, the nature of Christ. The sin nature has died and our lives are to be lived in this new nature. Our battle now is in crucifying the flesh and feeding the Christ nature God has given us. This nature is the depository of the Holy Spirit and as we are wed to Christ we become over comers. We are to live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit and renounce the deeds of the flesh which are anger, hate, unforgiveness, lust, bitterness, resentments, sexual immorality, murder, and the like. We know when we are operating from the flesh when these things are operating in our lives. When they are active we need to resist them and repent of them in order to establish peace. If we walk in love, peace, joy, forgiveness, mercy and the like then we know that we are operating from the new nature God has given us. In the life of Jacob, his nature had to change in order to be the person God wanted him to be. In order to get there he had to wrestle with God concerning the person he was. God, who hears our prayers, honored Jacob’s request and the grabbing, self-centered Jacob became Israel, the meek and gentle and giving one. The seed of Adam must die so that God can live in us. Jacob died and Israel arose. Let this be our prayer as well. “You too have been raised up with Christ through your belief in the power of God who raised him from the dead.” (Col.2:12) Amen |