Sermon
Wrestling With God
January 15, 2006
Pastor Donald Sheley

I'm going to ask you to take your Bibles today. Go to the very front portion, the Book of Genesis, go to page 18 and there we're going to find our lesson for today. Last Sunday, Pastor Leighton introduced our theme for this month, which is the theme of prayer, and I've been thinking since then, and even prior to that, what would be a good subject on prayer that I could share with you the congregation? And the thought that came to my mind was the thought of prevailing prayer. In other words, seeking and searching and knocking until God hears our cry. And so I turned to this Old Testament story to start preparation for that lesson.

But I tell you folks that after I studied the lesson, my sermon changed. Because for years I have read it one way, observed the commentaries and they were somewhat in agreement with my understanding, but as I searched the Scriptures this story became totally different to me, and I'll share it with you as we work our way through it. It's the story of Jacob.

In your Bibles chapter 32 beginning at verse 24: "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." Then Jacob asked, saying, "Tell me Your name, I pray." And He said, "Why is it that you ask about My name?" And He blessed him there.

So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob's hip in the muscle that shrank."

Jacob-what an interesting man, ultimately the father of the patriarchs of the Old Testament. Let's trace his history, shall we? Go back with me to Genesis chapter 25. Genesis 25 beginning to read at verse 19: "This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham begot Isaac. Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I like this?"

So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her: "Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger."

So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau's heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them."

Now that's an interesting childbirth. I mean here's a mother heavy with child and two babies into her womb and they're having fistfights. I mean they struggle. Can you imagine? And here poor Rebekah says what's going on down there? And so she goes to the Lord and the Lord says there are two nations in your womb; two people shall be separated from your body. I guess Jacob hadn't won the bottle yet inside so he still clinging on to old Esau's heel when he comes out. It's an interesting birth, but it sets the struggle that goes on between two boys, Jacob and Esau.

Look at verse 27, "So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary." Therefore his name was called Edom." Edom means red.

"But Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright as of this day." And Esau said, "Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?" Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright."

What's the birthright? Well in ancient times the birthright represented that blessing that the father gave to his first son, which is a double portion of everything else, double than any of the other children would receive. Plus he became the spiritual head of the family, and there were other great benefits to this wonderful gift called the birthright. Jacob wanted that birthright. Esau was the oldest and so it really was his, and so Jacob takes advantage.

His brother comes in from the field, his brother is tired, and he says, brother, give me some of your stew. And Jacob then says I will if you'll sell me...give me your birthright. And old Esau answers, well, I'm almost dying so it isn't going to do me any good anyway, we've got a deal, and so Esau sold to Jacob, his brother, that priceless gift the birthright for a pot of stew. And it says that he despised his birthright. Jacob loved it.

Go with me to chapter 27. We are following the activities of these boys. "Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, "My son." And he answered him, "Here I am." Then he said, "Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.""

Pause - there was another ancient custom that when dad was nearing his closing moments of life, he would gather his family around him and he would give the blessing, these were the closing words, these were the blessings from dad; starting from the oldest to the youngest. And thus that was a very sacred, a very precious moment when dad laid his hands on you and gave you his parting blessing before he departs to heaven.

Now here's what happens. Notice the next verse it says: "Now Rebekah..." that's mother "...was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it. So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, "Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, 'Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.' Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you. Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves. Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death.""

Now mom becomes involved in an act of deceit. "And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing." But his mother said to him, "Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.""

I'll tell you the story. So Jacob goes out in the flock, gets the goats that mother wants, he brings them to her, she cooks them, but she knows she's got to take care of some problems. Jacob has smooth skin. Esau has got hairy skin. So she takes the skins of the goats that she has prepared and she covers the outside of his hands and his neck around his neck. So that in the event dad gets suspicious, I mean, he'll feel like Esau.

So Jacob takes his meal after mother prepares it to his dad, and his dad says, Son, how come so soon? Well God was with me and that's why I caught it so quick. Son, he said, why don't you come near me? He's suspicious so he feels of his hands, and he says you've got the hands of Esau, but you've got the voice of Jacob. He's still suspicious. Finally he said if you'll come close to me I want you to kiss me, knowing that if he got that close he would smell the scent of the field.

Sure enough Jacob has the skin of the animal around him and when he gets close to his dad, his dad smells and sure enough, it's the smell of the field. So he blesses him. Notice the beautiful blessing that he gives to his son. He simply says: "Surely, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed. Therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, and let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be those who bless you!"

Now he's got this beautiful blessing that dad has given to him and he hurries away because Esau is coming in from the field. He's got his game, he quickly prepares the meal and takes it to his dad, and says, dad, let's eat I want my blessing. And poor Isaac, he says, who was it that I blessed? He had passed that blessing out and Esau all of a sudden realized that guy has been at it again. He's stole my birthright, and now he's got my blessing.

It's interesting. The ancient concept of words was this: once you speak a word it can never be retrieved. Once you pass a blessing you can never take it back. It's been given. It's been spoken, and so very true is that in life when we say something, as much as we regret we said it, as hard as we try we can't take it back. We can ask forgiveness, but the word has been spoken.

I remember as a little boy one day we were going to have a chicken dinner and my father prepared the chicken, and in those ancient days you put the chicken in hot weather so it would free up the feathers and then he took the feathers and wrapped them up in newsprint. And I watched him and I wondered why he kept the feathers. One day it was a windy day and we lived in a little town where they had back alleys. You went in the back alley to go into your garage.

He said Donny boy come here. He took that roll of feathers, the wind is blowing, boy when the wind caught those feathers I mean they were all over the trees and everything. Now he said, son, go get the feathers. I said dad I can't. I can't gather those all. They are gone. He said son, never forget they're just like words; once they're gone, as deeply as you regret, you can't take them back.

Now what has happened, of course, Isaac is just grieved, he's blessed the wrong boy and it's under deceit, and finally old Esau begs to the point, dad, you've got to bless me, you've got to bless me. So dad gives him a blessing. Notice where it is; you'll notice it says he gives him the blessing: "Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above. By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother..."

Remember he's the oldest, now he's going to serve the younger. "...and it shall come to pass, when you become restless, that you shall break his yoke from your neck." That was the blessing, all the blessing that dad could give to Esau. Esau's angry. He said when dad dies and when the time of mourning has passed, I'm going to kill that guy. And he was bound and determined he was going to take the life of his brother who stole his birthright and now has stolen his blessing.

Well mom hears about it and Rebekah quickly gets a hold of Jacob and says, Jacob you've got a problem. You've got to run, because I heard Esau the as soon as dad's gone he is going to kill you. Now I'm going to tell you what to do. You get as fast as you can off into Haran, which is the same thing as saying you travel from Palestine across to Iraq, and you go over there and live with my brother Laban until the anger of your brother cools. And when it is cool then I will get you word and then you can return home.

And now Jacob is fleeing from the anger of Esau, and as he has traveled all day he finds a place that evening to make camp, lays his head on a stone for a pillow and he goes to sleep and he has a vision. He sees this ladder from heaven to earth and he sees the angels ascending, descending and then he hears the voice of God, and God makes the promise that He will bless him and that He will bring him back safely to his land. Remember, he's fleeing. God makes the promise to care for him and that He will bless him. The next morning, of course, he makes a pillar of acknowledgment there and he calls it Bethel. Then he goes on his journey and he arrives over in Haran, meets the family of his uncle Laban, and as a result marries family, marries Rachel, and marries Leah and others, and for 20 years he lives apart from his brother over here in Haran.

And he gets wealthy. I mean he is a brilliant, scheming guy. He had an ability of some how sorting out the animals so that those animals that were assigned to him and given to him by his father-in-law, they grew in vast numbers. In fact his wealth got so great Laban's other boys said, hey, Dad, you've got to watch this guy. He's taking all of your wealth. Look at the size of his herds! He's taking it from you Dad. And Laban, this father-in-law, gets edgy; he starts getting cold towards Jacob. You see now the boys have convinced him this guy is a conniver and he has taken some of his wealth.

Verse 3 chapter 31 of Genesis, God talks to Jacob and said you'd better get home. You're going back home. Well Jacob knew that if he went to Laban and Laban was alerted to the fact that he was going to leave, Laban would say, oh no you're not. Look at, you're taking all this wealth and you've got my daughters. You're staying here. So Jacob knew that if he was going to leave, he was going to have to leave in secret and that's what he arranged, and so he's gone now. He's got all of his vast herds and his family, and they are traveling and Laban his father-in-law hears about it and so he takes off after him. He is angry.

One of the reasons why he's angry is because some of his idols have been taken. Rachel takes the idols from her father so he's going to get them. So now here Jacob, he's hurrying and he's now arrived here, he's at the entrance to the promised land of Canaan. He's got another problem. His brother Esau is coming after him with 400 armed men.

Here he is, an angry brother, 400 men, a father-in-law has chased him and here he stands and he is caught in the middle. Well he arranges to settle the issue with his father-in-law, and as a result look at verse 55 in Genesis 31. It says, "And early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place." So the matter has been settled with his father-in-law. But he still has got an angry brother who has carried that bitterness for 20 years.

So look at the next verse, verse 1 of chapter 32, "So Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him." Now this is interesting. When you read it in the original the idea is that there are two companies, vast hosts of angels separated as if what God is saying, we're going to protect you from Esau and we have protected you from Laban. What a marvelous assurance that he is following God. God has told him to go home; God is taking care of him and he's got the angels of heaven watching over him, but after the angels are gone he is now Jacob again. He's the conniving, scheming guy. He's forgotten all about the promises; God has told him I'll take care of you, I'll get you home, everything is going to be all right, but he starts scheming. I've got to work out a plan to conciliate old Esau. So he starts scheming.

He says what I'll do, he said, I'll send him some presents. I'll send him some of my herds. And even in that, he is a conniving...I mean if you were a merchant of the desert certain livestock had certain value. If you wanted to give a friend a gift and you gave him a goat, that would be a very, very poor gift to give. Goats were not rated very highly, but if you gave him a lamb that's a little more impressive. But if you gave him a camel, now that's saying something. But, if you give him a cow and a donkey you've given the highest.

So watch old Jacob. He decides first of all we'll put the goats out here first. So in droves he's got...and there are 550 animals when you add them all up. I mean he's going to give a great gift to his brother. So he sets the goats out here and he puts a servant there or two, whatever it takes to handle all those animals, and he says when you get to Esau and he asks you where these come from you tell him from me and I'm coming along.

Now he knows that if the goats don't appease Esau the next heard of animals that are coming along are lambs. And now probably old Esau says I don't care for the goats, but hey the lambs. And then here come the camels, and then come the milk cows and the donkeys. I mean that's the ultimate. And he's got this all figured out. I'll wear him down, but I'll build up the value of the gift. He's shrewd.

He doesn't stop there. He takes his family and he divides them into two companies. He puts part of his family out here and he's going to keep part of the back here, thinking, by the time he gets through all those animals and those that I'm sending ahead, we'll have time to get out of here. He's really a conniver, a schemer. So he sends his servants ahead and they've got their gifts and they're going to try to appease Esau, and he takes his family and he stays near that broke and then he crosses the brook Jabbok.

And look at what it says, look at verse 23, "He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day."

His scheme is now set in order and the story says that he is all alone now. It's night, and if you have ever been in the desert at night it can really get dark. And all of a sudden somebody begins to wrestle with him! Maybe it might have been someone from Esau's camp. Who knows, but boy he's going to defend his life, and fight he does! Now in my Bible the word man is capitalized, which means it's a very important person. When Hosea the prophet is telling the story, I think it's in Hosea 12, he references the man as the Angel or the Angel of the Covenant, implying, that that man who wrestled with Jacob was none other than Jesus Christ who had taken upon himself a human form.

Now he is wrestling with God, and he wrestles, and he wrestles. And that angel cannot overtake him. He's fighting with everything inside of him, and pretty soon in order for the angel to win the battle he strikes him on the hip, puts his socket out of joint, his hip socket, and the poor guy is left helpless. He can't...he has no power. He can't fight any longer.

God had to bring that man to a place where the fight is gone, and his strength is gone, and all of his human ingenuity is gone. And all he can do now is cling. When we come to a place where we end the flight and only cling, now we are at the place of blessing.

Old Jacob is hanging on. That's all he can do. He can't fight anymore and he says, I want you to bless me and I won't let you go until you do! And the angel asks him a question that he knew the answer. He said, what's your name? He said I am Jacob. It's the moment of confession. What he is saying is I am a supplanter, I am a cheater, I'm a swindler, I'm a thief, I'm a liar, I'm Jacob; because the name implied his character. It was a moment where God brought him face to face to make a confession of who he really was, and what he was really like.

When he had made the admittance and the confession, then the angel said, now I'll bless you. Your name is no longer a Jacob, your name shall be Israel, which means God rules. The angel brings Jacob to a point where he has no strength left, a point of surrender, and a point of confession, and that became the moment of blessing.

Now all my ministry I have thought of this story as the fact where Jacob was wrestling with the angel to get the blessing. He wasn't wrestling to get blessing; he was fighting for his life! It was the angel that was wrestling trying to bring that man down to a place where he realized he was nothing, he was absolutely powerless, and then the blessing came.

The next morning it says that he limped on his hip. Can you see him? The sun is setting and he's walking to the Promised Land limping. God marked him so he never forgot that moment when God changed his name and also began to work seriously on his character, because ultimately he becomes the father of the patriarchs. So really it's not a lesson in prevailing prayer, it's the picture of God wrestling with a rebellious person who He wanted to bless, and ultimately brings him to that point of absolute helplessness.

Now I see the story in a different way. Maybe some of our wrestlings, our struggles are not us trying to get God's blessings, it's God trying to get us in a place where He can bless us.

Look at old Paul. Paul is rebellious, angry at the church and the Christians, and he is out slaying the Christians, and what does God do? (Claps hands) Shines a light on his road to Damascus, a bright light, so bright that when he tried to open his eyes he was blind, and for three days he was blind.

I know that theologians have wrestled for years, what was the thorn in Paul's flesh? But I think there's possibly an inkling of probably truth to this truth - in Galatians chapter 3 he's commending the Galatians that they have received him an treated him almost like an angel, even though they put up with his infirmity. When you read the original it had to do with his eyes, ophthalmalia. Could it not have been that God left his eyesight somewhat blurred and dimmed because of that bright light so Paul would never forget the moment that God brought him to his moment of surrender?

You know, I'm wondering folks, again, I try to understand the ways of God, and sometimes we interpret our wrestlings and our problems and our crisis in ways that we almost get angry with God because they come our way, but all the time God is trying to get our attention, and we keep fighting.

I know a man and I've known him for years, a man that has great potential, a man that could be mightily used by God, but a man who is exceedingly arrogant, and he has had failure after failure after failure. And I haven't talked with him with years, and this week he called me from the other side of the United States. And I'll call him Joe. I said Joe, how are things going? Well he said, pastor, he said, 2 1/2 years ago I was hit broadside with a car. A man went through a red stop light and he broke my neck. He says I have lived with that problem, I've got a steel plate in my back, and I said my arms and my upper torso are numb. I have no feeling, and I spend much of my time in bed.

But he said, God's got my attention. Isn't that interesting? You see God loves us so much that sometimes His discipline is severe enough that we don't understand it, but to get to our heart oft times He has to cause something to happened in our lives, and we limp through the rest of our days, because it's that moment where God brings us to the point of surrender so He can get our heart.

I know a man, a businessman, he loved his business, he loved his money, and he thought he loved God. But God didn't want his money; God wanted his heart, and God has caused his business to go bankrupt. And he said to me the other day, I thank God for doing this because now I know where real values are.

You say, what's the lesson today? I think it's this: Pause long enough, it may not be you wrestling for a blessing, it may be God wrestling with you to bring you to a place in your life where He can bless you.

Sometimes God allows failures to mark our lives. Failures that hurt and that are painful when they happen, but failures which teach us a lesson, that in ourselves we are weak and helpless and we desperately need God. And sometimes we carry the marks of those failures with us to the end of the trail, but God doesn't remove the mark because He accomplished His purpose when He marked us.

You say, pastor, did God ever hit you on the head? Yes. Over 50 years ago I was young, arrogant. At the age of 27 I had preached in 40 countries of the world and pastored one of the larger churches in California. I got fired. Then I went to work for Safeway washing garbage cans. At three o'clock on a cold San Francisco rainy morning between those garbage cans I met God, and I never have forgotten that moment. Suffering embarrassment for failure, but when God finished I've carried that in my mind for 50 years.

Can you imagine old Jacob as he gets to the end of his life and he's got 12 boys now he's going to bless, and they are going to head up the nation of Israel, and he drags his leg in for his final blessing to bless his boys. And in blessing his boys we now have the great patriarchs of the Old Testament, and he marked history as the father of the patriarchs. But God had to bring him to a place of surrender where he recognized his helplessness, and from there, he made his journey with God.

You say, what's the lesson? My prayer is dear God, help me, give me an obedient heart so You don't have to discipline me that severely. May my heart be responsive and may I be surrendered to Your will, and may I do what You want me to do and not try to fight my way through it. Give me an obedient heart, a heart surrendered to a loving God, that if need be, to get my attention, He'll discipline if He has to. He loves us so much to get to our heart He'll use various ways. Got it? Let's pray.

Father in heaven, we review that old story of Jacob where You had to disenable him; You had to take away all of his strength, bring him to a point of helplessness so you could bless him. And maybe there are some of us sitting here today, we've been wrestling, we've been fighting with issues, we all the time thought we were seeking for the blessing, but all of these things may be Your work in our lives seeking to bring us to a point where You could bless us. Reveal Your way to us, dear God, and if we've been wrestling against or struggling against Your purposes and Your will for us, forgive us and give us a heart that's pliable and tender and responsive to You. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. God bless you.