Genesis 32:22-32
To receive the blessing God has for us, one must have the courage to face ourselves.
"Bless me." At different stages in our lives, we must have expressed such a desire to God. Sometimes we seek material possessions: job and financial security; a resident visa. Other times we seek for quality of life: harmony in family life, greater strength and fulfillment in ministry, or a needed spiritual renewal.
In the heart of today's passage, is Jacob's plea for a blessing. To better understand this passage, we need to take a broader perspective of Jacob's life story. It started with a major conflict with his brother, Esau. On his way out of his father's land, at Bethel, God appeared to Jacob, promising his presence, guidance and blessing of land and family. At his uncle, Laban's home, Jacob had one conflict after another with Laban. He lived there for about 20 years. Then God called him to leave Laban and go back to his father's land. In the process of leaving, his conflict with Laban was resolved. Now he is ready to meet Esau, to resolve the conflict that started his exile.
Jacob and his family had come to the ford at Jabbok. They were about to cross the river. The other side will be Esau's territory. It was also the land God had promised him. What was in Jacob's mind?
What he did 20 years ago must still have been very vivid. How he took advantage of Esau, his brother's weakness, deceived the ailing father and stole the blessing from him. Not to mention Esau's anger and rage. It shattered the sibling relationship. Now, 20 years later, in his obedience to God, he was ready to reconcile with Esau. In fact, as we studied last time, he was willing to reconcile at all cost. But how about Esau? Especially after he had received the news that Esau was coming with 400 men. What was his intention? It was very unsettling to Jacob.
Today's passage tells us that in the middle of such anxious moments he had another encounter with God. In this encounter, he pleaded with God to "bless him". This morning we will learn a simple truth, that is: to receive the blessing God has prepared for us, we must have the courage to face our true self.
What did Jacob do at this juncture in life? V22 is an overall view of the event. At night, he got up and took his family and crossed the river, and then sent over all his possessions. V23 and following was a detailed account of what happened. After his family had crossed the river, he was left alone. He wanted to sort things out, to have a moment of solitude. What followed was beyond his expectations.
In verse 24 we are told that a man came to wrestle with him. Please note that this man's identity was very mysterious. Only towards the end of the story do we find out that this was God. In the beginning of chapter 32 we read about Jacob meeting God's messengers. 20 years earlier, God came to him at Bethel. And now, at night, at Jabbok, God came to him again. And there was a wrestling match.
There are some unanswered questions in this incident. For example: why couldn't God overcome Jacob? Why did he have to leave at daybreak? Dawn is the intersection of darkness and brightness. The place was at the Jabbok ford, intersection of holy and unholy ground. Is the author of the bible trying to bring out Jacob's character? In our study of Jacob's life, we constantly see the intertwining of good and bad, light and darkness. Why did God hide his identity from Jacob? Could this again be a reflection of Jacob's life experience? He hid his true identity from the father, Isaac. And later on, his first wife Leah, also hid her identity from Jacob. These are some possibilities, certainly room for discussion.
However, from this initial encounter between God and Jacob, I would like to make some observations:
Before facing the crisis, Jacob wanted to be alone. Don't we also feel the same? Before a crisis situation, meeting someone that might affect our future, venturing into the unknown, we too would like to withdraw into solitude. We want to be alone, yet we're really not alone. You see, for God is always there. Very often, in solitude, we have a personal encounter with God. Its been said, "Solitude is God's audience chamber."
In this wrestling match, Jacob seemed to be a fairly strong person. Remember when he first went to Laban's house? By himself he rolled away the heavy rock that was covering the well. As sunlight approached, this wrestler touched Jacob's hip joint, and his was crippled. At that moment Jacob must have felt the pain. And he immediately recognized this wrestler was not an ordinary man. So what did he do? He clung onto him and asked for a blessing. Knowing Jacob, we are not surprised, right? Isn't it true that his seeking for a blessing was what got him into trouble some 20 years ago? Superficially, he seemed to be calling the shots here, demanding God to bless him. But a closer look revealed it was really a rather desperate cry. 20 years ago it was Esau that cried for a blessing. Now, its Jacob's turn.
Up until this moment, he had been planning to seek Esau's face, to gain his favor. And now he is seeing God face to face. Jacob must be seeking God's blessing, God's favor, to continue to guide his future and his encounter with Esau the next day.
Like Jacob, aren't we also constantly seeking God's blessings upon us? There was a time we were seeking for material blessings. We asked for job security, financial well being, permanence in our resident status and a family with a nice house and at a good location.
Then we realize that life is more than what we have materially. There is a deeper meaning to life. We begin to seek greater inner fulfillment; to live harmoniously with our parents, spouses and children. Or at times we seek a greater empowerment and effectiveness in our ministry. Some of us here may be at a point in life where we have a strong desire to seek God's face, his favor in our lives. So now what? Let's see what happened to Jacob next.
What did the man say after Jacob insisted on a blessing? Of all the things, in vs 27 he asked, "what is your name?" Again, we ask, what kind of a question is that? If this individual was God, he must know who Jacob was. As far as the story teller was concerned, when was the last time Jacob was asked about his identity? In Gen 27:18-19, his ailing father asked, "my son, who are you?". Jacob's answer? He lied. He claimed that he was Esau, so he could get the blessing.
Now, 20 years later, "what is your name?". Was this question for information? Definitely not. If not, then what? You see, by asking Jacob his name, Jacob was forced to face up to all that his name encompassed. He was literally a schemer and selfish cheater, the one who had wanted to be in control of events and people around him. He was always the self sufficient guy throughout most of his life. You see what was happening here? In order for Jacob to experience God's favor, that blessing, Jacob must answer, "my name is Jacob." He had to face up to what he was. His shame, ugliness and self-sufficiency. This must have been a very painful moment in his life. This is what we commonly call being broken. And being cripple would serve as a constant reminder how God broke before blessing him.
After Jacob uttered his name, he was given a new name in vs 28. There are different interpretations regarding the meaning of "Israel" and "struggle". Israel could mean: "God rules, God preserves, God protects…." "you have struggled with God" is also translated as "you are prince with God". Taken together, this verse could mean: you shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel (meaning God rules..) for you are prince with God, and you have prevailed with men."
Vs 29, Jacob then went on and said, Please tell me your name. The response was: Why do you ask me? It sounded like: can't you figure it out by now? However, underlying this exchange of words, there is something even more basic happening. If this person would tell Jacob who he was, then he was responding to Jacob. In a way, Jacob would still be in control. So this person, God, did not tell Jacob his name. Then he blessed Jacob. Yes, in this narrative, Jacob at times seem to have the upper hand, even over God. But in the end, God remained God, an Jacob became a different person.
What do we learn from this passage? Yes, in the end God gave Jacob the blessing he so desperately wanted. But what did it take? Jacob must first meet himself. He must face his shortcomings: his trickery and self-sufficiency. And this brings us to the central truth in today's story: in order to experience God's blessing, favor, we must first clearly see who we are. Before this God, there is nothing we can hide.
If we are to have a deeper experience and understanding of God's favor toward us, if we want to experience that rejuvenating spiritual renewal, strength in daily living, harmony in our community, greater power and effectiveness in ministry, we too need to face up to who we truly are. We are to face up to our own sins and ugliness, our self-sufficiency and selfish nature. In other words, we must have that broken and contrite spirit in order to experience God in a deeper manner, to gain his blessing.
This event had such an impact on Jacob, that he renamed that place: Peniel, meaning, "I saw God face to face and yet my life was spared." At Peniel, God met Jacob. At Peniel, Jacob was broken and became a different man. This by no means suggested that he never failed again. He still made mistakes later on in his life. But now, he had a deeper understanding of God.
In our study of Jacob, it certainly appeared that he was constantly grabbing and wrestling for a blessing. He was very calculating and self-sufficient. But at a closer look, it is quite a different picture. In reality, it was God who was taking the initiative. In the first place God chose him over Esau. It was God's sovereign plan to bless him. That he would be the father of a great nation, possessing the land promised to Abraham and Isaac. It was from the very beginning, that God wanted to bless him. Not because of his merit but because of God's divine plan. But before this would come to fruition, work needed to be done on Jacob.
You see, Jacob was the raw material. So for 20 years, God was molding and shaping him. And it all climaxed at Jabbok. Here, ruefully Jacob was brought face to face with his own self-sufficiency, his ugliness and sinfulness. Here at Peniel he was broken before God and by God. Here at Peniel, he saw God face to face and he was blessed. Here at Peniel, God took the old person, Jacob and changed him into a new person, Israel.
How about us today? The fact we are here this morning reflects our desire to seek a blessing from God. In fact, it was God who from the very beginning wants us to have a meaningful and fulfilling family life, greater strength to face the daily challenges, to have that hunger and passion for him, a more effective and powerful ministry. It is his desire all along for us to experience the fullness of the eternal life.
However, before experiencing God's blessing, we too must come to our Peniel to see God face to face and be willing to face our own sinfulness, selfishness and self-sufficiency. To let him come into our life and be the one in charge. To take us from we are to where he wants us to be.
Sunday April 11th, 1999, Rev. William Hsueh, Houston Chinese Church, Houston, Texas.