SermonNotes March 3, 2013, FBCam

WrestlingWith God

Genesis32

Whatimages come to mind when I mention the word wrestling? Forsome, it is an image of a High school wrestling match. Othershappily envision Dad wrestling with his son. And a few of us thinkof the theater of “professional wrestling” with IronRings of death and tag team death matches.

Wrestlingis one of the oldest sports known to man. Arecent discovery in Egypt bears witness to the ancient sport ofwrestling. The discovery was an ancientscrap of papyrus, withGreekwriting describinga wrestling match. The manuscript dates back to 200AD, andis the oldestrecorded document concerning the sport of wrestling actuallymentioning the Olympic games.

Wrestlingis pure exertion.

Everymuscle of your body is drained.

Itis a uniquely ONE on ONE event with no one but your opponent. It isNOT a team sport.

InGenesis 32, the most significant TURNING POINT in Jacob’s life.

Thischapter marks the end of a period in Jacob’s life that began atBethel in Chapter 28. Jacob is visited by angels in both chapters. The chapters mark the beginning and ending of Jacob’s journeyto Padan Aram and his flight from Esau. Now, Jacob is returning toface his greatest fear, and it is here that God speaks to him again,this time with life changing impact.

Here,God empties Jacob of his NATURAL effort and teaches Jacob to trustHim completely.

Matthewswrites, “Thesignificance of the passage lies primarily in Jacob’sdiscovering the freedom and enduring grace of God.” K.A. Mathews, vol.1B, Genesis 11:27–50:26, The New American Commentary(Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 539.

Summarizingthis passage, Arthur Pink adds, “To[bring us to an end of ourselves] He lays His hand on us, and makesus conscious of our utter helplessness.” ArthurWalkington Pink, Gleanings in Genesis (Bellingham, WA: Logos BibleSoftware, 2005), 294.

Beforewe

  1. Jacob is Face to Face with his Greatest Fear.

After20 years, JACOB RETURNS to face ESAU.

Hisjourney is ATTENDED by ANGELS. Genesis31:55–32:2 “Earlythe next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters andblessed them. Then he left and returned home. “Jacob also wenton his way, and the angels of God met him. “When Jacob saw them,he said, “This is the camp of God!” So he named thatplace Mahanaim.”

Mahaniammeans “Double Camp.” It may have reference to the factthat Jacob was surrounded by angels. Angels were BEFORE HIM andBEHIND HIM!

BUTHIS FEARS were with him

Esauis coming with 400 men. (Gen. 32:3-6). This report brought great fear to Jacob. 32:7 “Ingreat fear and distress…”(NIV)

TheNLT states it simply, “Jacobwas terrified at the news.”(NLT)

Itis now that Jacob prays. “Saveme, I pray from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he willcome and attack me.” (Genesis32:11)

Thisis ONLY the SECOND recorded prayer in Genesis! The First was byAbraham’s servant in Gen 24:12 (regarding the search for a wifefor Isaac).

Inorder to understand the struggle in Jacob’s heart, let’sexamine the sequence of Events:

      1. Jacob leaves Laban

      2. Angels minister to Jacob (32:1-2)

      3. Jacob sends messengers to Esau (32:3-5)

      4. They return with news that Esau is coming with 400 men (32:6)

      5. Jacob divides his family into two groups (32:7-8)

      6. JACOB PRAYS to God (32:9-12)

      7. Jacob sends his servants with gifts (32:13-20)

      8. Jacob sends his family away (32:21-23)

      9. He is left alone at the Jabbok (32:24)

  1. Jacob has Arrived at the Point where God is his ONLY HOPE.

Heis Desperate.

Heis ALONE.

Noticethat GODinitiates the encounter!!!

Genesis32:24 “SoJacob was left alone, and aman wrestled with him till daybreak.”

Jacobdoes not know who this is!! Is it Esau? A “hit man?”from Esau?

Whatdoes is mean to “wrestle with God?”

Thereis an interesting Wordplay taking place with the names and locationshere:

          1. The brook “Jabbok” is pronounced “yabbok”

          2. “wrestled” is pronounced “ye-aqob”

          3. and “Jacob” is pronounced “ya-aqob”

TheHebrew text is drawing our attention to the fact that something majoris about to take place. In today’s vernacular, one mightintroduce this event with the shout, “Areyou ready to RUMBLE?”

Atfirst, Jacob was not wrestling to get something from GOD. God waswrestling with Jacob to get something out of JACOB! The initialencounter begins with the angel!

Wrestlingwith God means to contend with him in prayer and petition. It meanscoming to God in desperation, begging him for his assistance. Weknow that this was the result for Jacob, for we read commentary onthis event in the book of Hosea. “Hestruggled with the angel and overcame him; he weptandbeggedfor his favor. Hefound him at Bethel and talked with him there—” Hosea12:4

Towrestle with God is to come to and END of your own resources andtrust completely in God.

ItInvolves PRAYER

Itinvolves BEGGING

Itis what Jesus meant when he said“Blessedare the poorin spirit, fortheirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew5:3

Here,the word “poor” means beggarpoor. Itdoes not mean someone with less than the next person. It meanssomeone who comes to God with nothing to offer. That is how we mustcome to God.

Nobodyhas ever put it better than Augustus Toplady in his immortal hymn“Rock off Ages”:

Nothingin my hand I bring,

Simplyto your Cross I cling;

Naked,come to you for dress;

Helpless,look to you for grace;

Foul,I to the fountain fly;

Washme, Savior or I die.

  1. What We Need to Know About Wrestling with God

    1. You’re never too old or too young to wrestle with GOD!

    2. We normally require severe hardships in order to completely rely on God. This includes Crisis, Health, Struggles, Temptation, Hurt, Broken relationships, Fear

    1. Gaining God’s blessing requires FULL COMMITMENT. Jacob cried, “I will not let you go until you bless me!”

    1. When you finally wrestle with God, you will be changed forever

      1. Jacob’s NAME was changed. “Grabber” becomes ISRAEL, “God Contends”

      2. Jacob’s WALK was changed. God “cheated!” He touched Jacob’s thigh to weaken him (32:25). Of course, we realize that it was God’s plan to have Jacob struggle with Him. Jacob had no more hope of defeating God than a 5 year old has of defeating his father who wrestles with him to show him love and affection. It was only when God WEAKENED the STRONGEST MUSCLE in Jacob’s body, the tendon of his thigh, that Jacob realized he was CONTENDING with GOD! For Jacob, this injury was a constant reminder of his DEFEAT and his VICTORY. “The sinew only “shrank,” it was not removed. Nor is the “flesh” eradicated from the believer! Arthur Walkington Pink, Gleanings in Genesis (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2005), 293.

    1. We don’t always see GOD’S PRESENCE in the struggles we face.

Thebook of Genesis presents our patriarch in two characters, as he isexhibited to us as Jacob and as Israel; the one looking at thenatural man, and the other at the spiritual man the one telling ofhow Divine grace found him and the other of what Divine grace madehim. ArthurWalkington Pink, Gleanings in Genesis (Bellingham, WA: Logos BibleSoftware, 2005), 288-89.

IsGod CONTENDING with YOU?

Willyou contend with GOD?

Thespiritual beauty and application of this story is the theme behindone of Charles Wessley’s hymns, “OGod, Thou Bottomless Abyss!” Thehymn is written in 14 verses! This doesn’t exactly fit withtoday’s trend of short songs that repeat over and over. Thishymn is packed with emotion and theology! Isaac Watts said of thishymn, “thatsingle poem, Wrestling Jacob, was worth all the verses he himself hadwritten.”

Iwill only include 10 of the 14 verses, but note carefully the themeof God’s love in the story of Jacob and the Angel of the Lord. Jacob contended with Jesus! And Jesus blessed him.

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/o/comeotho.htm

Come,O thou Traveler unknown,

Whomstill I hold, but cannot see!

Mycompany before is gone,

AndI am left alone with Thee;

WithThee all night I mean to stay,

Andwrestle till the break of day.

Ineed not tell Thee who I am,

Mymisery and sin declare;

Thyselfhast called me by my name,

Lookon Thy hands, and read it there;

Butwho, I ask Thee, who art Thou?

Tellme Thy name, and tell me now.

Invain Thou strugglest to get free,

Inever will unloose my hold!

ArtThou the Man that died for me?

Thesecret of Thy love unfold;

Wrestling,I will not let Thee go,

TillI Thy name, Thy nature know.

WiltThou not yet to me reveal

Thynew, unutterable Name?

Tellme, I still beseech Thee, tell;

Toknow it now resolved I am;

Wrestling,I will not let Thee go,

TillI Thy Name, Thy nature know.

Mystrength is gone, my nature dies,

Isink beneath Thy weighty hand,

Faintto revive, and fall to rise;

Ifall, and yet by faith I stand;

Istand and will not let Thee go

TillI Thy Name, Thy nature know.

Yieldto me now, for I am weak,

Butconfident in self-despair;

Speakto my heart, in blessings speak,

Beconquered by my instant prayer;

Speak,or Thou never hence shalt move,

Andtell me if Thy Name is Love.

’TisLove! ’tis Love! Thou diedst for me!

Ihear Thy whisper in my heart;

Themorning breaks, the shadows flee,

Pure,universal love Thou art;

Tome, to all, Thy bowels move;

Thynature and Thy Name is Love.

Myprayer hath power with God; the grace

UnspeakableI now receive;

Throughfaith I see Thee face to face,

Isee Thee face to face, and live!

Invain I have not wept and strove;

Thynature and Thy Name is Love.

Iknow Thee, Savior, who Thou art.

Jesus,the feeble sinner’s friend;

Norwilt Thou with the night depart.

Butstay and love me to the end,

Thymercies never shall remove;

Thynature and Thy Name is Love.

Contentednow upon my thigh

Ihalt, till life’s short journey end;

Allhelplessness, all weakness I

OnThee alone for strength depend;

Norhave I power from Thee to move:

Thynature, and Thy name is Love.