CHANGED
Carey Madding
Today's Scripture: “But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’ Then he said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.’” Genesis 32:26b, 28, ESV
Theme: When we get in the presence of God, we are forever changed.
THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN
Jacob is facing his biggest fears. He is coming back to his homeland and dealing with his past. In the years since fleeing his brother Esau, Jacob basically worked for his Uncle Laban as an indentured servant, gained wives, children, and livestock. He never completely stopped his deceptive ways, even though God had promised to bless him and his offspring. (He used some superstitious animal husbandry to increase his flocks.)
Now Jacob is returning home to the place that God had promised to Abraham and his descendants after being gone and estranged from Esau for twenty years. He remembers that God said he would bring him back to this land. But now, messengers arrive to tell him Esau is coming out to meet him with 400 men. To Jacob’s fearful mind, that seems like an army, not a delegation. He splits his family and his possessions into two camps, so that maybe one group of them might escape if Esau attacks. He sends them all across the river and is left alone for the night.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
In the night, Jacob is suddenly wrestling with a man. Can you imagine the fear and anger that engendered? Even with all his planning, he has been caught off guard and unprotected. Have you ever felt you were on the brink of disaster, only to have another crisis arise? Sometimes, it feels like a dogpile. Could it be that God is pushing me beyond my ability to plan, protect, and strategize, so that I know I need Him? In Jacob’s fear, he doesn’t recognize a messenger from heaven; he doesn’t assume he is dealing with God. He just fights. And this too is like us: at the ends of our ropes, we swing wildly, striking out in all directions.
Jacob struggled, trying to figure out who was attacking him. Jacob is holding his own, so his opponent touches Jacob’s hip and wounds him. The man wants free and Jacob refuses. He asks for a blessing. Somewhere in this process, Jacob has obviously begun to sense he is in the presence of someone holy. Then there is a strange dialogue: “Who are you?” comes from both parties! The “messenger” does not reveal His own name, but He does change Jacob’s. “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed” (Genesis 32:28b, ESV). And then He blessed Jacob / Israel and left him.
FOREVER CHANGED
The “messenger” is considered a “Christophany,” a pre-incarnation appearance of the Lord Jesus into human lives. He states, “you have striven with God.” Later Jacob / Israel confirms his own belief that this is true: “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered” (Genesis 32:30b, ESV). Israel is his new name. He has a limp for the rest of his life, a reminder of this supernatural night. Though he went to bed afraid of meeting his brother Esau, he confronted a much more formidable Being and was blessed, not conquered.
Make It Personal: Have you ever “wrestled” with God? Some call it a “crisis of faith” or “the dark night of the soul,” but most of us have come to a place of fear, anger, confusion, and disbelief. We have doubted that God is Who is says He is or that His motives are pure. Maybe you felt powerless and assumed He, too, was powerless in the situation. That is not the truth. God knows; He sees. He doesn’t mind your mental struggles and doubts if you are looking to Him for a blessing. Be bold. Ask it of Him!
Pray: Lord, we are afraid to struggle with You, to pray with persistence for our hearts’ desires. Today, I come to You, begging for mercy and Your blessing in this area (BE SPECIFIC!) of my life. I am committed to wrestling in prayer and remaining persistent. Thank You for changing me forever, with a new name, new robes, a new life. Thank You for putting me in hard places, so I can wrestle with my faith and discover that You are a Solid Rock. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Read: Genesis 32:24-30; Luke 18:1-8; Revelations 2:17, 3:5; Ephesians 4:22-24
Weekly Memory Verse: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6b, ESV