The Birth of Israel

"And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons and passed over the ford Jabbok. And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had. And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel; for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank." (Genesis 32:22-32)

Jacob makes sure his family is safely encamped past the stream called Jabbok, but then he himself returns back over it to find a place of solitude, in which he can wait upon the answer he seeks from God. In the same sentence we are told he is left alone and at the same time wrestling a man til the break of day. Do we determine from this statement that it was in a vision or a dream that this wrestling match occurred or was it a real occurrence?

The truth is that, in either case, it was real and left a very real defect in Jacob's thigh that caused him to limp for the rest of his life. While we are not told where this "man" came from, we are told that Jacob believed this man to be God Himself. Certainly the "man" spoke with a prophetic authority that could only come from God. We might, then, determine that this is another instance, such as Abraham experienced, of meeting the "angel of the Lord" or Jesus Christ in His pre-incarnate form. Thus, this WAS God Himself that Jacob struggled with.

And the struggle was all about a blessing. Jacob, the usurper, who sought Esau's blessings of both birthright and double portion of inheritance, needed the biggest blessing of all on this particular night. In fact, for the first time, Jacob is not struggling to obtain a blessing for himself alone, but for his entire family of two wives, two womenservants (concubines), their eleven sons and one daughter, plus a huge company of servants and animals.

Jacob, a man who knows the true value of birthrights and inheritances, and goes after them by whatever means are available to him; a man who loves so passionately that he barters away 14 years of his life for one woman; this same Jacob is the one who now wrestles with God himself refusing to let Him go until he is blessed by God. This is no ordinary, mundane, passive individual. This is a ferocious and bull-doggedly determined individual who though aware of his own faults and wrong-doings, still has the bold audacity to insist upon a blessing from God! And God FAVORS him! Wow! That should be a revelation to us!

And what IS the revelation? That Jacob considered God to be a GOOD God even when he, Jacob, was bad, and a God of BLESSINGS, rather than of PUNISHMENT! The same bull-doggedness that made Jacob do all that he had done (whether good or bad) in his life, also caused him to have bull-dogged faith in the GOODNESS of God towards him! Not because he deserved it or earned it or it was due him, but just simply because GOD IS GOOD!

And what does Jacob's determination to NOT LET GO get for him? The very blessing that he sought and even more than he is able to imagine. God, the one Jacob is wrestling with, gives him a new name: ISRAEL. And from this determined yet frail human named Jacob, an entire nation will be born! God does not think small. Why do we?

It is because of Jacob's determination and his faith in God's goodness towards him, that he is told that he is "like a prince" (royalty) and has "power with God and with men"…power with God meaning that God favors him and hears his requests and grants them and protects him; power with men meaning that Jacob's blessedness and protection that comes from God makes him powerful among men in terms of provision and wealth, and even points men towards God who is Jacob's benefactor. If God is for you, who can be against you?

We need Abraham's courage to leave all that is familiar to us and venture forth following God alone. We need Isaac's "fear" of God that reminds us that God alone is sovereign. And finally we need Jacob's determined faith and audacity to believe in AND receive the blessings that our GOOD God has promised us in His Word! We cannot shrink back and still be blessed by God. We must pursue with all that is in us, until God Himself brings us to a halt of His own timing, as happened here with Jacob – halted by God's touch on his thigh for God always prevails.

We do not serve a God who is untouchable and unconcerned with our human troubles. We serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – the same God who chose frail men to pour out His blessing onto – men such as you and I – yet they were men who believed the Word that God spoke, trusted in His promises to them, and deemed God to be good, faithful, and able to fulfill those promises! He is this same God. He has not changed. He is not dead. And His Promise is still there for all who will trust in Him.

Wrestle with Him if you will, but do not leave until you have received the blessing He has promised!