This morning we are going to look at the life of a man who was nothing more than a deceiver. We are going to examine his life, to learn how his life changed for the better. We are going to find out how Jacob received a blessing from God that completely changed his life. This morning I pray that as we look through the Scriptures we will able to understand where we fall short of God’s plan, and how we too can receive that life changing blessing. So open your Bibles to the 32nd Chapter of Genesis. We will begin looking at verse 24. (Read Text).
Before we can understand how and why Jacob’s life was changed we must first look to the past. I am going to set the background for you.
Jacob took advantage of Esau when he was hungry. He deceived Isaac for the blessing of the firstborn. He tried to marry the youngest sister when custom dictated she should wait until the eldest was married first. He got the strongest animals as his share, and gives the weakest to Laban (30:37-43). He left the house of Laban without telling him he was leaving (31:20).
Even in Jacob’s first encounter with God (28:10-22) he cannot simply believe what God told him; he turns it into a kind of bargain: "IF God does what He said He would do, THEN He will be my God." God wants to bless His people. I don’t care where you are. There is a place of blessing for you. I don’t care who you are. God wants to pour out His blessing upon you. This is the lesson we learn from the story of Jacob. In a most unlikely place and in a most unusual way God came to this unlikely prospect "And He Blessed Him There." If a man like Jacob can experience the blessing of God there is hope for us.
But now he’s coming home. You see, many years earlier, after Jacob stole the blessing from Esau, his mother Rebekah was going to send for him after Esau calmed down. But there is nothing in the Bible that she ever sent word that it was safe to come home. But God tells Jacob to “go home”. Now after many years had passed Jacob was returning home and he was afraid that his brother might still try to kill him. I mean think about it. Your younger brother stole your family inheritance right out from under you. If I was Esau I would be pretty upset. Jacob was undoubted fearful for his life to return home.
Now, Jacob had come to the Jabbok River and crossing it meant crossing into Esau’s territory. Hoping to appease his brother so that he wouldn’t kill him he sent gifts across the river ahead of him. He sent his servants with gifts for Esau of 220 goats, 220 sheep, 30 camels, 40 cows, 10 bulls, and 30 donkeys. As Jacob was making these preparations he said to himself, “I will pacify him with these gifts I am sending on ahead; later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me” (Genesis 32:20). Later that night he sent his wives and sons across the river and finally he sent the rest of his servants with the rest of his possessions across and Jacob was left alone. I want you to trace the path that lead’s to God’s blessings
I. TO BE BLESSED WE MUST LEAVE ALL BEHIND. (32:24a)
The Jabbok River enters the Jordan River midways between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. Jacob’s family has just crossed the Jabbok just east of where it enters the Jordan River. All of his wealth, all of his wives, all of his children, his animals, his workers were gone, and Jacob was left alone.
But for some reason, Jacob remained on the opposite bank from his family. Now why was this? He was clearly conscious that a great crisis had come in his life. Anything might happen on the next morning with Esau and his four hundred men arrived. Jacob had prayed, prayed and planned, and now there was nothing more for him to do. And yet there he was, in the darkness of the night, alone, with all the events of the past day clear before him, with all the awful possibilities of the coming day well in view. Why, then was he alone? Most all the commentaries I read said that he was most likely on guard. Just in case Esau’s army attacked in the night, only he would be seen therefore protecting his family from death. Honestly, I would have to say that it was God that wanted him to be alone. He needed to be alone to get some things right with God. Jacob really feared for his life and I believe Jacob needed to be alone to expect God’s help.
Before we can expect anything from God we must be alone. We must forfeit all. Nothing we have can stop us from getting that blessing from God. My friends that blessing for a Christian it non other than Jesus Christ. Jesus came to this earth, suffered, bled and died, rose from the grave, and is now sitting at the right hand of God. Jesus said all that forfeit all and follow him will inherit eternal life. Brother and sisters if we give it all away and acknowledge we have nothing, oh Praise God, we will have eternal life. Oh now that’s a blessing.
We are promised if we come to Christ. Now Jacob was looking for the same kind of blessing. Jacob wanted to be spared from death and he knew that God was the only way of staying alive. When everything is at stake a night of prayer is no burden, but rather a life-line.
Now 32:24 goes on to say that while Jacob was alone a man came and wrestled with him until dawn. Now the identity of this man was a secret at first, but as we read further into the text we find out that this was no ordinary man. This was none other than the angel of Yahweh. Jacob had no way of knowing what was happening when the match began, nor does the text reveal to the reader anything other than a human match. But since we learn that Jacob’s opponent was God himself, what could the text possibly mean when it says, he saw that he prevailed not against him? The commentator Waltke states, “Humbling himself, God has to come to Jacob on some type of even terms.”
II. TO BE BLESSED WE MUST KEEP STRIVING FOR IT. (32:24b-25)
Look back into the Scriptures. We pick up in the last part of verse 24. “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.”
Jacob and this mysterious person began to wrestle. The Bible does not give an accurate amount time they did wrestle, but from the looks of it they had been wrestling a while. The man soon noticed that he was not winning the fight, so he touched Jacob’s hip. When he touched his hip, it popped out of joint. Now a few years ago my grandmother separated her hip. I was there at her house that day when this incident occurred. She was walking in the back yard and slipped on a golf ball that I “accidentally” left in her yard. Now when my grandmother slipped, she screamed, she cried, she even said a few curse words, but the fact is; she was in pain. She tried to stand, but immediately fell back to the grass. She just laid there on the ground crying out for help.
Notice what Jacob did. This mysterious person touched Jacob on the hip and separated it, but Jacob just kept on fighting. Jacob had a very strong will, and by now obviously he knew he was fighting with someone stronger than a mortal man. There aren’t too many men that I know that can just touch someone and break a bone. Anyway, Jacob kept the fight alive. This man, realizing that dawn was approaching, told Jacob to let him go.
Jacob told this man, I will not let you go until you bless me. Now it is clear. Jacob knew this man was a heavenly being. Whether he knew it was God or not, he knew this man had divine powers. Jacob said you have to bless me. He kept holding on despite his broken hip until he got what he most desperately needed.
Brother and sisters, the man said to Jacob, “You have struggled with God and with men and you have won…” God wants us to win. Is it possible you could win in whatever you may be struggling with right now? Perhaps you are struggling with self/God in a faith or health issue, your age stage or future, over a job, old pain from your past that continues to poison your present? Or perhaps what you are wrestling with is sexual? We wrestle with all the sins of the world every day, and we wrestle against Satan on a day basis. We need to win these fights and my friends, God wants us to win.
When those times get hard, and your spiritual or physically hurt, you have to hold on and strive to win. The Scripture say for those to persevere to the end shall be saved. We are in a wrestling match continuously and we have to hold on. If we want to be blessed we have to keep fighting these attacks of Satan and win.
III. TO BE BLESSED WE MUST HAVE A CHANGE OF HEART. (32:27-30)
The text continues, “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.”
The fight is still continuing and Jacob had to say his name. "What is your name?" God asked. “Name” always stands for “character.” Now this is not a superficial question. It is not an easy question, and I am not sure that a correct answer is as important as an open, honest, submissive answer. The best answer would have probably been, "YOU know who I am, Lord! Show me who I am!" (Psalm 139), but Jacob simply said, "My name is Jacob! I am a deceiver! I am a heel-grasper!"
The greatest problem in life is not our circumstances but our heart. Jacob felt his life was filled with problems. He was exhausted from fighting Laban and now worn out thinking about having to confront Esau. But what Jacob didn’t realize was that the greatest battle being waged was the one being waged in his heart. The ultimate issue was this: "Who will be in Charge?"
Jacob wanted God’s blessing but did not want God’s ownership of his life. He wanted God to "bail him out" in the hard times but he did not want to submit to God in his living. Jacob had a surface faith in that he wanted the benefits of God but not a relationship with God. Jacob’s problem was not his impending meeting with Esau. His real problem was his superficial relationship with the Lord of the Universe.
Yes, there are a lot of horrible and tragic things going on in the world. They break our hearts. Hopefully they will also break our wills. Hopefully these things will show us our desperate need of God, to bring comfort and strength in the heartache, to bring meaning and purpose to life, to bring guidance in the daily decisions of our lives, and to bring forgiveness and new life to our souls to bring us life beyond the grave. The hard times hopefully will get us to see that the greatest need is not for deliverance from the hard times . . . but deliverance from ourselves.
I have a little nephew named Dylan. Dylan is nearly 3 years old and is the cutest child in the world. If you don’t believe me, just ask me. Dylan is a very honest little child. I love to ask him where Jesus is at. He looks around the room and says “not there” in every direction. Then he says, “Jesus in my heart.” Now he is nearly 3 years old, but knows that Jesus is in his heart. He doesn’t know yet where his heart is, but he knows Jesus is there.
That is what God is trying to get Jacob to find out. God knows where Jacob’s heart is, but Jacob does not know where it is. If we want to be blessed by God, we have to have a change of heart.
Jacob heard God say a NEW name for him. "Your name is Israel!" You have prevailed with God! [In Revelation 2 the risen Savior promises the church in Pergamos that those who overcome will be given a white stone, and in that stone a name written that no one knows except the one who receives it. Mysterious language, perhaps. But God is interested in changing us from who we are to what He has in mind that we may become. And we can be certain that our name will be glorious!] God glorified Jacob with a new name. The question for you is "Would you rather be a heel-grasper or a Prince with God?"
IV. TO BE BLESSED WE MUST BE WILLING WALK A NEW WAY. (32:31-32)
The last thing in the text that I want us to look at is the new way that Jacob walked. The text says, “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.”
Notice the text that says, “He halted upon his thigh.” That basically means he “limped” or “hobbled.” Jacob a rich man, with wives, children, and mighty possession most likely walked with his head held high and with an arrogant walk, but not any longer. Now Jacob was walking with a limp. He had fought God and won. He said he would not stop fighting till God gave him the blessing he requested, so he was blessed. He was blessed, but he had the pain still with him, because now he was limping.
Christian brothers and sisters, when we have been blessed by God, we cannot strut any longer. I’m fixing to start preaching so it’s time to buckle those “pew-belts.” When God blesses us, we are not the same. We once walked in a land full of sin, full of wickedness, but since we have been blessed by God, we cannot continue to walk in that life.
We were once lost to sin, but Jesus has made us whole. Our friends drink, our friends curse, they cheat, they steal, they rape, they live in the sins of this world, but God has made us to walk a different way. We are no longer the same. We cannot cover up our limp, because it is too noticeable. Brother and sisters, you cannot cover up what God has given you. You might as well let your friends and neighbors know that your blessed by God and you’ll never walk that sinful, boastful life again. Today if your not a Christian, then you are fighting with God. Do you want to be blessed? Are you ready for a new life? Do you want to be made whole? The Bible says repent and be made whole. What you have to do is simple. You must leave all the sins of your life behind, strive or want a new life, have a change of heart, and be willing to walk a different life. Do you want to be blessed? Today is the day of salvation. Today I want a blessing from Jehovahjireh.
