Wrestle

I think most adults know what it means to wrestle with someone but how many know what it means to wrestle with the Lord?  If you have ever seen a real, non-fake, wrestling match, or participated yourself, you know it is hard work.  There is sweat and pain involved and sometimes total exhaustion.  When the match is over someone may walk away hurt and humiliated.  It takes a lot of determination, strength and fortitude to win a wrestling match.  I know a little about it because when I was a young boy I would wrestle with my brother quite often.

There was a man in the Bible called Jacob who also knew a little about wrestling, it is said that he wrestled with an angel of God.  It is hard for me to understand how a man could prevail against an angel but this is what it says in Genesis 32:22-28, read it yourself, “And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, ‘Let Me go, for the day breaks.’ But he said, ‘I will not let You go unless You bless me!’ So He said to him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Jacob.’ And He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.’”

It also says this about Jacob in Hosea 12:3-4, “He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and in his strength he struggled with God. Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; He wept, and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, and there He spoke to us.”

This is what it says about the power of one angel in Isaiah 37:36, “Then the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead.”  

If one angel can do this, and much more, how can one man prevail against an angel, there must have been something else going on here than what meets the eye. This is what the footnotes say in my NAS Ryrie study Bible; “The man who wrestled Jacob is called an angel in Hosea 12:4 and was evidently the preincarnate Christ.  Jacob’s wrestling involved agonizing prayer (Hosea12:4).  God allowed Himself to be overcome by Jacob, though He crippled him (whether temporarily or for the rest of his life is not stated).  His limp, however, was proof that this was no mere dream.  The Lord wanted to depart before daylight lest Jacob see Him (cf. Exodus 33:20), but Jacob insisted on being blessed first.  So God changed his name from Jacob to Israel which means ‘he fights or persists with God’ (in prevailing prayer).”

If you know anything about Jacob, you know he was a deceiver, liar and a coward; when he deceived Esau, his twin brother, he ran for his life.  This event happened just before he was going to meet up with his brother once again.  My feeling, from what I’ve read, is that God allowed this to take place to bring Jacob to his knees, to humble him so he would stop depending on himself and his resources and surrender to God and let Him take control and to be Lord of his life.  When Jacob’s name was changed by God to Israel he was a new man, praise the Lord!!

What about you, have you been trying to control your own life doing your own thing, going your own way and calling all the shots, so to speak?  How has it been working out for you?  Is there joy in the journey or devastation and turmoil?  It doesn’t have to be that way, Jacob found that out and humbled himself before the Lord and was delivered and you can be also.  The Word says this in Psalms 34:8, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”

This is a warm invitation to get to know the Lord, try it, you will like it.  Stop being disobedient and start trusting the Lord.  Repent and humble yourself before the Lord, which is a good place to start.  Instead of wrestling with Him, surrender your life to Him.  Like I said, “taste and see that the Lord is good.”  Something to think about!  Have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!