January 16- Wrestling with God

January 16, 2011

Scripture Reading:
Genesis 32:13-34:31; Matthew 11:7-30;
Psalm 14:1-7; Proverbs 3:19-20


When I was younger all the kids in my neighborhood would go out in the front yard after school and play games.  Sometimes it was kick the can or tackle football, but at other times we would just wrestle. I didn't like wrestling because it not only took physical strength, it also took great mental strength to beat your opponent.  I was always the one to wimp out and give up. I hated the feeling of the struggle.

In today's story God is willing to wrestle with Jacob and as Jacob wrestles with God, it changes his life forever. Jacob has finally come to a point in his life where his wits and smarts cannot help him. He is between a rock and a hard place because he is afraid that his brother, Esau, is going to kill him because of his past deceits. As he begins his journey to the Promised Land, Jacob is confronted by God, who comes to Jacob in the form of a man. This mysterious man wrestles with Jacob all night. It is a test of the wills and Jacob is very strong willed. He is resistant to humbling himself before God and letting God truly be his Lord.

Do you find yourself wrestling with God? Is it a struggle for you to submit to God's will for your life? Would you rather do it your way than God's way? If so, you can relate to Jacob.

It has been a hard fought battle, and Jacob does not appear to be letting go. At dawn, the man injures Jacob's hip and tells Jacob to let him go because there is no other way to get Jacob to quit struggling. At this point in the struggle Jacob is no longer fighting against God, but is hanging onto God for dear life. When Jacob realizes that he has been beaten, he asks God to bless him. He wants to be a friend rather than an enemy of God.

The man asks Jacob his name and then tells Jacob that he is no longer to be called Jacob, but is to change his name to Israel because he has struggled with both God and men and won.  This is how we know that Jacob has been wrestling with the pre-incarnate Christ. Jacob is told that he has just wrestled with God. We also learn that the nation of Israel will struggle on earth with men, but in the end will be blessed by God.

This incident tells us a lot about Jacob's persistence and his desire to know God.  It also tells us a lot about God and His patience and desire to have a relationship with Jacob. We now have a very good picture of what God's relationship will be with the Jacob and his offspring, nation of Israel. This name change is a prophecy of things to come.  God will continue to struggle and wrestle with the nation of Israel and they will struggle with God, but in the end they will submit to their Creator and receive His blessing.

Lesson:  God is willing to get down in the mud with you and wrestle through your problems, too. But you must be willing to humble yourself before Him, if you are to be His friend. Are you ready to hang onto God and receive the spiritual blessings He has for you?


Genesis 33

We see a tremendous change in Jacob after this encounter.  He is focused on pleasing God and acts in a much more humble fashion throughout the rest of his life. His bad hip reminds him to be humble before his Creator and trust God to work out the blessings in his life. This is never more evident than in his reunion with Esau. With great humility, Jacob returns to Canaan and offers gifts to Esau. Esau welcomes Jacob and his family with grace and forgiveness. This is a beautiful picture of what God can do in the lives of people who are willing to forgive. Humility promotes forgiveness.

Lesson:  God can change us to become humble and gentle. He can make us people who forgive others.
Are you willing to change your ways?  Do you offer forgiveness to those who have wronged you?

Genesis 34

We see Jacob's children still struggling with men and God through the story of Dinah.  Dinah is Jacob's only daughter. Dinah is raped by a local prince. Her brothers find out about the rape, deceive the local townspeople where the prince reigns, and end up killing all the men in the town because of this incident.  Jacob becomes worried that his clan will be considered a stench among the local Canaanites.  His sons, Levi and Simeon, are unapologetic about avenging their sister.

Deception and dysfunction still continue in this family. They had been wronged, but their response seems to be an over reaction.

Lesson:  What we teach our children can become a blessing or a curse in our lives. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Be careful how you raise your kids.  Be careful what you model for them in your behavior.

Matthew 11:7-30

Today we see that the struggle that started with God and Jacob/Israel continues during Jesus' time on earth between Jesus and the nation of Israel.

Christ, speaking to his Jewish audience, pronounces that John the Baptist was the prophet predicted by Isaiah, who would prepare the way for the Messiah. Jesus states that John is great, but that anyone who receive the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John. 

Jesus emphasizes that they are all witnessing what the Scriptures predicted of the coming Savior. (Vs. 13) He derides the Israelites as unsatisfied children, and denounces the Israelite cities where he has performed his miracles.  He wrestles with their unbelief and states that if those miracles had been done in Sodom, those people would have believed. This is quite an indictment.  Jesus tells the Jews that it will be better for Sodom in the Judgment than it will be for them.

Jesus' prayer reflects God's on going contentious relationship with His chosen people:

"O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise and clever, and for revealing it to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!  My Father has given me authority over everything. No one really knows the Son except the Father, and no one really knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."  (NLT) Vs. 25-27

Jesus states that for those who would like to heed his teaching and who are willing to stop trying to have a relationship with God based solely on following Old Testament Law and traditions, they can come to him if they are burdened and weary by trying to live by the Law and he will give them rest.  He is humble and gentle. His yoke is easy and his burden is light. This is in direct contrast to how the religious leaders of the his day approached God. They tried to live by rules and regulations, rather than living by grace.

Does it surprise you to hear Jesus say that he chooses to whom he will reveal the true nature of the Father?  Are you okay with Jesus' authority over all things?  He describes himself as a gentle teacher.  He claims that his message is easier than the message of the teachers of the Law in Israel. Do you agree? Do you rest in Jesus' teaching or do you continue to rely on your own works to please God?

Psalm 14:1-7

Only a fool says in their heart "there is no God".  The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race to see if there are any who seek Him.  Conclusion:  Vs. 3  There is no one who does good, not even one!

How do you define good?  Do you define it the way God does?

Proverbs 3:19-20

God founded the earth on wisdom and the heavens by understanding. Think back to Genesis as you read these words.

What did you notice today?

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal
Kathy Fullerton