I have never understood why people enjoy professional “rasslin’,” as we called it when I was a boy and the Saturday afternoon matches on TV featured characters like the mountainous Haystacks Calhoun, the masked “Mr. Wrestling,” and a bad-guy tag team known as “the Assassins.” 

 

Does watching beefed up men in tights being thrown around, choked, and stomped give viewers an adrenaline or testosterone rush? Do the theatrically staged violence and “hero vs. villain” aspects provide a vicarious way for people to give vent to their anger or frustrations? I don’t know, but there’s a market for it. 

 

When most of us wrestle, it’s most likely to be a mental effort to overcome an unhealthy habit or to wrangle our finances into shape. Sometimes, though, we may find ourselves feeling as if we were wrestling with God over some personal struggle. We may plead, argue, or bargain with God, but few can claim to have engaged the divine in hand-to-hand combat. 

 

There is one man who could. His name was Jacob. 

 

 

 

Jacob had traveled a long and winding road before we meet him in today’s text. He was the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, with a much-deserved reputation as a rascal. Jacob cheated his brother Esau so badly that he had to flee for his life while still a young man. After spending 20 years or more in the northwest Mesopotamian city of Haran with his conniving uncle Laban, he prepared to return to his homeland as a prosperous man with a large family. [DD] [DD]

 

Traveling south along the eastern bank of the Jordan river, “the angels of God met him,” the narrator says, leading Jacob to believe he had stumbled upon “God’s camp” (32:1-2). This apparently encouraged him enough to send messengers to his estranged brother, alerting him that he was moving back toward home (32:3-8). (See “The Hardest Question” online for more on Jacob’s encounters with angels.)

 

Still nervous about their reunion, Jacob referred to Esau as “my lord Esau” and described himself as “your servant Jacob.”

 

Jacob got no comfort from a following report that Esau had set out to meet him with a small army of 400 men.  Attempting defensive measures, he divided his family and property into two camps in hopes that one could escape if the other was attacked. He then prayed for deliverance, according to Gen. 32:9-12. [DD] Hoping to placate his brother, Jacob sent a large gift of valuable livestock ahead of him (32:13-21), spaced out in several groups for maximum effect.

 

 

 

Jacob then took his wives, children, and all his possessions across the ford to the south side of the Jabbok river (now called Zarqa) – and surprisingly left them there while he returned to the north bank to remain alone through the night. 

 

Was Jacob being cowardly? Did he need some “alone time”? Did he want to pray for deliverance in private? The text doesn’t say, nor does it tell as much as we’d like to know about what happened next.  

 

A man appeared, we are told, and “wrestled with him until daybreak” (v. 24). The Hebrew word for “wrestle” is from the same root that means “dust.” Literally, it means “to get dusty,” which is bound to happen when one wrestles in the dirt. 

 

Because we have read the whole story, we know that the “man” (’ish) was either God or a supernatural stand-in in human form, but apparently with some self-imposed limitations. God had “stood by” Jacob and blessed him as he prepared to leave Canaan. God met him again as he prepared to re-enter the land – but this time blessing was preceded by wrestling.

 

We don’t know how or when Jacob concluded that he was dealing with a divine opponent. Commentators have proposed that he may have thought his assailant was Esau, or a river demon. [DD] The writer said the grueling match lasted through the night, but offers no details. 

 

That Jacob should prove to be a strong opponent is not surprising. He was known for having moved a heavy stone well cover by himself (Gen. 29:1-10), and tenacity was his trademark. As daybreak drew near, Jacob’s opponent saw that he “did not prevail” against Jacob through pure wrestling, so he struck him a blow that dislocated his hip (v. 25). 

 

The word translated as “strike” can also mean “touch,” and some read this to mean that God exercised supernatural power by just touching Jacob’s hip and putting it out of joint. But, since the opponent is clearly portrayed as self-limited and unable to prevail, the probable intent is that the divine adversary maneuvered Jacob into a vulnerable position and then struck his hip in such a way as to put it out of joint. 

 

 

 

Though the dislocation would have been extremely painful, Jacob held tight when his opponent said “Let me go,” even though God reminded him that dawn was breaking. It was widely believed that anyone who saw God’s face would die, so the request was for Jacob’s benefit.

 

Still, Jacob was determined to wrangle a blessing from his adversary and was willing to risk his life in the effort.  

 

The encounter switched from physical to verbal. God asked Jacob’s name, which he readily supplied. God then gave him a new name: “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed” (v. 28). “Israel” can mean “God fights,” but it could also be read to mean “he struggled (with) God.” Given the context, the latter seems more likely. [DD][DD]

 

Jacob was not satisfied to receive a new name of his own, however: he wanted to know the name of his combatant. Was he still uncertain with whom he was wrestling, or did he hope that God would reveal a more personal name that might grant Jacob some advantage? We cannot be sure: God’s only reply was “Why do you ask?” (v. 29).

 

Jacob did not learn the name of his opponent, but he did win a blessing. God refused to give Jacob what he wanted, but blessed him with what he needed, and that’s all we know.

 

But Jacob also felt blessed in another way. He must have caught at least a shadowy glimpse of his opponent, for he named the place “Peniel” (more commonly spelled “Penuel”), which means “face of God.” Proud of having survived the encounter, Jacob said “I have seen God face to face, and my life has been preserved” (v. 30).

 

One of the most vivid images in all of scripture is the next one, told with bare-bones simplicity: “And the sun broke out on him as he crossed over Penuel, limping on his hip” (v. 31). Jacob may have seen God and survived, but he did not emerge unmarked. [DD]

 

 

 

Can such an arcane story speak to others who also struggle with God? Consider that Jacob’s encounter with God was preceded by a prayer for deliverance (32:9-12), followed by the employment of a defensive strategy designed to protect his family. Jacob believed in praying for divine help, but also in doing what he could for himself. We can learn from that.

 

The nocturnal wrestling match with God, in some ways, combines both prayer and action: Jacob physically struggled with God, while also engaging in a conversation designed to elicit a blessing from God. Do our prayers come too easy, or do they reflect a serious spiritual struggle to become what God wants us to be? [DD]

 

Few of us could claim to have grappled with God in a physical sense, but Jacob’s encounter at the Jabbok reminds us that God still comes to meet us on our own level, in our own imperfections, where we are, and offers blessing. We don’t need to wrestle or wheedle blessings from God: they are freely granted. 

 

Jacob’s exchange with God reminds us that names are important: both the name we are given and the name we make for ourselves. God knows our names and needs. God didn’t have to ask Jacob’s name, but apparently wanted the cunning patriarch to confess his nature as one who overreaches. The new name God gave honored Jacob’s continued willingness to reach beyond what was expected: as he had struggled with men, so he had struggled with God – and for the good.

 

Jacob’s encounter reminds us that God can break into our lives at any time and lead us in new directions. Jacob apparently had few thoughts beyond protecting himself and his family when he encountered the unexpected, mysterious presence of God. He was still walking when he emerged from the encounter, but his limp was a clear reminder that his life had been changed forever. 

 

Jacob’s story might also remind us of another time when God came to earth in human form for the purpose of blessing. Jesus became incarnate, intentionally self-limited during his life on earth. He struggled with temptation and weariness and frustration, just as we do. He engaged in match after match with opponents and critics. He wrestled in the garden with his own very natural desire to escape the cost of Calvary, but he held on to the end, taking our wounds upon himself. Because of that, we can also catch a glimpse of what God is like. We can be changed, and take on a new name, and set out on a new road to live out the meaning of “Christian.”