Theological Commentary: Click Here
For me,
Genesis 32 is the crux of Jacob’s life.
It is in this chapter that Jacob shows his true humanity one last
time. Yet it is in this chapter that
Jacob finally wrestles with God fully and completely. It is now that Jacob has his name changed,
indicating a change in his character.
Let’s start
with where Jacob finds himself. Esau
comes out to meet him. No wonder Jacob
is afraid. Jacob returns home a rich and
wealthy man with many wives and even more children. He has animals and slaves to spare. The first person this wealthy man finds upon
returning home is the brother that he twice cheated. Jacob’s fear is measurable in this chapter.
Look at how
Jacob deals with the situation. First,
Jacob gets mad at God and demands protection.
What does the human being do in the face of trouble? He gets defensive, demanding, and comes to
God in the midst of his frustration and fear.
Next, Jacob
begins to lean upon his own strength. He
devises a plan to part with his own wealth.
He plans on giving Esau many small gifts to try and bribe him and win
his favor.
Here is an
interesting point. Having come to God in
anger and fear, Jacob doesn’t wait for God’s response. Jacob sets out to solve his own problem. Naturally, this raises the question. Why do we turn and rage against God if we
also don’t intend on giving Him an opportunity to respond? At least Job had that part figured out!
In spite of
Jacob’s plan, God does come to Jacob. god
does wrestle with Jacob. It is a mighty
struggle indeed. In wrestling with God,
Jacob finds out that God will be able to care for him. In the end, Jacob is irrevocably changed. His name is changed. His hip is permanently thrown out of
joint. When we do meet God, it is a life-changing
experience. We’ll dive deeper into this
thought tomorrow.
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