“No Longer Jacob, but Israel”

Meditation on Genesis 32:22-31

Oct. 20, 2013

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      The same night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the day is breaking.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go, unless you bless me.’ So he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’ 

      Then the man said, ‘You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with beings divine and human, and have prevailed.’  Then Jacob asked him, ‘Please tell me your name.’ But he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’ And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.’  The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.

***

     This past week I received an anxious call from one of my sons away in college.  Jacob is tired of school and living in a dorm, wanting to be working, and worried about the future. He feels, I am sure, like many other seniors halfway through the first semester of his final year.

       So Jim and I decided to take a ride out to Mankato on Tuesday to see our sons and encourage them in person.  How precious is that hug, smile, and meal off campus with your parents when school anxiety sets in! 

       Friends, how precious are the moments when someone who cares listens as we share our worries—and reminds us just how far we have come!

      Reading the Jacob story in Genesis this week, I remembered when my son Jacob, my second child, was a baby. A friend from church asked me why we named him Jacob. What she really meant was, “How could you name him Jacob, knowing the story of Jacob and the meaning of his name?” Jacob or Ya’akov is Hebrew for “heel” or “leg puller.”    

      But that’s only the beginning of Jacob’s story, I told her. Jacob doesn’t remain Jacob. God will intervene and transform him, through his struggles and in the midst of them. Jacob will become someone new—someone God will use for His purposes. 

        The Jacob of Genesis is a twin. His mother, Rebekah, is greatly distressed by her babies’ constant movement in her womb. The two are struggling against one another. Sibling rivalry had begun.

       Rebekah becomes so disturbed that she asks the Lord the reason for her suffering. The Lord tells her, “Two nations are in your womb.  Two separate people shall issue from your body.  One people shall be mightier than the other. And the older shall serve the younger.”

    Now this wasn’t the way of ancient societies.  The firstborn male inherited the family’s property and the younger children were subservient to him. This way the land would remain in the family intact from generation to generation.

    But God had a plan for Rebekah and Isaac’s second born, who emerges from the womb holding on to the heel of his brother.  Thus his name, Ya’akov—“Heel.”

    Esau, whose name means “red,” is bigger and stronger than Jacob. He becomes a mighty hunter and his father’s favorite. Jacob is Rebekah’s favorite, knowing the Lord has chosen her second born for His purposes. Jacob’s people will be a mighty nation. The line of the Old Testament patriarchs will continue through Jacob—not Esau. Yet Jacob is not a warrior. He is a mild man, preferring to stay close to home. 

      Jacob’s life is full of struggles. Many of his problems begin when he and his mother deceive his father into giving Jacob the blessing of the firstborn that Isaac, elderly and blind, meant for Esau. When Esau finds out, he threatens to kill Jacob. For his own protection, Rebekah sends Jacob off to her kin in Haran on a ruse to find a wife. Rebekah will never see Jacob again.

      But God will be with him. On the first night of his journey to Haran, Jacob dreams of a ladder with angels going up and down. He says with awe, “Surely the Lord is present in this place.”

     ***

       In today’s reading, Jacob is on his way home to Canaan. Twenty years or more have passed since Jacob left. He has persevered through many difficulties, tending the flocks of his uncle Laban, who repeatedly deceives and mistreats him.  Jacob falls in love with Laban’s daughter, Rachel, and works for her father for 7 years before Laban permits them to marry.  Only, Laban goes back on his promise by giving him Rachel’s older sister Leah in marriage, instead.  Jacob must agree to work for Laban another 7 years so he can finally marry the love of his life.    

        And then, after they are married, Rachel fails to conceive. She is humiliated when her older sister and their handmaids give birth to numerous children with Jacob. All the while Laban is still treating his son-in-law like a slave, though the flocks are flourishing under Jacob’s care —making Laban a wealthy man. 

      Finally, Rachel gives birth to a son—Joseph.  Jacob decides it’s time to go back to Canaan.  But Laban refuses to let him go. He knows that God has been blessing him because of Jacob. So Jacob leaves with his wives, children, and all his belongings when Laban is off sheering sheep. Laban eventually catches up with his nephew/son-in-law. There is a confrontation, and a pact is made. Freed from his anxiety about Laban, Jacob continues his journey home with his wives and kids.  But he is haunted by memories of what happened between him and Esau. Fearing Esau’s wrath and retribution, Jacob prays to the Lord. He confesses that he is unworthy of all the kindnesses that God has steadfastly shown him. And he asks God to deliver him and his wives and children from Esau’s hand.

      Then, hoping to gain his brother’s goodwill, Jacob sends ahead messengers with presents for Esau—some of his choice livestock and slaves.  The messengers return with news that frightens Jacob even more; Esau is approaching with 400 men! Jacob is so scared he can’t sleep that night when he rises and takes his wives and children across the Jabbok.  He is alone when a mysterious assailant wrestles with him until dawn—and Jacob figures out that the man isn’t human. The assailant is ’elohim –Hebrew for “divine being” or “God.”

      Jacob, the one named “heel” because he clung to his brother’s foot at birth, refuses to let the divine being go, though ‘elohim wrenches his hip at the socket.  Jacob stubbornly holds on, insisting that he tell him his name and give him a blessing.

     The being refuses to reveal his identity; instead, he gives Jacob a new one.

   “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel,” says ‘elohim, “for you have struggled with beings divine and human—and prevailed.”

     Israel is Hebrew for “God strives” or “God struggles.”

     “God perseveres.”

    

***

     I have to tell you that this is one of my favorite scenes in Jacob’s life—this wrestling in the night. For me, it symbolizes our struggle with God and being obedient to His Will. Just holding onto our faith can be a struggle when we, like Jacob, are tempted by our fear or anxiety. Jacob prevailing over the Lord is a demonstration of God’s mercy. Of course the Lord let Jacob win! But only after he put up a good fight to make Jacob feel stronger, so that he could more confidently face his brother. The Lord revealing Himself to Jacob in the form of a man demonstrates God’s love—so Jacob would know the Lord was still with him.  And that he would prevail—because God was with him!  The resulting limp from his injury would forever be a reminder to Jacob of his intimate encounter with the Lord, when he saw ‘elohim face to face, yet his life was preserved!     

     Soon after Jacob wrestles with God, Jacob and Esau meet and are reconciled. The 400 men with Esau are not an army coming to attack. They are Esau’s household welcoming Jacob home!

      The message today, brothers and sisters, is about persevering—holding onto the Lord through our struggles as stubbornly as Jacob clung to the one who wrestled with him until dawn. We are no longer what or who we used to be. Clothed in Christ, we have new God-given identities. We are being transformed so the Lord can use us for His purposes. And we can look forward to our Lord’s welcome to us in our heavenly home.

     But while serving Him in this world, may we be stirred to reach out and encourage others who are anxious, remembering how precious are the moments when someone who cares listens as we share our worries—and reminds us just how far we’ve come!

      And that we will prevail—because God is with us!

   

  Let us pray.

Merciful God, thank you for giving us your Word and Spirit to teach us how to live. Thank you for your sacrifice of Your Son, so that we may be transformed into new creatures, with new lives and God-given identities. Thank you for being our refuge and beckoning us to come boldly to you with our needs and to seek your face. We pray that you would remove all fear and anxiety from our hearts and minds and help us to be more obedient to your will. And we ask that you be with our young people who are not with us today. Watch over and protect those who are away from us for work, school or military service.  Draw them closer to you. Encourage them through the kindness of people around them. Remind them just how far they have come and their hope in You. Give us all courage to face every struggle with confidence, trusting in your unfailing love and everlasting presence so that we, like Jacob, will prevail!  In Christ we pray.  Amen.