Gen 32:24-28 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him. He touch the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, "Let me go, for the day breaks, "But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!" 27 So He said to him "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob." 28 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."
Observation - This encounter with God is right before Jacob reunites with the brother he had tricked as a young man. Esau is set to meet with Jacob and the bible says that Jacob is in fear. He is afraid that Esau and his men are going to kill him and his family and steal what he has worked 20 years for. He retreats to a place across the "ford" with Leah, Rachel, his female servants and his children. He has them go a little further and camp and he stays alone. Once he was left alone he began to wrestle with a Man. Hosea describes this Man as an angel or the Lord Himself. Jacob is alone wrestling with God and will not let him go. As daybreak approaches, the angel says "let me go" and Jacob says "absolutely not - not until you bless me" The angel puts his socket out and then blesses Jacob. Jacob was determined to get a blessing.
Application - There are a few points that I draw from this portion of scripture:
1. The hip socket - I have always wondered by he put out the hip socket. In Jacobs wrestling match he would not let go of God until he got a blessing. Some commentaries says that he put out the him socket to show Jacob that God could not be overtaken by man. I guess that is a distinct possibility. I also believe there is significance to the fact that Jacob limped from that point on in his life. Up to this point Jacob had been a supplanter - in fact his name was defined as such. He was a trickster and didn't walk completely straight. From this encounter, Jacobs name was changed to Israel which means "struggled and saved by God". This was a turning point in Jacob's walk. While his physical walk had a limp, he was straighted completely out in his spiritual walk. As if God gave him a constant reminder that he needed to depend on God and walk uprightly before Him.
2. The struggle before the blessing - Jacob was about to face an army of 400 men and his angry, tricked brother. He was deathly afraid of what might happen even though God had told him that he would be alright. Jacob was alone and wrestled with God. That alone encounter gave him the confidence to face his brother. He struggled with God but gained the perspective of God's sovereign control in his life. Sometimes we need to get alone with God and don't let go until we are blessed. The breakthrough is powerful in our lives.
Prayer - Father help me to understand the wrestling and to constantly walk spiritually upright.
