Sermon Central
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Struggling With God
Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Feb 13, 2009 (message contributor)
STRUGGLING WITH GOD
Just because God calls us or permits us to do something, it doesn't mean that we can afford to be complacent about it. Jacob’s return to the land of the promise was risky. If Jacob didn’t learn to be a little less conniving and little less arrogant, the old sibling feud would fire up and Esau would kill him. But when Jacob ("Cheater") wrestled with God, he became Israel ("Struggler with God") and limped physically for the rest of his life. Even if Esau had wanted to slaughter his brother for old time’s sake, was he going to slaughter a cripple?
Jacob learned something from God in his experience, and Jacob became less of a threat to Esau in the experience. And God, by seeming to oppose Jacob and put him in a life-threatening situation, brought about a reunion and safely put Israel where God wanted him.
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