Jabbok A Place Of Total Surrender

Some may be very religious people. Like Jacob, they may have experienced great revelations, seen angels, and perhaps even heard from God. But at Bethel the flesh is still in control.

It is a place of religion, but not true spirituality. It is a partial revelation. It goes for all the blessings while ignoring the deep inner struggle. It is being in the presence of the Lord without dealing with the Jacob nature. That comes only at Jabbok.

2. Jabbok is a place of absolute surrender.

It is a place of total victory...but you are never ready for Jabbok until you are desperate. You have to come to the end of yourself. Your burden of sin must bring you to a life and death crisis.

Look at the crisis Jacob faced. On one side, Esau was closing in on him. On the other side stood the Lord Himself. He could go no further. It was the absolute end of the line.

For twenty years he had been able to bluff his way through. He had survived on clever cover ups. But now he was in a place where he couldn't go on...even one more day...as he had in the past.

Jacob was forced to reveal his true self before the awesome presence of the Lord...and see himself for what he really was. All night long the battle raged.

But this time Jacob meant business. He wanted to be free. He wanted to look the Lord and the world in the eye and know he was honest and holy. He wanted deliverance.

READ 32:27

Jacob knew what his name stood for: "heel grabber"! One who cheats his brother, himself, and tries to hide it from God's flaming eyes. What the Lord was saying to him was:

Look at yourself what you've become. No excuses now. For once in your life, face reality. Face the truth...be deadly honest, or there will be no victory.

And out it all comes...Oh, Lord. I'm a phony. I'm so religious outwardly, but inwardly I'm a cheat! I'm a grabber! I've played with fire too long! I've been excusing my actions, justifying my sins. Forgive me Lord.

There can be no victory without facing the final deadline at Jabbok. You must face the reality that you are not a special person, immune to exposure and judgment. You must face the fact that God, in His love, must give you a deadline...a last chance to obey completely.

Not that His grace is withdrawn, or His love and mercy limited. But there comes a time when God can no longer hold back the wages of your sin.

You must face the reality that you cannot go on living a lie. No matter how blessed you are, no matter what great things are accomplished in His name...God will not permit an open ended license to go on sinning. You must obey or be exposed, and begin to reap what you have sown.

At Jabbok, Christ delivers us from our provoking sins by changing our very character. READ vs 28

Prevailing power through a new character. Jacob knew it was in his power to obey, because the Lord accepted his commitment to surrender.

The Lord is not interested simply in us getting victory over certain sins. He wants us to change into new people with pure hearts. We need a character change.

It took only one desperate night of facing the truth. One night of struggle with the old nature. He had it out with the Lord and prevailed. The Lord saw his desperation and determination and touched him. He put his thigh out of joint.