“Are you ready to be Blessed”
“The Jabbok Experience”
Gen. 32:22-32
Are you ready to be blessed? This may seem like a rhetorical question because there isn’t anyone that doesn’t want to be blessed. If you don’t believe that just stop for a moment and listen around Christiandom. Everyone is saying the Jabez Prayer – “Lord Bless me indeed, enlarge my territory, and give me increase. However everyone, regardless how they may think, isn’t ready to be blessed. Someone may want God to bless them with 100 million dollars today, but can’t manage the 500 they get every payday yet, they are not ready for that blessing. Someone may want the big expensive Mercedes, but can’t afford to maintain the little Geo they have right now, they are not ready to be blessed. Someone else may want God to bless them with that $300,000 dollar home, yet they struggle to pay the $400.00 rent in the apartment they have right now, they are not ready to be blessed.
I used those analogies because naturally we are a sensory being. This simply means that we experience things in life and give definition to things in this life based upon the identification of those things by one or more of our senses – sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch.
We are so in-touch with the sensory nature of ourselves that we say things like
• If I can see it then I’ll believe it.
• If I can hear it then I’ll understand it
• If I can smell it then I’ll know something is being done
• If I can taste it then I’ll know it is good
• If I can touch it then I’ll know it is real
Sadly oftentimes in ones spiritual life we base the fact that we are blesses upon fleshly senses.
• Because I see the nice car in the driveway I’m blessed
• Because I feel the name-brand clothes on my back I’m blessed
• Because I can eat Lobster and Steak I’m blessed
• Because I have x amount of $$$$$$ in the bank I’m blessed
However it’s not about the car I drive, it’s not about the clothes I wear, it’s not about the money I have in the bank, but it’s about who God is and what God has done that constitutes I am blessed.
There is a travesty that is taking place in Christiandom and it is this travesty that people are spiritually destroyed. The Bible says in Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”. We lack the understanding of the word BLESSED. We use the term so matter of factly that it has become just a casual greeting or nice good-bye.
For example: 2 people see each-other 1 say to the other how are you, the other one replies I’m blessed after a moment or two the conversation ends like this, well have a blessed and they go their merry way. They haven’t given any thought to what they had just said. It has become part of a normal conversation.
But I’ve come to find out that the word BLESSED is more than a sensory reaction, it’s more than a bank account, it’s more than an extravagant lifestyle, and it’s more than a casual greeting.
The word BLESSED means to be equipped or endued with power to succeed.
SUCCESS is not predicated on the amount of money that you have. Success is not measured by the position or title you may obtain. Success in the Word of God is to be victorious.
VICTORIOUS is being able to overcome obstacles.
We find in our text a man by the name of Jacob, the name Jacob means surplanter or trickster. Now you know the story of Jacob how while yet in his mothers womb he and his brother Esau were at war with each-other. As Esau was coming down the birth canal Jacob grabbed the heel of Esau trying to steal the birth right. Later in life you know Jacob tricks Esau into giving up his birth right for a bowl of beans, then he tricks his father Isaac and receives Esau’s blessing. However, turn about is fair play. Jacob was tricked by Laban his father in law. Jacob worked 7 years for Rachel and was given Leah by deceit. He worked 7 more years for Rachel, then he worked 6 years for cattle, 20 years altogether. Yet in spite of himself God shows favor on Jacob and Jacob prospers financially and materialistically. Jacob begins to have increase in his wealth, he begins to have increase in his possessions, and he begins to get a lot of stuff. His brother’s in law get jealous of Jacob because of stuff that he has, Laban’s countenance is turned against Jacob simply because of stuff.
It’s sad but it’s they same today people are jealous because of stuff. And what is really sad is church folk get jealous of other church folk because of stuff. So-n-so drives a nicer car or lives in a larger house or because they get a title or position people get jealous of stuff. They look at the gifts instead of the giver and base the fact that that person is blessed because of stuff. They are busy living a sensory life instead of understanding what God has done.
So Jacob the trickster had been tricked and he literally began to fear for his life. He takes his family leaves Laban at night running for his life.
We fast forward just a little bit. We come to a place called JABBOK. JABBOK literally means “pouring out”. At Jabbok Jacob has an experience like he never had before. At Jabbok Jacob has a transformation. At Jabbok Jacob is broken. At Jabbok Jacob experiences a change. At Jabbok Jacob goes through loneliness. At Jabbok Jacob fights for his life. At Jabbok Jacob is afraid. At Jabbok the pressures of life pressed down upon Jacob, fear began to take control of his mind. At Jabbok his conscience begins to remind him of all the stuff he has done in his life. At Jabbok Jacob is left alone. At Jabbok out of now where a man appears and begins to wrestle with Jacob.
Here at Jabbok Jacob is scared, alone, and now fighting for what just might be his life, but somewhere during the struggle, somewhere in the midst of all he was dealing with he realized that I have a hold of God and he has a hold of me. They wrestled until day break, the angel of the Lord even caused Jacob’s thigh to be out of joint, but Jacob held on right there at Jabbok.
The man said let me go, ------ Jacob said “I will not let thee go except thou bless me”.
Then the man said what is thy name ----- Jacob said my name is Jacob. Understand the name Jacob means trickster or surplanter. This showed that Jacob was nothing and that he came to total humiliation and submission. If you want to be blessed you must humble yourself.
Once he humbled himself his name was changed from Jacob = surplanter to Israel = prince.
Jacob then asked the man his name still holding on. The man asked why do you need to know my name and then he blessed him there.
HE BLESSED HIM THERE: - This is key there at Jabbok he blessed him. There in total humbleness, there in total submission, there in total dependence, there in loneliness, there in the midst of his troubles he blessed him.
Understand he didn’t give him materialistic things. He didn’t give him a position. He didn’t give him a financial overflow. He didn’t give him stuff, but he BLESSED HIM THERE at JABBOK.
What did he give him – He gave him power to be victorious. Remember victorious means to overcome.
If you go to the 33rd chapter you find that Jacob overcame his fear of meeting his brother. He overcame the stigma of his name.
He overcame his past reputation.
He overcame the Canaanites
He overcame evil.
WHY – Because at Jabbok – in the midst of all his troubles he humbled himself, he held on to God and didn’t let go. In the midst of his trials God equipped him with power, not with stuff, but with power to overcome. When he humbled himself God gave him what he needed to be victorious.
Are you ready to be blessed. You might be in your own person Jabbok. Fear may have gripped your mind, depression may be trying to hold you down, you may feel like you’re all alone. You may be troubled on every side, perplexed, and persecuted, but if you humble yourself, hold on to God’s unchanging hand, seek His face. You may have to go through your personal Jabbok experience, but in the midst of your troubles if you hold on God will bless you there, not with stuff, but with the ability to overcome. To overcome the wicked one, to overcome evil, to overcome when you are judged, to overcome the world.
Are you ready to be blessed.
District Elder M.L. Maughmer, Jr.
