Outline
Gen 32 Key words Fear a Distress
1. Gen 32:1-21 Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau
a. Gen 32:1-5 Jacob is prepared (by Angels and sends messengers from Mahanaim to Seir)
b. Gen 32:6-8 Jacob receives bad news (Esau May Attack)
c. Gen 32:9-12 Jacob Prays
d. Gen 32:13-21 Jacob Acts with Wisdom from Above
2. Gen 32:22-33 Jacob Wrestles with God
a. Gen 32:22-23 Jacob Pours out (Surrenders (Jabbok) All)
b. Gen 32:24-33 Jacob Prevails in wrestling with God is Re Born to a New Beginning
For A New Beginning you must 1. Prepare in the Spirit 2. Pray in the Spirit and 3. Persevere in the Spirit
When did you last see the sunrise? When did you see the dawn a beginning of a new day? In Jan 2015 I was in my friend’s village called Boraiahna Doddi. It is on the outskirts of the forest. One cannot arrive there by night because of wild elephants. Some villagers have been killed in elephant attacks. We arrived the previous evening and I had got up early in the morning as was my practise and had the pleasure of seeing a new day begin. The rising sun was caught behind a rainforest tree. It looked like the tree was on fire and I was reminded of Moses’ burning bush. The tree was on fire but was not consumed. God in His wisdom allows every dawn to be an opportunity for a new beginning. Today we will meditate on one such new beginning and see three things that we need for a fresh start
God said let there be light and there was light. This was the first beginning and there are many new beginnings in the History of the Bible. Let us read our passage about one such new beginning it is time well invested. Read Genesis 32
For twenty years Jacob had served Laban his mother’s brother Gen 31:41. Laban his uncle had also changed Jacob’s wages 10 times and in the end Jacob flees in this drama Laban catches up with Jacob and they make a treaty they marked out a border and took a pledge that Laban would not cross over to Jacob’s side and Jacob would not cross over to Laban’s side. Jacob moves with his entire company of family servants and livestock which was a lot and comes to Mahanaim which means two camps.
If you remember at Bethel when Jacob had that dream, he prayed to God and made a vow… if God will be with him where he goes and provides for him and brings him back to his father’s house then The LORD will be my God Gen 28:19-20. Yahweh will be my God. God had prospered him and was about to restore him to his father’s land. We pick up the story there where Jacob becomes Israel. From a deceiver and supplanter for that was what his name meant HE was Born again to become Israel a prince of God where he will rule as God (See below)
In A new beginning one must be PREPARED in the Spirit One has to PRAY in the Spirit and One must PERSEVERE in accordance with the Spirit. Then One will contend with God and prevail and be reborn to a New beginning.
A New beginning requires Preparation Prayer and Perseverance
Let us look at Preparation
1. Confront the past 32:1-21
One does not come to a new beginning by sweeping the past under the carpet. We must confront the past The first thing that Jacob did was to meet up to make peace with Esau. A good example is broken relationships. But even in the little day to day hiccups in relationships if you sweep it under the carpet it will fester like a wound
a. Introspect on the voice of God that his messengers may have given 32:1-5
God could speak through messengers he sends.
Jacob was prepared by God’s messengers the angels. One may ask do angels speak to us today. We know Lucifer the arch enemy of Christ and man spoke to Jesus through Peter. Jesus rebuked him…” Get behind me Satan” he did not say get behind me Peter he said Get behind me Satan. Listen carefully to your fellow men, Elders, parents, teachers boss peers in office and see and discern if the voice of god is speaking to you. Listen carefully
b. Do not let the current situation distress you 32:6-8
No matter how bad the situation, God is in control. I call this the Dothan principle. Joseph was in a well in this place called Dothan. His situation was hopeless, but God made him prime minister of Egypt Gen 37ff. At Dothan Elisha was surrounded by the Syrian army and he opened his servant’s eyes to show him the army of the LORD 2Ki 6:8ff. The chariots of fire that were on their side the host of angles protecting them. If you are in a Dothan situation remember this. God is Sovereign and knows those who trust in Him Nahum 1:7. He has angels protecting you
c. When the Situation is Hopeless Pray to Him who is Help to the Hopeless 32:9-12
Jacob’s prayer had a pattern
He sandwiched His prayer claiming the promises of God with His humble request. He Humbled himself before God and then made his request. The promises of God are true but it is not your right. It is still God’s sovereign choice to grant them or not. And he will grant them in His time as He is doing it here, but humility is required before he lifts you up. Jacob humbled himself he knew he was not worthy and then he asked God to fulfil his promise Let’s read it is self-explanatory. (ESV)(Gen 32:9) And Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,
'(Gen 32:10) I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.(Gen 32:11) Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children.(Gen 32:12) But you said, 'I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.'"
d. Prayer is insufficient if one does not act in accordance with the Wisdom it brings 32:13-21
We pray for the food, but the food will not bless us unless we act. Unless we pick it up and put it in our mouth. Here Jacob sent many gifts of livestock which was their wealth in those days I batches to soften Esau up. Remember he received bad News that Esau may attack He is coming with 400 men. He is in an impossible situation. He does this immediately after He prays.
2. Contend with God 32:22-33
a. Prepare to Surrender all
Night comes and Jacob has done all he can and now all is in the hands of God and he does two things He send His two camps across the river Jabbok. All His possessions his family and it says in verse 23 everything else that he had (ESV). The word Jabbok’s root in the Strong’s lexicon means pouring out or emptying. Jacob emptied himself of all his possession or at least was willing to do that God does not bargain it is all or nothing. Maybe that is what God is asking you to do this New Year only then can you contend with Him and he with you
b. As one is changed forever Face the situation calmly and resolutely 32:24-33
God came to Jacob that night and wrestles with him. God may test you this way and that before you are entitled to the title of prince. No one is the same as they encounter God. Jacob had a perpetual limp. God ask him “what is your Name”. As if God did not know that his name was Jacob but he wanted Jacob to remember who he was, a sinful supplanter or deceiver. And then by His sovereign will He renames Jacob Israel (See below)
Israel (Strong’s)
yis´ra^'e^l
yis-raw-ale'
From H8280 and H410; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity: - Israel
Jacob then Born again to a New Beginning
He calls that place Peniel which means Face of God. For a New beginning seek the face of God and the sun rose over Penuel and Jacob walked resolutely into the sunrise to confront His past
So let this New Year be one of a New Beginning we have seen God’s way in His word. 1st
1. Prepare yourself in the Spirit. That is also a process
A. Confront the past.
God will send His messengers who may be from your circle itself they may be the voices of your friends or pastor or teacher or relatives or your spouse. Keep an eager ear for the voice of God that may speak through them
2. Pray in The Spirit: Remember that one must act on the wisdom the spirit brings. In Broken relationships, Giving Gifts is God’s given way to make peace.
3. Persevere in The Spirit. Remember God does not broker and half measures it all or nothing. Prepare to surrender all to Him. Then Contend with Him
Do these and contend with God and He will bring you to your Sunrise as you seek His face. When you are at your New dawn a New Sunrise of a New Beginning Walk resolutely into your sunrise your New Beginning.
My Prayer is that God Helps you prepare, pray and persevere towards your sunrise in your Penuel so that you can walk resolutely into it in 2020
