“Wrestling For A Change”
Genesis 32:22-32
Change can be a painful process, particularly in the area of spiritual maturity. I look back 20 years or so ago to my high school and college days and I realize God was working with some pretty “raw” material. I think of some of the things I did and said and just shake my head. Although I have always had a heart for God, I have memories of some very stupid mistakes. I made my share of poor choices. I did some things that were definitely displeasing to the Lord. I could tell you some stories about some of the crazy things I did growing up and even on into my early years of college that would shock you. I could thoroughly blow my “clean cut” image.
I didn’t drink, do drugs or sleep around, but I found other ways to satisfy my desire for adventure. I loved to pull pranks. I loved to get people riled up. I loved a good chase. It was my best friend and me. We were sneaky. We were smooth. We never got caught. We were sworn to secrecy. We always worked alone. We weren’t about to put our fate in someone else’s hands. Now I am just itchin’ to give you some examples but my Grandma and my mom and dad are here today and there are impressionable young minds in the audience so I don’t want to be guilty of giving out any ideas…so let’s move on.
When I look back on my life I am thankful for the grace of God. Does anyone else feel the same way? I stand before you, preaching from behind this pulpit – which is something I never dreamed I’d be doing – because of God’s grace. God believed in this raw kid from Northwest Oklahoma (who didn’t even believe in himself much of the time) and He never gave up on me, even when I failed Him miserably. I love Him for that. He could see beyond what I was to what I could be. I am reminded of these words from Nehemiah 9:17 – “But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.” I say “Amen” to that! God’s love never let go of me…and I’m thankful that I held on to Him. And He changed me. It wasn’t easy. It didn’t happen overnight. And the process certainly isn’t complete…but I agree with the fella who said,
“I’m not what I ought to be, but Thank God I’m not what I used to be.”
God is committed to bringing about positive changes in our lives. Our weaknesses and failures never cause Him to lose sight of our potential. And He has worked with plenty of rough projects over the years. Jacob is a case in point. I have always looked at Jacob with mixed feelings. He had some definite character flaws. He was sneaky. Deceitful. Conniving. Crafty. Dishonest. Selfish. His name means “Heel Grabber.” How appropriate. He came out of the womb wanting that which did not belong to him, holding onto his brother Esau’s heel. Esau was rough and tough. An outdoorsman. A hunter. The “woodsy” type. He was a man’s man! His name meant “Red” and “Hairy.” Genesis 25:25 - “His whole body was like a hairy garment.” Sexy, Huh? The guy was a human “Orangutan.”
So you had “Big Red”, Esau the Ape Man and in contrast, Jacob was a spoiled smooth-skinned “mamma’s boy” who ran around hanging onto mom’s coat tails all the time. He was a “wimp.” I’ll bet he was a “tattle-tale” too! I can just hear him: “Mom, Esau hit me!” “Mom, Esau snuck some candy out of the pantry before dinner.” “Mom, Esau shot the neighbor’s cat with his bow and arrow.” “Mom, Esau called me a dirty name.” Both boys were victims of parental partiality. Genesis 25:28 – “Rebekah loved Jacob” but we know Isaac loved Esau and the tasty food he made from venison and wild game.
One day, Jacob deceived his blind father (with his mother’s help). They covered his smooth body with goatskins so he felt (and “smelt”) like his hairy brother and he stole Esau’s birthright and blessing. Made “Big Red” so mad that he vowed to kill Jacob as soon as his father died. Jacob had to run for his life. Although Jacob got the blessing he wanted, deceiving his father cost him dearly. Listen to some of the consequences of his deceit:
1) He never saw his mother again.
2) His brother wanted to kill him.
3) His family became torn by strife.
4) He became an exile.
5) He worked seven years for the right to marry the girl of his dreams…walked her down the aisle, raised the veil to kiss the bride, and…surprise! It was not his fiancée’s face he saw, but her sisters! The “deceiver” had been deceived. He went back to work – for seven more years until he finally “got the right one, baby, uh-huh!!” (You’ve got to decide whether you’re going to trust God and do things his way or take matter into your own hands. I’m telling you straight up you can save yourself a lot of heartache by trusting God.)
So, while Jacob possessed obvious character flaws, he had his strengths as well. Although his methods were not always respectable, his skill, determination and patience have to be admired. Jacob was a determined man. When he saw something he wanted, he wouldn’t rest until it was his. When he had a goal he would pursue it relentlessly. Nothing could stop him once he had made up his mind. And you witness that determination here in this unusual episode where he literally wrestles all night long with God. He has lived his life up to this point doing things his way. His life was all about him. But this night would be different. Confronted with the pain of his past failures, Jacob found himself “Wrestling for a change.”
Four things we learn from Jacob’s wrestling match with the Lord:
1. IN MOMENTS OF GREAT FEAR – GOD IS THERE.
What we did not read, in the first half of Genesis 32, is that Jacob is about to meet his brother Esau again for the first time in 20 years. Try to imagine the thoughts going thru Jacob’s mind at this moment. He is about to meet up face-to-face with the brother he had deceived. He hasn’t seen him since the day he ripped off Esau’s birthright. How would you feel knowing you were about to meet the person you had cheated out of his mot precious possession? He was scared to death.
Verse 6-7: (Jacob sent messengers to Esau and when they returned they said), “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and 400 men are with him. In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups.” He was frantic with fear. So he comes up with a plan. Hoping to soften up his brother, he send messengers on ahead of him with all these gifts, “100 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, 30 female camels with their young. 40 cows. 10 bulls, 20 female and 10 male donkeys.” With the plan ready, he settles down for the night. You think he could sleep? No way! He’s pacing. He’s nervous. He’s worried. His mind is racing. There’s great fear in his heart.
“What will tomorrow hold? What will happen to me? To my family?” He can’t sleep and he needs direction. So, perhaps like you and me – when in a tough spot, he thought, “I’d better pray.” He sends his wives and belongings across the river (vs. 22-23). He’s alone in the dark with his thoughts and fears…but not for long. “A man (came) and wrestled with him.” But more than a man – it was theologians call a Theophany – “a visible manifestation of God.” Jacob himself would later say (vs. 30) “I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
In spite of Jacob’s many failures, God was there for him in his time of great fear. However, God didn’t show up just to comfort him – God had come to confront him. To make him face the truth. To force him to wrestle with the issues that had brought him to this place. What are you afraid of? Sometimes the only way to get rid of our fears is to finally face up to the weaknesses within us.
2. ANSWERS TO PRAYER DON’T ALWAYS COME EASY…MANY TIMES THERE’S A STRUGGLE INVOLVED.
Have you ever prayed with a fervency that made you mentally and physically tired? Have you ever been in a place so desperate - where you needed an answer so bad - that you felt like you couldn’t get up off your knees until you had a sense of relief/peace? The “old-timers” call it “praying through.” “Praying through to what?” You might ask. To victory. It’s hanging on. Digging in. Wrestling with the issue until you get an answer.
Sounds too much like work! We want answers quick and easy. We don’t like the idea of a struggle. Our trouble is, we’re used to wrestling in a lighter weight class. We can pin down most of the lightweight stuff pretty easy. We spend a little bit of time in prayer here and there and put a headlock on the small problems. But sooner or later, something big will face us and we find out we’re way out of shape. Wrestling with all that light stuff didn’t get us prepared. When we face a heavy weight problem we can’t expect the quick, easy victories we had before.
You’d better prepare yourself! You’ve got an enemy! You’d better get ready for a fight. You’d better know the strengths and weaknesses of the foe you’re up against or you’ll get whooped! “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground…” - Ephesians 6:12-13a
When the need is great you need a heavyweight faith. Jacob was in trouble. He was desperate. He was wrestling with lifelong problems/patterns. He needed answers, and in a most unusual fashion, God came down in a physical form to test his endurance and determination. He came to see how bad Jacob, the “Heel-Grabber” wanted it. They wrestled together all night long. It is a reminder to us that answers to prayer don’t always come easily. Is your need great? Are you facing something difficult? Are you tired of being the way you are? Are you sick of the hold sin has had on you? You may have to fight for the victory. How bad do you want it?
3. WHAT JACOB LACKED IN AREAS OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY, HE EVENTUALLY OVERCAME THROUGH DOGGED DETERMINATION.
If you’re looking for a perfect example of godliness, look on. Jacob, as mentioned, had many flaws. But he came to a place of eventually recognizing them – and I believe this was the time and place. You know, you can recognize flaws/sinful habits within yourself, but you’ll never change until at some point you decide to do something about it. (You will be the way you are as long as you choose to. You’re responsible!) God wants to change us but we must be willing to let Him fully enter into the struggle with us. Jacob was a spiritual man. He truly desired the blessing of God on his life but he kept taking matters into His own hands.
Do you realize that Jacob would have received the birthright and blessing anyway…that he didn’t even need to steal it? How do I know that? God spoke it when Rebekah became pregnant with Jacob and Esau. Genesis 25:21-23. These two brothers were already fighting inside their mother and Rebekah inquired of the Lord, “Why is this happening to me?” And God answered, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”
There it is! I don’t know how it would have happened but Jacob would have received the blessing/birthright some other way if he and his mother had waited for God to work things out His way, in His time! All the lying, cheating, deceiving…running, hiding, living in fear…guilt, separation from his family…all of it was completely avoidable. It was self-inflicted pain. Jacob always did things the way he wanted. He usually got what he wanted, but always at a high price.
He was always determined to succeed at any cost. He had willed his way to the top – but it was dishonest gain. It was victory with an asterisk. The footnote at the bottom of the page read, “* All wins (were) gained through deception.” Deception was more than his middle name – it was his name. Jacob “The Deceiver.” “The Heel-Grabber.” Tonight…alone with God, perhaps for the first time in his life, Jacob began to wrestle with what he was. Before he could face Esau he had to face himself. So we find him here, in the middle of the night confronted with all his sin/failures. There was a struggle going on. Old patterns don’t die easily. He’s wrestling with the Lord. “God I don’t want to be a deceiver any more!” “I’m tired of being the way I am!” “I won’t let you go ‘till I’m different.” “I’m not letting go unless you bless me!” That determination of his was finally aimed at a noble goal. He was “wrestling for a change.”
4. BECAUSE OF HIS DETERMINATION, GOD CHANGED JACOB’S NAME AND BLESSED HIM.
When will you become determined to change in regards to your own sinfulness, failure and inconsistencies? What will it take to get you to deal with it? Will you ever wrestle with the things that have hindered you? Will you lock-in with God until the answer comes? Learn a lesson from Jacob. If you are determined to dig in with God, He can change your attitude, your heart, your thoughts, your habits…your spirit. He can cause “old things to pass away.” You can become a new and different person. Give you a new life.
It’s not always easy. It’s not intended to be. Jacob walked away with a limp – a reminder of the many crippling decisions he had made when he insisted on doing things his way. But he also walked away with the blessing of God and a new name. Jacob, the “Heel-Grabber,” the ambitious “Deceiver” had now become Israel “one who struggled with God and men and overcomes.” Jacob’s character changed along with his name.
And God wants to change you. He does not wish for you all the pain that comes from choosing your own way. He wants to bless you. You don’t have to fight for it…just obey. He wants to change your name – to write His name upon your heart. Jacob walked away from that place with a most unusual story. He had finally realized his dependence on the God who had continued to bless him. Are you depending on God?
It was during my college years that I really got serious about wrestling with some of the things in my life. I always wanted to serve God. It was always my intention. But, like Jacob, I was kinda half-in and half-out. I was basically a good guy but I had never fully made up my mind. The world is full of Christians who want enough of God to make it to heaven but don’t want so much of God that they have to change.
I’m not into a lot of “guesswork.” I don’t want to live hoping that Jesus comes back on one of my “good days.” So I’m ready to meet Him. I decided if I was going to be a Christian it was time to wrestle with some of the things that were hindering me. To get them out of my life once-and-for-all. I didn’t want to be a hypocrite. I didn’t want to flip my Christianity “off” and “on” like a switch. I didn’t want to live one way in church and another during the week.
So I began to wrestle with the things in my life that were in the way. I began, one-by-one, to turn them over to God. Paul – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…” That’s the ultimate advice for all of us “Cross” trainers – whether you’re a runner or a wrestler – throw off the sin. Get it off your back and out of your life.
Consider it an opponent – not a teammate. Take it on now so it won’t hurt you later. Stand up and fight! You either “wrestle for a change” or live with the pain of your failures. I say pin down your problems right now! Pin those weaknesses with the power of the cross. Don’t wait ‘till it hurts to get serious. Get that victory today!
1. IN MOMENTS OF GREAT FEAR – GOD IS THERE.
What are you afraid of? Sometimes the only way to get rid of our fears is to finally face up to the weaknesses within us.
2. ANSWERS TO PRAYER DON’T ALWAYS COME EASY…MANY TIMES THERE’S A STRUGGLE INVOLVED.
Is your need great? Are you facing something difficult? Are you tired of being the way you are? Are you sick of the hold sin has had on you? You may have to fight for the victory. How bad do you want it?
3. WHAT JACOB LACKED IN AREAS OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY, HE EVENTUALLY OVERCAME THROUGH DOGGED DETERMINATION.
Before he could face Esau he had to face himself. There was a struggle going on. Old patterns don’t die easily. You may have prayed about it 500 times. Don’t quit! Today could be your day!
4. BECAUSE OF HIS DETERMINATION, GOD CHANGED JACOB’S NAME AND BLESSED HIM.
If you are determined to dig in with God, He can change your attitude, your heart, your thoughts, your habits, your spirit. He can cause “old things to pass away.” You can become a new and different person. Give you a new life.
