Story:
The phrase “God Bless you” is said to have been originated by St. Gregory the Great, in the year 594 AD. +He appointed a formal prayer to be said to people who sneezed.
At that time it was believed that the air was filled with dangerous impurities and that those who sneezed violently were in danger of expelling their souls, and that this danger could be counteracted by a proper prayer or phrase.
+The idea of blessing someone originates from the writings of the Old Testament. +The original word for blessing is the Hebrew word: Barak, which literally means, “to bend the knee.” In relation to blessing God, you bend your knees before Him in honor, expressing gratitude. You Bless Him. E.g. remember when, in Gen. Ch. 24, Abraham sent his servant to find a suitable wife for his son Isaac. After miraculously finding Rebekah the servant in ch. 24 verse 48 recounts the situation and says +he “bowed down and worshipped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham…” He literally “bowed down” “Barak” and blessed the Lord.
+In the culture of the Old Testament the “Blessing” from one to another was asking for +God’s blessings of prosperity, +well being, +physical as well as spiritual healing or +gifts upon a person. +The blessing might entail asking God to grant long life, or +power from God on to a person. Since the very beginning of creation God has offered His blessings to mankind. God blessing individuals started back in Gen. Ch. 1:28 + “God blessed them and said to them be fruitful and multiply (why was math so important to God?). and again in ch. 5:2 + “He created them male and female and blessed them…”
• +God blessed the Egyptians and caused them to prosper because of Joseph. Gen. ch. 39
• +God blessed his servant Isaac with Gold, Cattle, sheep, men and women servants, Gen. 24
• +God blessed Obed-Edom and His entire household for protecting the Ark of the Covenant. 2Sam ch. 6.
• +When Solomon asked for wisdom instead of riches, God blessed him with both wisdom and riches in abundance 1 Kings ch. 3.
• +God blessed Noah Gen. Ch. 9.
• +God blessed Abraham. Gen. Ch. 12.
• In Leviticus, leaders asked for +God’s divine blessings upon the people
• +Families blessed members who were beginning long journeys.
• +Priests blessed individuals as well as the entire congregation.
• And as we approach the New Testament, we see that Jesus asks His followers to “bless those that curse them.”
Once the blessing was spoken, it couldn’t be taken back. For example, in +Numbers ch. 23, where a prophet of Baal blessed the people of God and those listening understood that the blessing was irrevocable.
This is +the backdrop to the life of Jacob. +A culture which thoroughly understood the importance of the spoken blessing from one’s parents and from one’s God.
Jacob was born the second of twins. His brother’s name was Esau. His Father and Mother: Isaac and Rebekah. Jacob’s parents were chosen by God. But as we’re learning in this series: being chosen doesn’t mean being perfect. Jacob’s father favored Esau and the mother favored Jacob. +Jacob’s name means, “heel catcher” it’s a play on words for one who tricks or deceives, so one who catches the heel of another. When the first twin Esau was born, Jacob followed grasping onto his brother’s foot. Jacob’s name constantly connected him to his brother. Had he been the first born son, he would have been entitled to 2/3rds of the inheritance, the honor of passing on the family name, with all the privileges and the blessings from his father, Isaac. But, Jacob wasn’t first, wasn’t special, and wasn’t blessed. Born second... “grasping the heel”… close but not close enough. Jacob’s father would never love him the way he loved his twin brother Esau.
I’m sure that made Jacob feel like a real “heel”.
+Jacob’s whole life could be characterized by the word+ “struggle”
Jacob struggled with his brother. Gen. Ch. 25.
Jacob struggled with his father. Gen. Ch. 27.
Jacob struggled with his father-in-law. From Gen. Ch 29-31.
But, today I want to focus our study on Jacob’s final struggle, His struggle with God.
Turn to +Genesis Chapter 32:24-31.
Now Jacob has taken advantage and deceived his brother.
He has tricked his father.
And now late in Jacob’s life he has just been informed that His twin brother Esau with a large army of soldiers wants to meet with him. And Jacob is scared to death.
Here’s where we pick up our story in the life of Jacob. Jacob has just sent his people ahead to take gifts to Esau. Jacob is trying to pacify Esau into sparing his life. Jacob is all alone… or so he thinks.
Genesis Chapter 32:24-31.
+So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25} When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26} Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." +27} The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. 28} Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." 29} Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. +30} So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared." 31} The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.
Now what has happened is this: Jacob sent everyone away so he could be alone with God, and God met him in the form of an angel.
+In one of the most bizarre encounters Jacob spends the whole evening playing tag team wrestling with an angel of God. Jacob even overpowers the angel and wins the match. But, winning wasn’t Jacob’s real issue. Jacob lacked the assurance of his father’s love, and especially in that culture, of his father’s blessing. This was the real issue in Jacob’s heart. All Jacob’s life, you can see him struggling. Struggling for this and struggling for that. But Jacob’s real struggle was his struggle for +the blessing. The assurance that he / Jacob, wasn’t just second best, but unique. Just as good, just as important as his brother was. So Jacob says to the angel, in verse 26, + “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
Even though +earlier in Jacob’s life he deceived his father into giving him the blessing, Isaac hadn’t really meant to bless Jacob, he meant to bless Esau… and deep down inside Jacob knew it.
All his life struggling for the blessing, struggling for the blessing. Even Jacob’s father-in-law didn’t care for him. Jacob needed a blessing, Jacob needed to be released from his title of “deceiver, heel catcher”.
Listen, God knew the lifelong struggle going on inside of Jacob. God knew that Jacob longed for the blessing, yet never truly had it from his father. And God knew that the way to reach Jacob was through another struggle. A struggle that Jacob could win, but never forget. You see, Jacob was never the same after his struggle with God.
He arrived as +Jacob, the “heel catcher”, but He left as Israel, which means + “struggling with God” but the Hebrew word can also mean: “God Prevails”. Whenever anyone struggles with God… God prevails!
After the encounter Jacob named that place, Peni-el which means+ “Facing God”.
At times we may struggle to face God, but in doing so, God will always prevail.
Look at the transition in the +Character of Jacob:
+He was fearful of the circumstances in life. (vs. 7)
+He was struggling in the circumstances in life. (vs. 24)
But with just a touch from God, Jacob can no longer rely on his own strength, +he
walks with a limp.(vs. 25) Jacob can no longer make it on his own, +he refuses to
let go (vs. 26) And as a result of spending the whole night with God, Jacob no
longer had to fear life being Jacob. Through the experience Jacob became
Israel.
Fear, lacking the assurance of love, of acceptance, of real worth… Jacob’s story is for us today. Jacob’s story is for those of us who long +for a touch from a father who will never leave us or forsake us. A love that looks beyond our past and sees into the future ahead and believes in us enough to give us the long awaited, and desperately needed blessing.
+Story:
A little boy made his way home from school one afternoon. As little boys do, he walked through alleys and vacant lots. Along the way he found a piece of wood. Not much more than a piece of a 2x4, but he took it home. Once home, he went into the garage. Using his father’s tools, he hammered and sawed and fashioned a little toy boat.
Later that afternoon, he went to play with his little boat in the stream that ran near his house. For days, after he came home from school, he played with his boat in that creek. He greatly enjoyed those hours with his little toy. He loved his little boat, and even gave it a name. One afternoon, while pushing the boat about with a long stick, he accidentally let the boat slip away into a strong current. He ran along the creek trying to catch up with the little boat. Soon another creek spilled into the stream and the current sped up carrying his boat faster than his little legs could keep up. finally, he stopped running and watched his little craft sail out of sight. Tears came to his eyes as he realized that his boat was lost forever. For days, he mourned the loss of his wonderful toy.
Months passed, school ended, and his family went on summer vacation to the ocean. One day as the little boy played along the beach, he stopped to admire the things displayed at a beach comber’s shop. There were pieces of drift wood, fishing net floats, and old bottles. Then he saw it. He could hardly believe it. There on one of the shelves of ocean debris was his little boat. It was banged up and its paint was scratched, but there was no doubt in his heart. "That’s my boat," he told the shop keeper. He pled with him to hand it over. "Well," said the man, "it may have been yours once, but it’s mine now, and if you want it, you’ll have to pay for it."
As fast as he could, he raced to his father and explained the situation. The boy and his father returned to the shop. A price was agreed upon, and the little boy received back his little boat. As he and his dad walked toward home, the little fellow looked down at the boat held in his arms. With tears in his eyes, he said, "Little boat, I love you. You are now really mine. You are twice mine. I made you. Now I have bought you."
Isaiah 43:1 “I have created you, O Jacob, I have formed you, O Israel. I have called you by name, I have bought you, You are mine.”
The parallels are obvious.
+How important is the story of Jacob?
Until the year 1100, most people in Europe had only one name. But with an increase in the population, surnames were added so people could be more easily identified. These came from four primary sources: an occupation, such as Cook or Miller; a location, such as Overhill or Brook; an ancestor, such as John’s son (Johnson); and a personal characteristic, such as Small, Short, or Longfellow.
When God wanted to name an entire people -- His chosen nation -- He looked past occupations, locations, and ancestors to base this new name on the character of one man: Jacob.
The story of Jacob has been kept for us as an example of what extremes God will go to in order to help a person break free from the +chains of the past.
And to what extreme God will go to in order to bring about the needed blessing in your life.
If you don’t feel important, maybe you don’t feel as though God really cares, maybe that no one really understands.
God is known for being the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. +God associates himself with those in need of a blessing.
