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22The identical evening he arose and took his two wives, his two feminine servants, and his eleven youngsters, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23He took them and despatched them throughout the stream, and every thing else that he had. 24And Jacob was left alone. And a person wrestled with him till the breaking of the day. 25When the person noticed that he didn’t prevail in opposition to Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26Then he mentioned, “Let me go, for the day has damaged.” However Jacob mentioned, “I can’t allow you to go until you bless me.” 27And he mentioned to him, “What’s your title?” And he mentioned, “Jacob.” 28Then he mentioned, “Your title shall now not be referred to as Jacob, however Israel, for you have got striven with God and with males, and have prevailed.” 29Then Jacob requested him, “Please inform me your title.” However he mentioned, “Why is it that you simply ask my title?” And there he blessed him. 30So Jacob referred to as the title of the place Peniel, saying, “For I’ve seen God head to head, and but my life has been delivered.” 31The solar rose upon him as he handed Penuel, limping due to his hip. 32Subsequently to today the individuals of Israel don’t eat the sinew of the thigh that’s on the hip socket, as a result of he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip on the sinew of the thigh.
Jacob’s Transformation
So usually, the biblical textual content reviews a unprecedented occasion in very prosaic phrases. Whereas Jacob is alone—presumably in prayer—a person comes and assaults him, not merely hanging him with one or two blows however wrestling with him for hours, till dawn (Gen. 32:24). What’s in view here’s a monumental wrestle for Jacob, a wrestle he can’t win however which he’s decided to not lose. The facility of Jacob’s opponent is obvious from the simple means through which he dislocates Jacob’s hip when he chooses to take action (Gen. 32:25). Clearly this man may kill Jacob if he selected to take action. But even when the wrestle cripples Jacob’s hip and Jacob can do not more than cling to his adversary, he does simply that and won’t let him go till he receives from him a blessing (Gen. 32:26). Lastly, when the day is breaking, Jacob receives the blessing he seeks—and together with the blessing a brand new title: “Israel,” “for you have got striven with God and with males, and have prevailed” (Gen. 32:28).1
4 biblical students supply passage-by-passage commentary by way of the narratives of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, explaining tough doctrines, shedding mild on neglected sections, and making purposes to life and ministry as we speak. A part of the ESV Expository Commentary.
All Jacob’s life so far has been spent battling males, particularly Esau and Laban, in an try and prevail over them and win the blessing. But every thing Jacob has attained has been obtained not due to his struggles however as a result of the Lord has been with him. Now on this climactic encounter Jacob wrestles with God and never man, and he prevails not by overthrowing his opponent—an unattainable process—however just by clinging to him in his wounded state and refusing to let go. Jacob has lastly realized that God—and God alone—is the one with whom he has wanted to wrestle with the intention to obtain his blessing.
That transformation in Jacob is marked by the brand new title, Israel (Gen. 32:28). The unique etymology and that means of this title are obscure,2 however in context the title is taken to point a shift from man to God because the opponent of Jacob’s striving. What is especially hanging about this title change is that his new title will not be a variant or an extension of his earlier title, as with Abram/Abraham and Sarai/Sarah, however moderately a complete transformation of his id. His lifelong try to realize the promised blessing by ingenuity and striving moderately than by grace should now be deserted. Nonetheless, maybe as a result of that sanctifying transformation is partial in all of us on this life, Jacob’s title change continues to be solely partial. Not like Abraham and Sarah, who, as soon as given their new names, by no means revert to their previous ones, Jacob is any further each Jacob and Israel. The biblical textual content alternates between the 2 designations for the patriarch, not as a result of it involves us from two totally different sources, as students have generally argued, however as a result of Jacob/Israel has two warring natures. God’s remodeling work is established in precept on this man’s life, as the brand new title declares, however it should take a lifetime for that precept to work itself out in fullness. So long as “Israel” lives right here on earth, a part of him will nonetheless all the time be “Jacob.”
It’s vital that the essential encounter with God climaxes at dawn, simply because the encounter at Bethel started at sundown. The intervening interval, whereas Jacob has been out of the Land of Promise, has been one lengthy evening. God has been with Jacob to guard and bless him, however now he might be with Jacob in a brand new means because the daybreak breaks on his renewed sojourn within the land. A brand new day is sort of actually dawning for Jacob—and in him for all humanity.
Jacob obtains what he had sought from this encounter, as he sees God head to head and receives God’s blessing. But on this occasion assembly with God leads to not peace and therapeutic for Jacob however moderately to an everlasting, painful crippling of his hip. Jacob will perpetually bear in his physique the marks of this excruciating but grace-filled encounter, through which to outlive and to cling to the Lord was to triumph. Thereafter his descendants memorialize Jacob’s encounter by not consuming the meat hooked up to the socket of the hip as a everlasting reminder of this actuality (Gen. 32:32).
Once we concern God, we’ve nothing else to concern.
Response
Jacob’s painful wrestling with God factors us clearly to the cross. Having accomplished his wrestling with man all through his earthly life, Jesus Christ wrestled with God on our behalf in order that grace and blessing would possibly circulation to his individuals. He wrestled with the tough and painful will of God within the backyard, crying out, “If it’s doable, let this cup go from me” (Matt. 26:39). He wrestled with the holy and fearsome wrath of God on the cross in that terrible second when he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you ever forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). The result of his wrestling was not merely a crippled hip; he was wounded and bruised for us, he was flogged and crucified, burdened with the entire weight of our transgressions. However within the midst of that painful trial Jesus clung to God and wouldn’t let him go until he obtained a blessing—not for himself however for us, his individuals. By way of Jesus’ trustworthy clinging to the Father he has prevailed over sin and demise and, risen from the lifeless, has been given the title above each title.
Jesus is the true Israel, with no Jacob combined in; he’s the one who has in fullness struggled with God and man and has overcome. As we’re united to Christ, we in flip are given a brand new title as Christians and turn into a part of the Israel of God (Gal. 6:16). As we accomplish that, we’re referred to as to take part in Christ’s struggles and struggling in addition to in his victory, overcoming the world by way of our religion (1 John 5:4). Jesus struggled on the cross not in order that we would by no means must wrestle however in order that our struggles would possibly conform us into his picture (Phil. 3:10–11).
In our struggles and struggling we’re taught to desert our self-dependence and look to the cross, clinging to God alone for blessing. Once we concern God, we’ve nothing else to concern. Once we cling to him with all our energy, we are going to discover that he won’t allow us to go. Even once we really feel too weak to cling to him and too fearful to carry on to him a second longer, we nonetheless discover that his robust arms are encircling us in his love and that the Good Shepherd won’t allow us to go. His energy will not be empowered by our energy; moderately, it’s made good in our weak point (2 Cor. 12:9).
What’s extra, we too are referred to as often to memorialize Christ’s nice battle on our behalf in our consuming of the Lord’s Supper. There we bear in mind Christ’s wrestling on the cross. Once we eat the bread, we bear in mind the tearing aside of his physique for us. Once we drink the cup, we recall the shedding of his blood for our transgressions. There we cling to God and ask him to meet his guarantees to us and in us. On the desk our souls are fed as soon as once more with God’s assurance that, it doesn’t matter what difficulties might face us on this life, the love of God has chosen us for blessing in Christ, and he won’t allow us to go.
Notes:
- It’s hanging that Jacob doesn’t obtain a solution to his inquiry in regards to the Lord’s title, not like Moses on the burning bush (Ex. 3:13–14), and Jacob’s personal new title, Israel, is constructed across the divine appellation El. This plausibly matches with the idea that the divine title Yahweh was not really revealed till the time of the exodus.
- Cf. Sarna, Genesis, 404. Names of this sample would usually be taken to imply one thing like “God strives [for him]” or “Let God attempt [for him]” (cf. the that means of Jerubbaal [“Let Baal contend”] in Judges 6:32).
This text by Iain Duguid and is tailored from the ESV Expository Commentary: Genesis–Numbers (Quantity 1) edited by Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar.
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