The staggering reality of God contending with man

For the past couple of weeks, even while writing my last post ‘Hearing God part 3 – Hope for those who don’t‘, one passage from the Bible has sat in my mind and refused to budge. This has taken me by surprise for this particular passage is not one I have ever given a great deal of thought. I have only ever read it, thought that it was rather strange and then continued on. But as I have pondered upon it, and read about it, I have wondered if there are lessons that we can and should learn from it.

So here is the passage,

As I said earlier, I have always found this particular passage strange and difficult to understand. How could Jacob have the arrogance to wrestle with God? Did he really do that? What did that look like? Why did this happen? And how could he have the audacity to make God bless him?

I do not think I had ever realised before that it is not Jacob who initiates this wrestling match. But rather it is God himself. God comes and not only meets with Jacob but fights with him. Although it does take Jacob quite some time to realise that it is, in fact, God whom he is fighting.

Jacob has a questionable history. He is depicted as a liar, a cheat, and a thief – someone who is willing to do anything to get his own way, no matter what this does those around him. His name means “supplanter”, one who supersedes by force or treachery. We do have recorded a previous encounter that Jacob had with God in a dream (in Genesis 28:10-22). But God has not featured in his story much up until this point.

And so we find Jacob on this night. The night before he is to meet his brother Essau, for the first time since he had run away, fleeing for his life. He is frightened. He knows that he may not survive this encounter. That his family may not survive. And so he plans to spend the night on his own. I do not know what he intended to do, or what he thought would happen, but it certainly wasn’t what took place. For he finds himself fighting, I guess fighting for his life, with a man in the dark, all night. At some point, the man strikes him on the hip, and Jacob is injured, but even then he will not let go.

Somehow during the night, he comes to the realisation that this encounter is significant and that this man he is wrestling with is more than a man. For he asks him to bless him. And, surprisingly, this request does not offend the man. Instead, he sees it as appropriate. For the man asks him what his name is. And then he is renamed. He is given a new identity — a new call. God calls him Israel, he is now the man who prevails with God. And God blesses him. Jacob recognises that he has seen God and that he has lived. And he leaves that place changed, renewed and walking with a limp.

So why this passage?

I wonder if God sometimes comes to wrestle with us. If he wants us to do just that. It has, for me, echoes of the last post I wrote. For in that post, I relayed how someone once told me that this relationship of intimacy with God that I longed for was not easily won. Maybe, God is inviting us to wrestle with him. To hold on and not let go. To tell him that even if we are injured in the battle, we will not let go until he blesses us with his presence. And maybe in the struggle, we are renamed. We are reborn. We discover who it is that God has created us to be.

I have longed for God for as long as I can remember. But I know that this longing is not of my creating. It is a gift from the hand of God himself. And I know that it can only be satisfied in and through him. But maybe this passage serves as an encouragement to persevere. To hold on at all costs. Even if, or perhaps we should say when, we are wounded in the process. For I suspect we all will be. That the consequence of holding on is that we will end up walking with a limp.

Could it be that this gift of deep intimacy with God is only found through the battle? For maybe it is there that we, just as for the man who once was called Jacob, get to see God face to face.

Dear Father, it seems an odd thing to consider that you would want to wrestle with us. That you would invite, encourage and initiate this kind of encounter. We do long for you. We do long to know you and to see you. To live in deep relationship with you. Give us the strength and tenacity to persevere, to hold on at all costs. May we be people who endure. And may we see you face to face. Amen.

What do you think of this passage? Have you ever found God encouraging you to wrestle with him? What would that look like? What has/or would it take for you to come into a relationship of deep intimacy with God?

Feel free to comment below, or to contact us at any time. If you subscribe to our blog, you will be notified when new posts are available, and/or follow us on Instagram.