“And Jacob we left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.” - Genesis 32v24
I have always been intrigued by this section. The story here is a literal depiction of a man struggling with a human manifestation of God Himself. At the end of the wrestling match God told Jacob to release Him and Jacob refused to do so until he was blessed. As a result Jacob receives a new name, Israel and he named the place of the wrestling match Penuel.
There is some debate about the meaning of the name Israel. The most common marginal note is “Prince of God.” However, the word appears to have more of an idea of “God strives,” or “God prevails.” The place name, Penuel, means “face of God.”
I think there is an application for us. Jacob's life up until this point had been one of constant struggles within himself. He was a supplanter and a trickster. He had been basically motivated by what was best for him. It appears that God now brought things to a head. To teach Jacob a lesson he took a spiritual struggle and made it physical. In the morning God afflicted Jacob by knocking a hip joint out of place and still Jacob struggled with God until God's blessing was given.
We all face situations where we may struggle with God over what we should be doing. Perhaps there are even situation where we may struggling with God over something at the moment. James tell us that God allows some trials into our lives in order to develop patience and maturity. Like Jacob, God wants us to keep on in the struggle. If we do so there is a blessing to be had at the end. In every struggle God will be honoured and His will done if we continue on through the struggle.
1 comment:
It indeed is telling. The context seems to be clear in that he wrestled with God (Elohim) altought that word can mean any kind of god.
Yet, the name of the place "Penuel" clarifies that Jacob at least felt that he had actually seen God.
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