Wrestling with God – Genesis 32-33

Wrestling

 

 

Wednesday 08/02/17 

Message – Wrestling with God

Series: Thru the Bible – Genesis 30-31

***No Video this week only Audio***

 

Wrestling with God

Chapter 32

These two chapters are filled with wrestling.

Jacob found…

  • Wrestling with his fear
  • Wrestling with his memories
  • Wrestling with his loyalties
  • Wrestling with his priorities
  • Wrestling with his conscience
  • Wrestling with his future
  • Wrestling with God

V2 – Mahanaim = “Two Camps”

 

V3 – Messengers (Angels?) to Edom which had been established since Jacob left 20 years prior.

 

V4-5 – Jacob thought to ease Esau’s potential anger which might still be brewing within his heart due to his deception by sending speaking in terms of submission and wealth. It could be implied by this that he was seeking to “buy” peace with his brother by some exchange of wealth. 

 

V6 – Jacob is fearful of the coming troop with Esau.

 

V7-8 – Jacob devises a plan where if there is trouble all but the first group might escape to safety.

 

V9-12 – Jacob cries out to God – reminding Him of His promises to provide and protect.

 

V13-21 -Jacob sends two caravans of people bearing gifts to “buy” the peace and favor of his

brother.

 

V22-23 –  At last he sent over his wives, children and the last of his servants while he remained

behind for the night.

 

V24-30 – Some question is left as to whether this was an honest fight or not. Some translations  say “could not prevail” others say “did not prevail”. The later possibly implying that sufficient effort was supplied against him that if he were a less tenacious person he would have surrendered…but didn’t.

 

It seems likely that this event was crafted by God to draw out of Jacob a fighting spirit and a request spoken in faith…which it appears was successful.

 

“For you have stiven with God and man and have prevailed” The King james version says, “for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men and have endured”  While it is possible that the “man” had Laban in view, it is more likely that he was making reference to his coming encounter with his brother Esau.

 

Jacob asks for His name though without doubt he knew it must be God or one of His angels. To which the “man” asks, “why do you ask my name?” There are several possible reasons for this verbal exchange…but I am now inclined to think that it may have been God’s way of offering a little bit of a push back since, Jacob had thought this to BE GOD but had up to this point failed to fully embrace God as his own God and had not come to know Him by any special name as had his fathers before him. Again a type of invitation to a conversation.

 

So Jacob called the place Peniel = “facing God” which proves who he thought it was that he had wrestled with.

 

Chapter 33

V1-3 Jacob seems a bit of a coward here and shows his picking order of most expendable to least…

 

V4-16 A beautiful reunion and departure.

 

Rest of the chapter….

It is not stated whether he kept his word and met his brother in Seir or not, but it would not have been on his way to Succoth, for Succoth was to the North and Seir was in the far south…at any rate, one would hope he did.

Jacob there built a house…how long he stayed there we do not know, but he eventually went on to Shechem and bought land.

 

Guzik notes that,

It is good Jacob came to the Promised Land, and he settled there. But he falls short, because it seems God directed him to return to Bethel (Gen_31:13).

Then he erected an altar there and called it El Elohe Israel: God, the God of Israel; that is, he called the altar the altar of God, who is the God of Israel, who had been his God, his preserver and protector;

Though he made an altar, it was obedience God wanted first, not sacrifice. Jacob will bear bad fruit and waste time because he is in a place he shouldn’t be.

There is much more information in the audio/video of the actual message. I hope you listen, learn and enjoy!

Blessings! 

 

I hope this teaching will challenge you and encourage you to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

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Blessings!

 

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!