Genesis 32:22-30— In these verses Jacob wrestles with God. He will not let go until God blesses him. Often we struggle; asking God to bless us, to strengthen and increase our faith. Jacob is given a new name. It will no longer be “Jacob”. Now Jacob has acknowledged God as the source of blessing and was about to reenter the Promised Land. The Lord acknowledges Jacob as His servant by changing his name.
Some Historical background to
our Old Testament reading
Esau sold his birthright to his brother Jacob, and Jacob tricked his father Isaac into giving his the verifying blessing.
As directed by Isaac, Jacob left Canaan and moved 400 miles north to Haran.
After twenty years of working for his uncle Laben, the LORD directs Jacob to return to Canaan.
Immediate context
Jacob fears meeting Esau and his 400 men when he enters Canaan. Perhaps Jacob carries a sense of guilt over his past dealings with his brother and wonders if Esau will seek some kind of retribution. Thus Jacob sees this impending encounter with Esau as a very crucial time in his life. How do we react today when we face a crisis in our lives? Perhaps we are often tempted to rely on our own ingenuity as Jacob seems to do at various points in his life (Genesis 25:30-34; 27:1-40; 30:30-43), rather than trusting to God in complete trust. The appointed Psalm for this week (Psalm 121) clearly presents the source of our help in all times of trouble as we read, “My help comes from the LORD.”
After making all the preparations to meet Esau, Jacob finds himself in a wrestling match, an actual physical struggle with “a man,” the LORD Himself in human form. Jacob wrestles successfully with God, but God clearly shows His power over Jacob by dislocating his hip with a mere touch. God may use a difficult situation in our lives today to remind us of our total dependence on Him for every need.
The LORD blessed Jacob when he gives Jacob a new name; the name Israel, i.e. the God –wrestler, of fighter, a holy wrestler with God. The blessing may have been similar to the patriarchal blessing of Genesis 28:13-15. Jacob calls the significant place “Peniel,” which means “face of God.” In this place Jacob’s self-trust was broken and he learned to rely solely upon God’s grace and mercy. He now understood that all blessings come from God. This lesson should be remembered and practiced by God’s people in every situation in life.
Collect for Wednesday of the week of Pentecost 18: Keep, we pray you, O Lord, your Church with your perpetual mercy; and because without you we cannot but fall, keep us ever by your help from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen [2] -12 October, 2022
[1] Luther’s Seal copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
[2] Collect for Wednesday of the week of Pentecost 18, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. II © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
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