When I was growing
up, no true fan missed Friday nights at the farm center. At that venue,
each week without fail, for just the price of a ticket, the wonders of the
wrestling world were right before your very eyes. Who would skip the
chance to see the Masked Madman duel the Green Zinger? Fierce would
be the battle, full of throws, kicks, punches, and pins. The floor would
rumble, the ropes would shudder, and heaven help the referee.
But no cheering crowd
was ringside the night Jacob wrestled with God. Headed home after a
twenty year absence, Jacob was understandably anxious and apprehensive.
He sent his spouses, his sons, and his stuff across the river but stayed alone
on the other side. But not for long. “So Jacob was left alone,
and a man wrestled with him until daybreak”(Gen. 32:24).
God’s wonders capture
the attention of many. Others respond to His gentle whisper. But
this one required hand to hand combat, and so they wrestled. Jacob was
strong and scrappy. God was great and graceful. The fight wasn’t
fair, but conquest wasn’t the God’s objective. His goal was change, so He
let Jacob grapple and brawl—all night long.
The bell rang as the
sun rose. Jacob wouldn’t let God go until He blessed him, and God didn’t
let Jacob go until He broke him. The knock-out punch was framed as a
question. “What’s your name?” God asked (Gen. 32:27). And
in a word, Jacob admitted he had become the deceiver his name described.
So God gave him a new one—Israel. “Because you have struggled with men and
with God and have overcome”(Gen. 32:28).
Jacob’s success came
from his surrender. When he finally faced who he was—and who God is—he
was never the same. A lifelong limp was his sacred souvenir, but better a
wrenched hip than a wrong heart.
Jacob never defended his title because he didn’t need to.
For though the match was fixed, the victory wasn’t fake.
“We are more than conquerors through Him who loved
us.” Romans 8:37
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