1 Dear Friend, this is a transcript of a sermon preached by Pastor Jeremy Tan from the pulpit of Amazing Grace Baptist Church Singapore. We are committed to expository preaching because we believe it is the most effective way to expose, explain and expound the Holy Scriptures. And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, [Jesus] expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself (Luke 24:27). Through careful systematic and sequential exposition, the preacher is able to declare unto you all the counsel of God (Acts 20:27), and Christians are blessed with a regular, well-balanced diet of God s Word. Expository preaching also helps us to have a high view of Scripture. We wish to extend a warm welcome to you to join us in our church services for a time of uplifting worship and helpful Bible study, which will bring rejoicing and refreshment to your soul. Do visit our church website at www.amazingracebc.org or write to us at amazingracebc@gmail.com. JACOB WRESTLES WITH GOD Genesis 32:22 32 When Laban learned about Jacob s flight from Haran, he went after him in hot pursuit, thinking to hurt Jacob; but by the providence of God, the two adversaries agreed to a peace treaty and then they separated from each other. Laban returned to Mesopotamia much reduced in his wealth, and Jacob continued homeward to Canaan. Despite being cheated repeatedly by Laban, Jacob became an exceedingly wealthy man. God protected and blessed him with eleven sons, a large household of servants, and great flocks and herds of livestock. But now Jacob faced the prospect of another dangerous encounter. Twenty years before, he had fled Beersheba because of Esau s threat to kill him for stealing the birthright blessing of the firstborn, and now he was greatly afraid and distressed about meeting his brother. As he headed home to Canaan, Jacob knew that it was only a matter of time before he would meet Esau again, so in the first half of this chapter (Genesis 32:1-21), he tried to reconcile with his brother. First, he sent messengers to meet Esau, but they returned with discomforting news that Esau was on his way to meet Jacob with a company of four hundred men. Instead of trusting God to protect him, Jacob prepared a very generous gift of five hundred and fifty animals, which he sent to Esau in three droves, one after the other. With his large gift, Jacob hoped to set his brother at ease, that as a wealthy man he had no need of anything from Esau. Although Jacob wanted to find grace in his brother s sight (Genesis 32:5), the reality is that he hoped to buy him off. We offered two conclusions about Jacob s approach to Esau. First, the large gift of cattle showed that he was prepared to give away God s blessings to appease his brother. Secondly, by using the terms my lord Esau and thy servant Jacob (Genesis 32:4), he was prepared to surrender his God-given position as the patriarch of the covenant family. However, Jacob had misjudged his brother s intention. According to Genesis 33:12, Esau intended to escort his brother safely home; but Jacob misjudged his brother because of guilt, fear, and his lack of faith in God. The lesson for us is that we may complicate our own lives because of misjudgement, and we trust our own schemes to solve our problems. We ought to look to God and wait on Him by faith for our deliverance.
2 Now in this present section, we find Jacob waiting fearfully for the appearance of Esau. If Esau accepted his gifts, that means he was appeased and Jacob was safe; but if Esau rejected his gifts, then he was coming to kill him for revenge. We have three main points for this section, beginning with I. Jacob s Fear. Genesis 32:22-23 22 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. 23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had. Jacob hurriedly sent his wives, their handmaids, his eleven sons, and all his remaining possessions across the Jabbok River. This river flows westward through Gilead into the Jordan River, so it is possible that Jacob considered the Jabbok as the extension of the Jordan, for in his prayer to God, he said in Genesis 32:10 that he had passed over this Jordan. By saying that he passed over this Jordan at the Jabbok, Jacob implied that he had entered the Promised Land. Why did he attempt an urgent night crossing of the river? Usually no work is done at night, and it was dangerous to cross the fast-flowing Jabbok River in the dark. Lives might be lost. Fear of Esau and his four hundred men is the reason why he didn t wait until the morning. Next, we see II. Jacob s Fight. Genesis 32:24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. As he sat alone at the riverbank, waiting fearfully for Esau to show up, the mysterious figure of a man suddenly appeared. Was he a bandit? Was he Esau? From the gloomy darkness, this man reached out for Jacob and grappled with him, and the wrestling contest went on throughout the night, which is unusual. A wrestling match does not last very long, perhaps only a few minutes, but Jacob was a physically strong man. We recall how he had singlehandedly removed the stone from the mouth of the well for Rachel to water her flock (Genesis 29:10). So now with all his power, Jacob fought with the stranger as if his life depended on the outcome. The narrator does not identify this man, although Jacob would give a positive identification in Genesis 32:30. But in Hosea 12, the identity of this man is revealed. Hosea 12:4-5 4 Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: He wept, and made supplication unto him: He found him in Beth-el, and there he spake with us; 5 Even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial. The man who wrestled with Jacob is the angel. Jacob met him in Bethel, and there in Bethel the angel spoke to Jacob. But in Genesis 28:13, we read that the only person who spoke to Jacob was the LORD God Himself. Therefore, the majority view is that the man, the angel who wrestled with Jacob on the bank of the Jabbok River, is none other than the second Person of the Trinity, or the preincarnate appearance of Christ.
3 This is not the first time in the book of Genesis that we have met the angel of the LORD. In Genesis 18 three angels visited Abraham in Mamre, and one of them was revealed as the LORD. The angel of the LORD visited Abraham in his home to announce Sarah s birth of Isaac, and also to warn about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Hosea 12 recorded that Jacob had power over the angel, and prevailed. This is the outcome of the wrestling contest. Genesis 32:25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. At first reading, it would seem that Jacob won the contest by overpowering the angel and wrestling him to the ground, but such is not the case. It is impossible for any human being to overpower an angel! The reality is that Jacob put up a struggle and refused to yield, but all it took to disarm and to disable him was a touch from the angel. The angel touched the hollow of his thigh and with a mere touch, Jacob immediately went limp like a rag doll and fell to the ground. No contest at all! God wrenched his hip so that he lost his strength and self-sufficiency. Throughout his life, Jacob had prevailed over others with his physical strength and scheming ways, but now he could only prevail through prayer and dependence on God. His experience is reflected in the testimony of the apostle Paul, who in his weakness said that he was strong only through God s grace. We read his testimony in 2 Corinthians 12:6-10 6 For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. The apostle Paul had accomplished much, and he had the abundance of the revelations (God used him to write more letters in the New Testament than any other), but God sent him a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble. Although he prayed to God to remove the thorn, Paul continued to be afflicted; but in his affliction, he learned the precious biblical principle that when I am weak, then am I strong. Jacob s struggle against the angel is a reminder to us that sinful humanity is so proud and stubborn that it refuses to yield to God. Human pride rejects God and His sovereignty. We refuse to repent and submit to the will of God because of our depraved human nature. Now let me point out the interesting word plays of the Hebrew words for Jacob (yaʿaqōḇ), Jabbok (yabbōq), and wrestling (yēʾāḇēq). These similar-sounding Hebrew words meet together in the climactic event of Jacob s wrestling with the angel of the LORD. Jacob s wrestling with the angel at the Jabbok was a pivotal moment in his life that changed his
4 personality before his encounter with Esau, his brother with whom he had struggled from their mother s womb. With his strength removed from him, Jacob could only cling to the angel for support. Genesis 32:26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. In his weakness, Jacob held on tightly to the angel of the LORD and refused to let go until he received a blessing. Jacob s hold onto the angel reminds us of Job who said, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him (Job 13:15). We will not realize our vulnerable state until all the props that we depend upon for support are taken away, such as our jobs, our family, health, wealth, and so on. It is only when all these props are removed, and we are left helpless without them, that we are brought to cling to God alone and refuse to let go of Him until He grants us His blessing. If we leave God out of our lives, we have not recognized our weakness; and we still think we are strong and have little, or no need, of God. Before we proceed to our next point, we note that Jacob asked the angel for a blessing at the end of the wrestling, but not at the beginning. At the beginning, he trusted in himself. Also in Genesis 32:24, we observe that it was the man who wrestled with Jacob, and not Jacob with the man. What is the point? It is that God always takes the initiative to reach down to the sinner, and not the sinner who first reaches out to God. Salvation is the initiative of the sovereign God. If God does not disable or disarm us, we will only ever rebel, resist, and reject Him. 1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. III. Jacob s Future. Genesis 32:27-28 27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. The angel of the LORD asked Jacob for his name not because He did not know. Rather, the question was aimed at confronting Jacob with his old nature. What was Jacob? His name means supplanter. Jacob had taken advantage of his brother when Esau in his hunger asked him for a bowl of red lentil stew, he had cheated his father Isaac by impersonating as Esau, and then he stole Esau s birthright blessing. Then he cheated Laban by giving him the weaker animals. In his preparation to meet Esau, Jacob was ready to give up his blessings and surrender his God-given position as the leader of the covenant family. Jacob s schemes were all sinful and unnecessary. God had chosen to give him the birthright, and God had promised to protect and to bless him; so there was absolutely no need for him to deceive, lie, cheat, and steal. By God s sovereign grace, Jacob was the chosen heir of the Covenant. However, God s grace does not mean that His elect can do whatever they want, and get away with it. We only have to review and recall how God dealt poetic justice to Jacob through Laban. Laban cheated Jacob in his marriage, and cheated him in his wages. Those who oppose the doctrine of unconditional election often argue that the elect of God can live as they wish because they will go to Heaven in any case. But this view is not true. Those
5 who think they are the elect and they live contrary to God s will, but they are not chastened by God, give evidence that they are probably not spiritually regenerated, that is, they have not been born again by the Holy Spirit. God is not mocked (Galatians 6:7). After asking Jacob for his name to get him to acknowledge his character, the angel gave him a new name. According to Genesis 32:28 the name Israel means, As a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. However, the sentence leads us to misunderstand the meaning. Instead of Israel as a prince with God, the meaning is fighter for God or possibly may God strive [for him]. Jacob would prevail because of God. Now, Jacob s wrestling with the angel of the LORD is used as a lesson about the power of prevailing prayer. Yes, it is true that we must prevail in prayer; in Luke 18:1 the Lord Jesus said that men ought always to pray, and not to faint. We must be persistent in our prayers, but the point of Genesis 32 is not about prevailing prayer. Rather, it is about the angel wrestling with Jacob to make him realize his helplessness as a creature, and to admit that he needed the grace of God for strength. So when he felt himself going limp from the touch of the angel, Jacob realized that he was dealing with a greater power than himself. Therefore, he clung tightly to the angel of the LORD and refused to let go until God gave him a blessing. Genesis 32:29-30 29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. 30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. Jacob s request for the name of the angel is similar to the scene in Judges 13:17-18, where Manoah asked the same question to the angel of the LORD. The angel replied that His name is secret or wonderful. In Isaiah 9:6 one of the names of the Messiah is Wonderful. Jacob encountered angels on three occasions, and after each time he memorialized the place with new names: Bethel (28:19), Mahanaim (32:2), and now Peniel, which means I have seen God face to face. Jacob said, My life is preserved. However, we note in Exodus 33:20 that God said to Moses, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. God was careful to hide His face so that Moses did not perish. So in Numbers 12:8, God said that Moses would only see the similitude [or form ] of the LORD. With Jacob, it must be noted that he wrestled with God in the dark of the night. Thus like Moses, Jacob did not see the face of God, but only the form of God. God protected Jacob by withdrawing from him before daybreak. Genesis 32:31-32 31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. 32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob s thigh in the sinew that shrank. The sun rose upon him. The rising of the sun symbolizes a brand-new beginning for Jacob. His night of fear is transformed into a morning of hope. Although he emerged from the night with a limp, he walked away a spiritually better and stronger man. The limp is the
6 posture of the saint, walking not in physical strength but in spiritual strength. (Genesis: A Commentary, Bruce A. Waltke with Cathi J. Fredricks, p. 448). God does not chasten His children to destroy them, but as discipline for their own good (Hebrews 12:5-13). Jacob s dislocated hip was the immediate sign of his epic encounter with the angel of the LORD, but his descendants would memorialize that event by refusing to eat that part of the animal in their diet. After seeing God face-to-face, Jacob was ready to meet Esau without fear. He would meet Esau no more as the scheming supplanter with a trick up his sleeve, so to speak, but as the man who trusted in God to work out the circumstances in his life. Conclusion Jacob was alone when he wrestled with God. But after the wrestling, he emerged a different man. We will never know our true selves until we are alone with God. However, there are people who cannot stand to hear a sermon from the Bible, and they would not read the Bible because God will bare their souls and expose their sins. Many people accept a moral story, but not everyone is as receptive toward biblical truth because the Word of God is counter-cultural, confrontational, and judgmental. According to Romans 2:16, God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. The apostle Paul also wrote in Romans 16:25 that believers in Christ are established according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ. No matter what we think or like to think of ourselves, God s judgment is unbiased, unvarnished, trustworthy, and the most accurate of all. We can only learn God s judgment of us when we are left alone with Him, just as Jacob was left alone to meet God by the banks of the Jabbok River. When we are alone with God and reading His Word, we will see ourselves as we truly are, that we are depraved sinners, and we will see God as perfectly holy and righteous. Another question we may ask about the wrestling contest is why God allowed Jacob to struggle throughout the night. God could have ended the contest much quicker. But this question, indeed an objection often used to trumpet the virile power of the human will, loses sight of the longsuffering nature of God toward His own. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. This verse is often claimed as support for the view that God wants to save every person, but people still perish and go to hell because of their free will. If this view is correct, then God is not keeping His promise to keep people from perishing! That would also mean that His will is subordinate to the will of man. However, God always keeps His promise. Therefore in 2 Peter 3:9, God s promise that people will not perish but come to repentance is not a universal promise, but a promise to those whom He has elected. Just as God suffered long with Jacob from the time he was in his mother s womb and through all the years that he schemed and deceived others, God is longsuffering toward all
7 His elect people, those who are already saved and those yet to be saved. So instead of boasting about free will, we ought to praise God for being longsuffering toward our struggles against His authority. Whenever we disobey God, we are struggling against Him. God can stop us in our tracks at any moment and bring us to the end of ourselves, but He is gracious toward us. In our weakness, He will show us how vulnerable we truly are, and He will teach us not to have confidence in the flesh, but to lean wholly on Him, so that His grace is perfected in our weakness. Another set of important lessons for us concerns the flesh of our sin nature. Our flesh seems to be an indomitable and unconquerable foe, but it can be defeated. So let us think about the lessons of the flesh. First of all, it is the nature of the flesh to plan and to scheme, and to order our own lives according to our desires, instead of obeying God s will. Secondly, the flesh is full of confidence in its own abilities. We can do it by ourselves, that is the idea. Third, the flesh will continue its struggle against God. The apostle reminds us about the war between the flesh and the Spirit in Galatians 5:16-17 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. In Romans 7:15-25 the apostle gives the testimony of his daily struggle between the unruly flesh and his regenerated spirit. Sin hangs on. It refuses to give up. But God always wins, and it is the wise person who stops struggling against the will of God and submits to Him in repentance, faith and obedience. What about you? Do you find your life disjointed? Perhaps you have been living contrary to the will of God, and God has sent you sickness, loss, disappointments, and defeat to put you out of joint. If you are in this state, stop struggling against God and surrender yourself to Him. Lean wholly on God by faith, and ask Him to bless you. God s elect people are spiritually regenerated believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you one of His elect? Without Christ, you are not. But if you stop being an unbelieving rebel against God, and you surrender to Him by putting your faith in Christ as your Lord and Saviour, then you have revealed yourself as one of God s elect. Be like Jacob, lean wholly on God. Through spiritual regeneration, you will become a new person born again in the spirit, and God will be your support and strength! Permission: We share our materials with you as a blessing from the ministry of our church. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by Amazing Grace Baptist Church. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: Copyright: Amazing Grace Baptist Church Singapore. Website: www.amazingracebc.org. Used by permission as granted on website.