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Genesis 32:24-32 – Praying through the Bible #19 – A Prayer of Victory in Defeat
Within Holy Writ, there are inspired scenes understandable and beyond comprehension. Some can only be discussed with educated or uneducated opinions, or “I don’t know’s.” Jacob’s wrestling with God (Gn 32.24-32) is “one of those.” Some, embarrassed by this awkward revelation, symbolize the wrestling as a dream or a prayer. So why is Jacob pictured literally wrestling with God (32.30)? The literal symbolizes the literal.
Jabbok (32.22), the location of this wrestling match means “wrestling.” Jacob began life wrestling, holding on to Esau’s heel. Jacob’s Rachel, says, “In my wrestlings with God, I have wrestled with my sister and won (30:8). Scripture does not tell us how long they struggle just that they “wrestled until daybreak” (32.24). My opinion is this incident is analogous to Jacob’s life, therefore the struggling lasts all night long. So instead of this being a strange event, it is a fitting, very personal, event.
When this divine being sees he “cannot” defeat Jacob, He strikes Jacob’s hip, dislocating his hip socket (32.25). This is when the battle ends and the “prayer” begins leading to Jacob’s name changed to Israel. Since this mysterious visitor is divine, we know immediately He could have easily prevailed against Jacob. Such is seen when the mysterious visitor simply touches Jacob’s thigh and dislocates it. What is the point? My opinion is God often “wrestles” with us without overpowering us, trying to get us to change. God’s grace is often found in the nudges, pushes and pulls of our lives – and sometimes God’s grace is a knock-down punch. “We never change until the pain becomes greater than the fear of change” (Source unknown). The thigh is the strongest muscle in the Bible. God took away Jacob’s strength. Properly so, Jacob does not consider this wrestling with God a victory of his own strength thinking it took a miracle to defeat him. He considers himself delivered, lucky to be alive (32.30).
Reading this short scene we see life-changing applications: 1) Sometimes we need to be alone with God; 2) Sometimes God waits for us to be alone; 3) Divine encounters are not always what we expect or momentarily pleasant; 4) God awards persistence; 5) Our new name describes the new us; 6) Grace removes the curse of “seeing” God; 7) There is a time limit on God’s opportunities; 8) Everyday inconveniences are worth God’s grace; 9) God interrupts lives in a multiplicity of ways; 10) God’s timing is always perfect; 11) All that really matters is being blessed by God; 12) No one really defeats God; 13) We all need God to defeat us.
Prayer Challenge: Take each of the applications and make a prayer. Just as Jacob’s wrestling was personalized to him, make all these applications personal to us.
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