1. Genesis 32 Jacob Wrestles with God

3. Are you not thirsty?” said the Lion. “I’m dying of thirst,” said Jill. “Then drink,” said the Lion. “May I— could I— would you mind going away while I do?” said Jill. The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl. And as Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience. The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic.

4. “Will you promise not to— do anything to me, if I do come?” said Jill. “I make no promise,” said the Lion. Jill was so thirsty now that, without noticing it, she had come a step nearer. “Do you eat girls?” she said. “I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms,” said the Lion. It didn’t say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it.

5. “I daren’t come and drink,” said Jill. “Then you will die of thirst,” said the Lion. “Oh dear!” said Jill, coming another step nearer. “I suppose I must go and look for another stream then.” “There is no other stream,” said the Lion. It never occurred to Jill to disbelieve the Lion— no one who had seen his stern face could do that —and her mind suddenly made itself up. It was the worst thing she had ever had to do, but she went forward to the stream, knelt down, and began scooping up water in her hand. It was the coldest, most refreshing water she had ever tasted. --Lewis, C. S., The Silver Chair: The Chronicles of Narnia

6. Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life ; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” --John 14:6

7. Paul “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity ; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. --Phil. 4:11-13 “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God”--2 Cor. 3:5 “for we walk by faith, not by sight” --2 Cor. 5:7

8. Peter “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord ; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” --2 Peter 1:2-4 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders ; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. --1 Peter 5:5-7

9. CHAPTER 32 1Now as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him. 2And Jacob said when he saw them, "This is God's camp." So he named that place Mahanaim.

12. “Jacob saw that where he camped there was another camp, normally unseen (cf. II Kings 6:16-17). It was the angelic host of God, who would protect him regardless of what dangers lay ahead. Jacob concluded that God’s camp was there where the angels met him. What better place for him to make camp than alongside the angelic campsite? Where could a man be any safer? And so the name of the place was called Mahanaim, “two camps.” From such a point of security Jacob would send ahead messengers, who would seek to soften the anger of Esau in preparation for the arrival of Jacob and his household.” --Bob Deffinbaugh

13. Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master ! What shall we do ?" So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the LORD opened the servant's eyes and he saw ; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. –2 Kings 6:15-17

14. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” --Ephesians 6:10-13

15. 3Then Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4He also commanded them saying, "Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: 'Thus says your servant Jacob, "I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now; 5and I have oxen and donkeys and flocks and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight."'"

16. “Jacob instructed his servants precisely how to address Esau, acknowledging Esau as Jacob’s “lord,” in whose sight he desired to find favor. Esau had especially hated Jacob because of his gaining what Esau judged to be political advantage through Isaac’s blessing, so that Jacob desired to emphasize that it was not political sovereignty in which he was interested, being quite content to regard Esau as his master in that regard. He wished to indicate further that he had no desire to claim any of Esau’s possessions, since he had acquired ample goods for himself through his sojourn with their Uncle Laban.” --Henry Morris

17. 28 Now may God give you of the dew of heaven, And of the fatness of the earth, And an abundance of grain and new wine ; 29 May peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you; Be master of your brothers, And may your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, And blessed be those who bless you." --Genesis 27:28, 29

18. 6And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We came to your brother Esau, and furthermore he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.“ 7Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and the herds and the camels, into two companies; 8for he said, "If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the company which is left will escape."

19. 9And Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who didst say to me, 'Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,' 10I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which Thou hast shown to Thy servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. 11"Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me, the mothers with the children. 12"For Thou didst say, 'I will surely prosper you, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.'"

21. “And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently ; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.” --Luke 22:41-44

22. “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.” --Hebrews 5:7

23. 13So he spent the night there. Then he selected from what he had with him a present for his brother Esau: 14two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, "Pass on before me, and put a space between droves."

24. 220 goats=$22,000 220 sheep=$22,000 60 camels=$90,000 50 cattle=$40,000 30 donkeys=$30,000 580 animals=$204,000

25. “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But victory belongs to the LORD.” --Proverbs 21:31

26. 17And he commanded the one in front, saying, "When my brother Esau meets you and asks you, saying, 'To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and to whom do these animals in front of you belong?' 18then you shall say, 'These belong to your servant Jacob; it is a present sent to my lord Esau. And behold, he also is behind us.'" 19Then he commanded also the second and the third, and all those who followed the droves, saying, "After this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him; 20and you shall say, 'Behold, your servant Jacob also is behind us.' "For he said," I will appease him with the present that goes before me. Then afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me."

27. 21So the present passed on before him, while he himself spent that night in the camp. 22Now he arose that same night and took his two wives and his two maids and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23And he took them and sent them across the stream. And he sent across whatever he had. 24Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.

29. 25And when he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. 26Then he said, "Let me go, for the dawn is breaking." But he said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."

30. “At this point the Angel disabled Jacob by dislocating his hip. This would be devastating to a wrestler. It would be like breaking the arm of a quarterback or the leg of a running back. Jacob was now unable to wage an offensive battle. He was helpless. All he could do now was to cling defensively in desperation. And this he did. …Jacob asked only for a blessing (verse 26). Finally, Jacob had come to realize that the only important thing in life is to be blessed of God. In the words of Proverbs, “It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, And he adds no sorrow to it” (Proverbs 10:22).” --Bob Deffinbaugh

31. 27So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." 28And he said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed."

32. In 32:27, Jesus says to Jacob, “‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’” …he answered truthfully, “My name is Jacob” (i.e., “heel-grabber,” “cheater,” “deceiver,” and “supplanter”). It had come to stand for the basic reality of Jacob’s life. He was a man who fully earned his own name. It is a confession of who he really is. He had to acknowledge the truth about himself before God could make him into a new man. Jacob owned up to his name. --Keith Krell Keith Krell

33. Jacob His name is explained as meaning "holder of the heel" or "supplanter". Jacob had a history of ambitious trickery --thus, “supplanter”, one who takes the place of another.

34. Jacob that supplants Hitchcock's Dictionary of Bible Names Israel who prevails with God Hitchcock's Dictionary of Bible Names Israel the prince that prevails with God Smith's Bible Dictionary

35. Hosea 12:3-5 3In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his maturity he contended with God. 4Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed; He wept and sought His favor. He found Him at Bethel, and there He spoke with us, 5Even the LORD, the God of hosts; the LORD is His name.

36. 29Then Jacob asked him and said, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And he blessed him there. 30So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved." 31Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh. 32Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because he touched the socket of Jacob's thigh in the sinew of the hip.

37. Jacob Jacob was not a person of noble character to begin with. He was always planning and scheming to take advantage of people. But he had one great redeeming quality—he valued the things of God. God loves the person who values the things of God. Jacob had to be disciplined by God all his life until he learned to depend on God alone. Jacob had to learn that faith and scheming do not go together. The last days of Jacob were his best days. He had learned to trust God instead of trusting in himself and his schemes.

38. God uses our circumstances to discipline us and to make us what He wants us to be. The story of Jacob in the Old Testament is an example of how God uses circumstances to discipline His children. Jacob did not have a very good character. He was not only clever and cunning, but he was also greedy and dishonest. He was always trying to get the best of other people. Jacob was a deceiver, and God sent him to work for his uncle, Laban, who was the same kind of person as Jacob. Jacob had deceived others, and he himself was deceived. He encountered one difficulty after another. At one time, he cried out, "All these things are against me." Actually, though, God was working all these circumstances together for Jacob's good. Through discipline and chastening, God was bringing about a change in Jacob's character. In the end, we see a different Jacob.

39. “From a divine point of view chapter 32 was the turning point of Jacob’s spiritual life. Jacob had been a bargainer, even with God, up to this time. In Genesis 28 after the vision of the heavenly ladder Jacob made a vow, but it was much more of a bargain with God than a surrender to Him….” --Bob Deffinbaugh

40. “All of Jacob’s deceitful practices which we have seen over the years of his life are the result of a fundamental misconception. Jacob felt that spiritual blessings were to be secured by carnal methods and means. Jacob rightly believed that God had promised to make him, not Esau, the heir of promise with the rights of the first-born. He valued this blessing while Esau despised it. What he did not yet know was that he did not have to connive and scheme in order to obtain the promised blessings of God. The encounter which Jacob will have with the Angel of Jehovah will correct this error and will instruct Jacob as to how and why spiritual blessings must be obtained through spiritual means.

41. “On the one hand, it was God Who opposed him. On the other, it was Jacob himself, who by means of his trickery and treachery, his cunning and deceit attempted to produce spiritual blessings through carnal means. The blessing of God must be obtained from God himself, and this must be done by clinging to Him in helpless dependence, not by trying to manipulate Him. That is the picture which is conveyed by this struggle in the night hours between Jacob and his God. A realization of this fact brought about a dramatic change in the character and conduct of Jacob, and thus his name was changed to reflect this transformation.

42. “Jacob did prevail with God in his wrestling match, although in many ways he did not really overcome God, for he had been immobilized by the dislocation of his hip. His only act was to cling tenaciously to the Angel of Jehovah and, in the words of Hosea, “He wept and sought His favor” (12:4). In this sense, and this alone, God was “overcome” by Jacob. In this same way we who are His children and the heirs of His blessings can prevail with God.

43. “Since God is sovereign, all men must do is to prevail with Him. If He is for us, we have the victory. Neither human nor demonic opposition can thwart the purposes of the sovereign God (Romans 8:31-39), and since God has purposed to bless men as they prevail with Him, we must devote ourselves to this task. But how do we prevail with God? Our text suggests several ingredients. First, we must come to the place of recognizing our own inadequacy and helplessness. We must come to the end of ourselves and recognize the futility of our own carnal devices….Second, we must trust in that which God has promised to do….Finally, Jacob clung tenaciously to God to accomplish what He promised to do, even when it seemed humanly impossible.”

44. “That is the way in which men have always prevailed with God— by recognizing their own inadequacy, by trusting in the revealed Word of God and His promises, and by clinging to God alone to do what He has promised (cf. I John 5:14-15).” --Bob Deffinbaugh

45. “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” --1 John 5:14,15

46. For by grace you have been saved through faith ; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God ; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. --Ephesians 2:8-10 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have ; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU," so that we confidently say, "THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME ?" --Hebrews 13:5,6