When Faith Refuses to Let Go
My ninth grade PE coach had already finished a month’s worth of teaching the class the basics of wrestling. As a reward for our good behavior, the coach decided to let us have a week of “championship wrestling,” the kind we all watched on TV.
We put out mats, had ring ropes, and came up with crazy names for our wrestling persona. And we wrestled as tag teams. In one particular match, I got tagged in when my partner was in trouble. I knew I was in trouble the moment I was tagged. My opponent probably outweighed me by a hundred pounds and was several inches taller. When he turned to make some comment about the ease of this match, I jumped on his back, wrapped my arms around his neck and head and held on for dear life. The match ended in a draw.
In Genesis 32 we read about another wrestling match. This one between Jacob and what the text first calls “a man.” Jacob had successfully resolved his battle with his father in law, Laban and was heading home with his wives, 12 sons, and a significant herd of animals and other accumulated possessions.
As they headed out on their journey, verse 1 tells us that “the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them he said, “this is God’s camp!” God sent angels to give Jacob assurance that he would be with him on this journey. And Jacob wanted all the help he could get because after sending a scout team out in search of his brother Esau, he learned that Esau was on his way to meet Jacob flanked by 400 men!
When Jacob learned that Esau was headed his way, he prayed. Much of his prayer was reminding God that he had made promises to take care of Jacob and to fulfill his promise to Abraham through Jacob, though he acknowledged his unworthiness of God’s blessing. Jacob was aware of the many times he had been deceptive in his behavior with his brother, his father, and others.
That night, having sent his servants on with extravagant gifts for his brother, he spent the night alone, and there he had an all-night wrestling match. When the sun was coming up, the man insisted that Jacob let go of him, but Jacob hung on, demanding that the man bless him and reveal his identity. The prophet Hosea reframes this story, calling the man an angel: “He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor. He met God at Bethel, and there God spoke with us” (Hosea 12:4).
There is a lot in this story that is hard to understand. When you read about Jacob, both before and after this wrestling match, you discover that his character didn’t really change. He was deceptive both before and after he wrestled with the angel. After meeting his brother Esau and having a moment of reconciliation, he told his brother he would meet him at Seir but instead went to Succoth.
Maybe the biggest thing we can learn from Jacob in this story is that no matter what is going on, our best decision is to simply hold on to God no matter what. We might wrestle with our thoughts, our faith, and our circumstances. We sometimes might even wrestle with God. But whether we understand where things are headed or not, the best thing we can do is hold on to God and believe that we are far better off with him than trying to go it alone.
Father, thank you for giving us the scriptures so that we can see that you have always used imperfect people to carry out your plans. Forgive us for the many times we have tried to do things our way instead of trusting you. Today we choose to hold on to you and your problems no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Genesis 32:1-2, 9-12, 22-32 ESV
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