Failed But Not Finished - 3
A Tough Wrestling Match - Genesis 32
He was a cheat and a liar. In fact his name, Jacob, means ‘Supplanter’, and he came out of his mother’s womb grasping his twin brother’s heel. What a start in life, to be given a name meaning “one who tries to put it over other people”. Mind you, there are plenty of people about with many different names who also try to get the better of others by whatever means they have at their disposal, but here was a boy who started off with a name like that! And it wasn’t too long before those who lived with him could see how well his name had been chosen. Perhaps God chose it for the parents, because that was what happened in those days. But I’m jumping ahead of my story, which you will find in Genesis 32. We will look at the chapter under four headings: A Problem Expected, A Prayer of Escape, A Proposition for Esau, and A Personal Encounter.
A Problem Expected – Verses 1 to 8
Jacob was returning to his home land after many years absence, prior to which there had been a blazing row between him and his twin brother, Esau, over their father’s blessing. Their mother had overheard Esau plotting to kill Jacob, and she had arranged for him to leave home in a hurry. Now he is returning because God has told him to go back home, and he is very much afraid that Esau will not have forgotten their feud, and will still seek his life. Perhaps you’ve got a real fear gripping your heart; you’ve got a problem too big for you to handle. You know God personally; Christ is your Saviour and Friend, but somehow you find it hard to trust him. Well, the next step that Jacob took was the best one for you to take, for Jacob offers …
A Prayer for Escape – Verses 9 to 12
We read that Jacob was “in great fear and distress”. Is that how you feel right now? The problem is so big and your faith seems so small. What can you possibly do in such circumstances? Well, Jacob prayed!
That’s not the only thing you ought to do, but it’s the best thing you can do! And Jacob’s prayer teaches us some valuable lessons. First of all He prayed to One who he acknowledged to be “the God of history”; One who had proved Himself faithful to his father and his grandfather. Then he told God that he was obeying Him, when He had said. “Go back to your relatives and I will make you prosper”. After that, Jacob did what didn’t come easy, he took a humble stand: “I am unworthy of all Your kindness and faithfulness”. I wonder, are we willing to take the lowly place when we come to God in prayer? There is no place for pride and bigotry in the prayer-room. Next we see Jacob making …
A Proposition for Esau - Verses 13 to 21
He carefully laid his plans, selecting an expensive gift of donkeys, flocks and herds, and giving his servants explicit instructions as to what they were to say, and how they were to act. It says “He thought, ‘I will pacify him with these gifts…and perhaps he will receive me”. We are not sure whether he was failing to trust his God, after taking the matter to Him in prayer, or simply doing what he could, as his part in the proceedings. Sometimes it is right for us to play our part after praying, as long as we’re not trying to “pull strings” which are not ours to pull! There is a verse in John’s Gospel chapter 11, which gives us some guidance on the matter. When Jesus was about to raise Lazarus from the grave, He told the people around Him to take away the stone, and when they had done so, He spoke the word of power which brought the dead man out of the tomb. It was as though Jesus was saying, “I’m not going to do for you what you are able to do for yourself, but if you play your part, you can trust Me to do mine”.
Finally, we see Jacob enter into an experience which would change his life for ever. It was …
A Personal Encounter – Verses 22 to 32
Having taken his family to a place of safety, Jacob then crossed the ford of the River Jabbok, and as he meditated in the darkness, a man wrestled with him until daybreak. This unknown wrestler then touched Jacob’s hip, wrenching it out of its socket, as he asked Jacob to let him go. Jacob replied “I will not let you go unless you bless me”, and the man asked him what was his name. It would appear that he wanted Jacob, the supplanter, to understand that his life had been something of a failure. He had deceived his father, cheated his brother, and walked out on his father-in-law. Indeed, a great deal of his life had been spent in either defending his rights, as he saw it, or living by his wits.
So the unknown wrestler wanted him to see that he was a deceiver by name and a deceiver by nature. When Jacob admitted to the meaning of his name, the Stranger gave him a wonderful message: “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, “A Wrestler with God” or ”A Prince of God”. Suddenly, the whole picture became clear to the young man who had returned home; this Stranger, with whom he had wrestled, was God in human form, so he named the place Peniel, meaning “the face of God”.
Although Jacob did continue to make mistakes, his whole attitude seems to have changed. There was a meekness which had not been seen before. He had prayed about his problem in real humility, had sought to care for his family in the right spirit, had faced up to his responsibilities in relation to his brother, and now God had heard and answered his prayer. It was as though God was telling him “I know you have failed, but you’re not finished. In fact I’m going to do something quite astounding with you, because in 4000 years’ time, the nation Israel, which bears your name, will dwell in the land in the Middle East towards which the eyes of the whole world will be turned”.
Perhaps you’ve been a cheat. You’ve cheated your wife or your husband; you’ve cheated your parents or your children; you’ve cheated your business partner or your friend, and you just feel yourself to be one big failure. If you are a Christian and you know Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, He is waiting for you to come back to Him in repentance and faith - and in humility. He will say to you “You may have failed, but I haven’t finished with you yet”.
There is forgiveness and the opportunity to start a new life for Christ. Don’t let it pass you by.