From Grappling to Grasping God!

I love the story of Jacob recorded for us in the book of beginnings, Genesis. He is quite the character! He started his self-promotion early on and he got named after it! You probably remember the story of his birth when he reached out during the birthing process and grabbed his brother Esau’s heal because he wanted to be born first. Isaac and Rebekah named him “Jacob” which in the Hebrew means literally “heal grabber” and figuratively “deceiver or cheater.” (Genesis 25).

This was the story of Jacob’s life. He takes advantage of his brother in his need and steals Esau’s birthright normally given to the first-born son. Esau bears his own responsibility for despising it, but Jacob cheated him, nonetheless. He and his mom deceived Isaac into blessing Jacob over Esau. Though God planned for this, this family puts the “d” is dysfunctional for sure! Jacob paid the price for being the “deceiver,” fleeing for his life under threat of Esau’s promise of murderous revenge (Genesis 27). Jacob never saw his mother Rebekah alive again as he fled to Haran to his extended family to seek a wife.

He got a dose of his own medicine when his uncle Laban deceived him by giving his daughter Leah to be his wife rather than Rachel. He was cheated into serving Laban 14 years for the Rachel, the wife of his choosing (Genesis 29). Then Jacob and Laban cheated each other as herdsmen resulting in the need for Jacob to depart and go back to the Promised Land.

Though God had promised to bless Jacob, Jacob went about getting that blessing through his own cheating and deceiving. All this changed one night when Jacob at the river Jabbok encountered God and started “jebeking” (the Hebrew word used in Genesis 32 for Jacob’s grabbling with God). The Hebrew person, listening to Genesis 32 being read, would not have missed the significance of this word play: Jacob was at Jabbok and was “jebeking” God.

Up to this point in Jacob’s life, fighting for himself, putting himself first, though not without broken consequences, had worked out pretty well. Even in this grabbling match with God, Jacob was “prevailing.” However, something eternal happened toward the break of day. Jacob realized that he was “jebeking” with God. Toward the break of day, Jacob stops grabbling with God and starts to grasp onto God. He realizes that he desperately needs the one true God who loved and chose him. This is when Jacob comes to true faith in the great “I AM.” God changes his fight-for-your-own-success name Jacob to Israel which means “God fights for you.” In this context, it means, “let God fight for you!” In order to help Jacob remember that God would from now on be his defender, provider and protector, God touches his hip and gives him a memorial limp.

As believers, God has an awesome eternal plan for our lives. Though it includes pain and suffering it also includes His faithful presence and peace for those who are willing to admit their need of Him. It took Jacob 130 years to finally surrender in faith to enjoy the promise that God had made to his grandfather Abraham to give him a son, some sod and a Savior! Jacob was blessed to be a part of God’s faithful promise. He was the son that would initiate a great nation. Israel (Jacob) was the father of 12 sons that became the 12 tribes of the nation of Israel. Israel (Jacob) enjoyed God’s promise to give Abraham some sod where Jacob live and that would one day be the promised land of the nation of Israel. The state of Israel inhabits most of that promised land today. Israel (Jacob) was blessed to be the ancestor of the promised Savior, the Lord Jesus!—“through you all nations of the world will be blessed (Genesis 12:3; 22:18). Jesus, “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Have you made that decision to stop grabbling for our own self-promotion and pleasure and to rather grasp for God who sent his Son, Jesus to give to everyone who believes forgiveness of sin and an abundant life that lasts forever? May we all stop grabbling and start grasping for Him!

Dr. David Ley is the President of Alaska Bible College