Prayer and Wrestling

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost (A)

August 3, 2014

Genesis 32:22-31

 
Jacob wrestles with God. (Image via SusanVonMedicus.com)

Introduction

Prayer is wrestling. Praying itself is not hard. It is simply talking with God. But sometimes the object of our prayer may be difficult to pray for. This is when prayer becomes wrestling.

In today's Old Testament reading, Jacob wrestles with a mysterious Man from night until dawn (Genesis 32:22-31). The identity of this Man is later revealed to be God, because Jacob named that place Peniel (פְּנִיאֵל), "for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved" (32:30). I believe that this is a picture of prayer. Jacob was praying for his confrontation with his twin brother Esau. First, he cheated Esau out of his birthright (Genesis 24:17-34), then he cheated him out of their father's blessing (Genesis 27). Esau wanted to kill Jacob as soon as their father Isaac was dead, so Rebekah their mother told Jacob to go to her homeland in Haran in Padan-Aram (27:41-45). There he lived with his uncle Laban; married his two daughters, Leah and Rachel (29:15-30); and had eleven sons (and one daughter) (29:31-30:24).

After twenty years of serving Laban (31:38), Jacob wanted to go home (perhaps to see his father before he dies). But in doing so, he has to confront his twin brother, Esau. When he sent messengers Esau, who was now living in the country of Edom at this time, that he was returning, the messengers returned and said that Esau is coming with four hundred men (32:1-6). This made Jacob "greatly afraid and distressed" so he let his flocks and men (which he divided into two companies; 32:7-8) and his wives, maidservants, and children (32:22-23) ahead of his to be alone in prayer.

I. "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day." (Genesis 32:22)

Prayer is wrestling. Before confronting his brother Esau, Jacob spent the night praying and wrestling with God. His prayer is recorded in Genesis 32:9-12:

O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for the multitude.

Mind you, wrestling in ancient times is different from the so-called "professional wrestling" we have nowadays. "Professional wrestling" is highly choreographed and the matches are often "fixed". If you want to see real wrestling, watch Olympic wrestling (which is Greco-Roman wrestling) or even sumo wrestling from Japan. Or jujutsu in mixed martial arts. Traditional wrestling is grappling with one's opponent until he falls. This explains why God was able to strike Jacob on the "hollow of his thigh" (32:25).

II. "And [the Man] said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And [Jacob] said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me." (Genesis 32:26)
Even after he was struck in the thigh, Jacob refused to let go of God until God blesses him. This is the essence of persistent prayer: Not letting God until God blesses us.

This is what Jesus taught that we "ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1-8). He told the parable about a widow who persistently prayed to an unjust judge to avenge her from her adversary. Finally the judge granted her request, not because he feared God nor regarded men, but because he was afraid that he would weary him out.

And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith? And shall not God vindicate his own elect, who cry to him day and night, though he bear long with them? I tell you he will vindicate them speedily. Yet when the Son of man cometh, will he find faith upon earth? (Luke 18:6-8)

III. "And [the Man] said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed." (Genesis 32:28)
God changed the name of Jacob, the Supplanter, the Deceiver, to Israel (יִשְׂרָאֵל, Yisrael, 'he wrestled with God'), "for you have contended (or 'persisted with', or 'exerted yourself', or 'perserved'; Hebrew, sari'ta) with God and with men, and hast prevailed, and hast prevailed". Therefore God granted Jacob his request for deliverance from Esau:

And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept. (Genesis 33:1-4)

Conclusion

What have you been wrestling about in prayer? Or maybe we have yet to experience wrestling in prayer because we have not yet found anything tough to pray about. Maybe we have been praying for things that are too easy. Amen.