I began my day asking God to have mercy on me and to provide a man or woman of peace at the New Jersey DMV (Division of Motor Vehicles). Both my driver’s license and my car registration in the USA expired during my two-years of not residing in the country and I needed to renew them. I prayed and asked God to provide a person of peace at the DMV to assist me that morning because my situation is complicated as I have dual citizenship and reside most of my time in the country of Israel and outside of the USA.
I entered the DMV building in Medford, New Jersey and talked with a woman at the information desk. I explained to her my situation and she told me that she needed to talk with someone higher up. She spoke with someone else and told me that I needed to provide proof from my insurance company that I had been out of the country for the past two years to keep me from having to pay for the time that I wasn’t in the country. I then spent the next half an hour on the phone with my automobile insurance company. My insurance company was not very helpful and I was getting frustrated at the whole situation.
Utter Desperation
Just as I was about to give up, a different woman, who also works at the DMV, called me over to her desk and asked me to explain my situation to her. I began to explain the details of my situation to this second woman, whom we’ll Sarah, but I then told her that I was already talking with the first woman at the information desk. Sarah then said to me, “I’m the manager here and I will take care of this for you,” and she did. Sarah took the next five minutes to get all of my details and documentation. Sarah processed everything for me and I left with my new driver’s license and car registration without any additional fees. God answered my prayer and provided a woman of peace to assist me.
At one time or another, we all face situations in life that are out of our control. No one enjoys being in a place of weakness, utter helplessness, or being completely dependent on the mercy of others, however, we all face these types of obstacles in life. Jacob also came face to face with various “out of control” situations in his life and we see this illustrated once again at the beginning of this week’s Torah Portion.
The Journey Home
Jacob was returning to his homeland after being gone for twenty years. Jacob had suffered much in dealing with his uncle Laban and now he was going to come face to face with his brother Esau, who had vowed to kill Jacob when the opportunity would arise. This week’s Torah Portion study is called “וישלח” – “”Vayishlach,” which simply means “and he sent.” The situation was that Jacob sent his servants ahead of him to let Esau know that he was returning and he was hoping to receive a positive response from Esau, however, his servants returned with a different kind of report:
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.” Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; – Gen. 32:6-7
The return of Jacob’s messengers with this troublesome report caused Jacob to become extremely fearful because it was clear that Esau intended to harm Jacob (Gen. 32:7-8). Jacob was in a place of utter desperation. The very situation that he had feared for twenty years was proving to become a reality and he felt utterly helpless.
Wrestling with God
It was in this place of utter desperation that Jacob turned to God in prayer. Jacob had nowhere else to go and no-one else to turn to. Jacob offered this prayer to God:
O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, “Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,” I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children. For You said, “I will surely prosper you and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be numbered.” – Gen. 32:9-12
In his state of utter desperation, Jacob remembered the promises of God, which God Himself had spoken to him. Jacob must have also remembered the vow he had made to God when he first set out from his homeland twenty years earlier, vowing that that the LORD would be his God if he would return him in safety to his father’s house (Gen. 29:20-22).
Despite every promise that God had spoken to Jacob, trials arose in Jacob’s life which caused him to depend on God. With no where else to turn, Jacob was forced to call upon God and ask God to intervene in the current circumstances and deliver him from his brother Esau for his own sake and for the sake of his wives and children.
It is during times of uncertainty in life that each of us must learn to wrestle with God in prayer. Wrestling with God in prayer is not a religious act which includes set prayers and liturgy. Instead, it is an intimate act of talking with God on a very personal level. Wrestling with God demands that we know God intimately, recall His promises which He has revealed to us through His Word, and tailor our prayers to the current situation. Wrestling with God is an intimate act that involves our entire being; physical, spiritual, and emotional. Have you wrestled with God recently?
It appears from the text that God answered Jacob’s prayer and gave Jacob discernment in how to respond to Esau’s potential attack by literally preparing a gift offering for his brother. Jacob prepared a gift of livestock for Esau and sent his servants ahead of him to appease Esau with this offering (Gen. 32:13-21). Jacob prepared the gift for Esau and sent his family and his whole company across the stream named Jabbok until he himself was left alone (Gen. 32:22-23).
Face to Face with God
Jacob had wrestled with God in prayer but now he was about to wrestle with God in a more literal way: “Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak” (Gen. 32:24). The wrestling match between Jacob and this man is a very unique situation in the Bible. Who is the man with whom Jacob wrestled?
The text in Genesis 32 indicates that Jacob wrestled with a man but at the same time this man is considered to be God: “So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, ‘I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved’” (Gen. 32:30). It is also stated in the book of Hosea that Jacob wrestled with God who is also considered to be an angel:
In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his maturity he contended with God. Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor. He found Him at Bethel and there He spoke with us, even the LORD, the God of hosts, the LORD is His name. – Hosea 12:3-5
This unique individual whom Jacob wrestled with is spoken of as a man, an angel, and as God Himself. I believe that we learn from this wrestling match between God and Jacob that God makes Himself vulnerable enough for us to touch Him, see Him, and communicate with Him.
During this wrestling match, God touched Jacob’s inner thigh and dislocated it. God asked Jacob to let him go as dawn was breaking but Jacob told him, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Gen. 32:26). Jacob had experienced many trials along his journey of life and he needed God to bless his journey at that crucial moment more than ever before. Jacob held on and continued wrestling with God until God moved on his behalf: “And he blessed him there. So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, ‘I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved’” (Gen. 32:29-30).
There are many lessons to be learned from this wrestling match between Jacob and God but one crucial lesson is to hold on during the challenges in life and press in with God. We must know God personally, seek His face in challenging times, and make specific requests of Him according to His promises. When the pain is most intense and the situation seems to be totally out of our control, that is when we need to hold on to God with all our strength and pray with a fervency that we never thought possible. Don’t give up! Don’t let go!
It is easy to read stories in the Bible like this one with Jacob and to only read the happy ending, however, we need to remind ourselves of the process that Jacob went through. Jacob faced challenge after challenge in his life. Jacob had to make many important decisions regarding family life, business, and spiritual life. Jacob had to learn how to hear the voice of God and this occurred through difficult and stressful times in life. Jacob also had to learn how to wrestle with God and with man and how to overcome.
Going Deep with God
There are many examples in the Bible of people who learned to wrestle with God as a result of trials of life. I’d like to end this week’s study by briefly looking at the life of Hannah and how she wrestled with God to overcome a humanly challenging situation.
Hannah was married to a man named Elkanah. Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Penninah. Penninah bore children to Elkanah, however, Hannah was not able to have children as the LORD had closed her womb. Hannah was distressed that she was unable to bear children and to make matters worse, Penninah made it more difficult for Hannah by reminding her of her inability to have children (1 Samuel 1:1-8). We don’t know exactly how long this went on for, however, the text does tell us that it occurred for years (1 Samuel 1:7).
One time when Elkanah brought his family to the yearly sacrifice of the LORD at Shiloh, Hannah was in deep anguish over her situation of being childless and began wrestling with God in prayer:
She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. She made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.” – 1 Samuel 1:10-11
Hannah knew that there was no one else who could help her so she cried out to God and made a vow that if God would give her a son then she would give the child back to the LORD as a Nazirite.
Eli was the priest in Shiloh at that time and he saw Hannah sitting there troubled in spirit. He saw her lips moving but did not hear any words coming out of her mouth so he thought that she was drunk. After scolding her and telling her to put away her wine, Hannah responded that she had not drunk any alcohol but was rather distressed in her spirit and was pouring her heart out to God. Eli responded: “Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him” (1 Samuel 1:17). Hannah was relieved to her these words from Eli and left in peace.
Hannah faced a situation in life which left her without hope. I’m sure she tried every natural remedy for increasing fertility known to women in her day, however, without success. Years had passed and nothing changed. From what we read in the biblical text, it seems that Hannah had one last hope, that God would perform a miracle and allow her to become pregnant. Hannah poured out her heart to God and she told God that if He would give her a son then she in turn would give him back to the LORD all the days of his life, as a Nazirite. Hannah understood what it meant to wrestle with God in prayer.
The LORD heard Hannah’s prayer and answered her according to her request: “It came about in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, ‘Because I have asked him of the LORD’” (1 Samuel 1:20). Hannah named her son “Samuel” or in Hebrew “שמואל” – “shmuel” which literally means “God hears” or “God heard.” The reason Hannah gave him this name is, as she herself stated, “Because I have asked him of the LORD.” The Hebrew word for “ask” in this verse is the word “שאל” – “sha’al,” which means to request, ask, borrow, lend, demand, etc… Properly understood in context, Hannah requested a son from God, God heard her request, and God gave her a son.
We are reminded from the lives of Jacob and Hannah to not give in to the impossible situations around us. We are reminded to go to God with our requests, to be intimate with God, and to wrestle with God in prayer until He responds. Don’t allow the trials in your life to cause you to become powerless or hopeless. Go to God and wrestle with Him in prayer until He blesses you!
Dear Daniel,
Your commentary brings to my mind many related scriptures. To paraphrase Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in their declaration to King Nebuchadnezzar, “…our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us…But even if He does not, let it be known…” that we still serve Him alone.
“And not only this, but [a]we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:3-5).
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever” (Ephesians 3:20-21).
Through the enablement of the indwelling Ruach HaKodesh and my yielding to Him, I am your persevering brother in Yeshua HaMaschiach,
Sal:-)
Hi Daniel!
I´m glad and praise Him that you were able to fix the issues with your driver´s license. Regarding this theme of “Wrestling with God,” I’m thankful for the quotes you provide from these two relevant stories. Yes, I totally agree that “God makes Himself vulnerable enough for us to touch Him, see Him, and communicate with Him.” I can say that over and over in my personal relationship with Him I have had this kind of experience that you refer to. Actually, almost all the time I fell like the “woman version” of Jacob. But not sure anymore how long I must to do it OR if I should do that once again. Finally, and after many struggles over these past two years, I feel okay with keeping quiet, waiting, and continuing the walk according to His timing. Honestly it was too hard for me because the valley I cross does not have specific “signals” to get up (according to the circumstance). Remembering promises is enough. I am peaceful knowing that He knows the purpose of each season.
Thank you so much, I always the read.
Shalom!
Yazmin
Hi Yazmin,
Thank you for your reflections. Israel, the man and the nation, are continual examples to us all of our relationship with God.
Blessings,
Daniel