Wrestling With God

The Rev. Joseph Winston

October 21, 2007

Sermon

Grace and peace are gifts for you from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.1
When one listens to the Word of God in Genesis 32:22-32 where Jacob wres-
tled with a stranger from dark till dawn, it is difficult to see how this story applies
to us today. Except for myths about vampires that only come out when it is dark,
we do not talk of men who disappear at daybreak. In this culture that we find our-
selves in, we do not ask for blessings from strangers, much less from a person that
we are fighting with. We do not change our names after we wrestle with strangers.
What truth does this story tell us, people who are many generations removed from
the patriarchs? Or to rephrase the question, “Can we learn something about our
life and our faith if we compare our life and faith to Jacob’s life and faith?”
To understand this question we need to understand Jacob’s position in his fam-
1
Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians
1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 1:3

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ily. Jacob’s grandfather is Abraham, a man with a confident faith.2 To this man,
God promises great rewards in the form of many children and land. This covenant
between God and Abraham is not only for Abraham, but it is also for his de-
scendents. Thus, the entire family of Abraham is “richly blessed” by God.3 The
unbelievable gifts given to the family can be seen in Jacob’s father since Isaac is
also prosperous.4 Despite these blessings and promises from God, which should
indicate no need for strife, Jacob lives in “conflict and trouble all his days.”5
Jacob’s quarrels with others started with his twin brother Esau before their
birth since he was wrestling with Esau in his mother’s womb (Genesis 25:22).
As grown men this hostility between them continued. Rather than freely giving
his brother a bowl of lentils after hunting, Jacob forces Esau to turn over Esau’s
inheritance before he can have a bowel of soup (Genesis 25:29-33). Then near
his father’s death, Jacob with his mother’s help tricks his father into giving him
the blessing instead of his older brother (Genesis 27). This friction between Jacob
and others is not limited to Jacob’s family. Later in his life when Jacob wants to
marry, he causes problems for his future father-in-law by wanting to marry the
younger daughter before the older daughter is wed. This idea presented by Jacob
is completely foreign to the way that girls were given in marriage (Genesis 29:26).
After this is worked out and Jacob has married the two oldest girls, he swindles his
father-in-law by setting the parameters on how he will be paid. He offers that all of
2
Walter Brueggemann; James Luther Mays, editor, Genesis Interpretation, (John Knox Press,
1982), p. 211.
3
Ibid., p. 199. The italics are the author’s.
4
Ibid., p. 211.
5
Ibid., pp. 199, 211.

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the spotted sheep and goats will be his wages (Genesis 30:32). Jacob practically
insures that the entire herd will be his because he only let the mottled animals
breed with the best of his father-in-laws sheep and goats (Genesis 30:33-43). This
of course increases the sheep and goats with color in their coats while decreasing
the all white animals.
Up to this point in his life, this ability to wrestle others out of what is theirs
has served Jacob well. He has his father’s inheritance and blessing. He has two
wives plus another two who were gifts from his two primary wives. He has vast
amounts of animals due to his breeding program. However, there is a problem on
the horizon. His brother Esau is coming to meet him and his brother’s forces are
so superior to his that to pick a fight with Esau now would wipe Jacob out. In
order to avoid this situation, Jacob comes up with a complicated plan. Divide his
company into sections so that if one is attacked the others might escape, send his
brother a bribe so that he might be appeased, and have his immediate family leave
before he meets with his twin. The result of these actions leaves Jacob alone until
a man comes to wrestle with him.
But who is this stranger that Jacob wrestles with in today’s Old Testament
lesson? On the surface, it does not look like we can identify this man because
he never gives his name in today’s reading from Genesis. Despite this fact, God
and Jacob give us three important clues that decisively tell us the name of Jacob’s
fighting partner. When Jacob sees that ladder going up into heaven, God tells Jacob
for the first time the promise that God gave to his father Isaac and his grandfather
Abraham (Genesis 28:12-14). Then God tells Jacob that no matter where he goes

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God will be with him (Genesis 28:15). Our second clue to the man’s identity is
found in the name of the wrestling ring, Peniel, which literally means God’s face.
Finally, Jacob tells us that his opponent is God. The fact that God travels with
Jacob, the naming of the fight’s location as God’s face, and Jacob’s statement
“For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” all tell us that it
is God who is wrestling with Jacob.
The theme of wrestling that started with Esau and Jacob in the womb now
reaches a dramatic climax in today’s lesson. Jacob struggles with God and does
not lose. What does this mean that a man can fight God to a draw? For all we know
it indicates that the balance of power has shifted between God and humans.6 Or
just maybe we have an incorrect idea about force and its use here on earth. We
normally think that winning is everything. That is what Jacob thought because he
would not let God go until he was blessed. However, Jesus shows us a completely
different way to look at the use of force. He came to the earth, faced the powers of
the world, and died when He gave up His life so that others might live. For Jesus,
true strength is having the ability to let go of what normally controls us. For some
of us this might mean that we need to let go of our possessions and for others of
us it could mean that we need to stop relying on our power to control others.
Perhaps God let the fight with Jacob end with a draw because to win the match
would mean that God would have to crush Jacob. Is not this true with our own
lives also? Recall all the times in your life that you have wrestled with God. The
nights that you laid in your bed unable to sleep because you were tossing and
6
Brueggemann, Genesis, p. 269.

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turning over something that happened in your life. The pacing up and down in an
unfamiliar building while you waited for any news about a loved one. The times
where you screamed and cried out into the darkness but nothing came back in
response. All of these meetings with God could have gone differently. God could
have wiped you and your problems completely out of existence. Rather than doing
that, God did something very unusual and not like what any other god might do.
He was there with you and He fought with you. While you could not sleep, God
was arguing with you. “Maybe,” He gently said, “there is another way for you to
live.” In that strange setting, God was with you. He stayed with you so that the
two of you could bring the problem to the ground. Even in the complete absence
of an answer, God is there. “Hit me with your best shot,” He says, “I can take it.”
The Good News contained in today’s Old Testament lesson is that God does
not abandon us. He was there for the swindling, cheating, and just plain dishonest
Jacob and He will be there for us. When we should expect to be left all alone,
God is right beside us. Not only that, but God does not believe that we should get
what we deserve. Jacob knew what should happen to him. Esau should take back
by force what was rightly his: his blessing and his birthright. God intervened and
Jacob avoided a massacre of his property and family. The same happens for you
and me. God gives us acceptance, not because we are worthy of it, but instead God
gives us this gift because God loves us.
What does this lesson from Genesis tell us about our life and our faith? In
many ways, we are just like Jacob. We fight with a God who both loves us and
richly blesses us. In Jacob’s case, this struggle with God permanently changed

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him. Jacob was given a wound that never healed. In our situation, wrestling with
God has also injured us. Now when we do something that is against God’s will we
feel a pain deep inside of our hearts.
Before Jacob would let the wrestling match come to an end, he demanded a
blessing from his opponent. Jacob received a new name, Israel. Even though we
no longer demand blessings from our faithful wrestling partner, God still gives us
a gift. Our names have been changed. We now are called children of God.
Our wresting with God lasts as long as we live. The church council and I can
attest to this basic fact. Last Sunday, not only did we review our current financial
situation but we also made plans for upcoming year. Unless something dramatic
occurs in the next six weeks, we will not be able to pay all of our obligations
for this year. The actual number is not yet known but would appear to be in the
range of three to six thousand dollars. This shortfall will wipe out the rest of
our grant money and place a significant strain on next year’s budget since our
indebtedness must be carried forward. Because of the numbers, we took a hard
look at our current spending and we wrestled over many different items. How
much will our convention expenses be? How do we pay for a supply pastor when
I take vacation? Can we find donations for office, kitchen, and bathroom supplies?
Will people pay for their own education materials? How often does the grass need
to be mowed? In the end, we came up with a budget for 2007 and 2008 that will
be given to you at the annual congregation meeting on November 11. Could this
budget be improved? In a word, “Yes.” But to do this, you will have to wrestle
with the facts that are before us. Fact number one: we are currently not able to

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meet our expenses. The second truth is this. Something must change. Either we
must reduce our already bare bone budget even more or we have to find a way
to increase giving. This brings us to the final point. What part of God’s mission
do we cut or do we, with God’s help, bring people to help with God’s mission?
Wrestle with these problems and tell us what you think.
“The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.”7

References

Brueggemann, Walter; Mays, James Luther, editor, Genesis Interpretation, (John

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Philippians 4:7.