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*Text: Genesis 32:22-32*
 
*22 *The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
*23 *He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had.
*24 *And Jacob was left alone.
And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.
*25 *When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.
*26 *Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.”
But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” *27 *And he said to him, “What is your name?”
And he said, “Jacob.”
*28 *Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have [struggled] with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
*29 *Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.”
But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?”
And there he blessed him.
*30 *So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”
*31 *The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
*32 *Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip on the sinew of the thigh.
*Preface*
 
Last year, NPR broadcasted an interview on All Things Considered where they discussed the importance of names.
In that interview, they discussed how NASA has for a long time picked names for their space crafts and rockets that captured some sense of the nature of the mission.
One interesting fact from the interview was NASA’s naming of the first Space Shuttle.
NASA ran a letter writing campaign for the public, which was organized by fans of Star Trek.
NASA was going to name the first shuttle Constellation, but because of the overwhelming response of these fans, they chose to name it Enterprise after the starship Enterprise from the television series.
Aside from the support of many Star Trek fans, the name Enterprise was appropriate as it means “a project to be undertaken, esp.
one that is important or difficult or that requires boldness or energy.”
This was an important name to inaugurate the Space Shuttle era.
But a good name is important for just about anything.
If one wants to be successful in selling a product, the product ought to have a good name.
A good name will convey what the product does.
Likewise, a company’s brand is its definition in the world, the name that identifies it to the marketplace and distinguishes it from everything else.
Therefore, names are important.
This is also true for names in the Bible.
This morning, we are continuing the series on characters of the Bible and will be studying about Jacob, the second son born of Isaac and the third patriarch of the Old Testament.
* *
*Context:*
 
To frame the passage we have just read, Jacob had just left his uncle Laban where he resided for 20 years.
He and his family are on their way back to Jacob’s home, when Jacob learns that Esau, his twin brother, was on his way along with 400 men to meet him.
This news troubled Jacob because he thinks his brother is coming to kill him and possibly his whole family.
Jacob had struggled his whole life to prevail, first with Esau, then with his uncle Laban.
Now that he was about to reenter his home, Canaan, he was shown that it was with God he must wrestle because it was God who held his destiny in his hands.
*Jacob’s Character:*
 
While we now know the immediate context to Jacob’s wrestling match, I would like to back up a moment to review several of the events that lead Jacob to this point in his life.
We will see that Jacob’s life was marked with many valleys and peaks:
 
*Early life*
·         He cheats his brother Esau out of his birthright when his brother is exhausted and about to die.
Not a very “brotherly” thing to do.
·         He then steals Esau’s blessing by deceiving his father Isaac and lying about God in the process.
When I read this a while back, I remember thinking how Jacob had the audacity to name God in his plot.
·         As a result of this deceit, Jacob is compelled to flee for his life from his brother Esau.
HIGH – At a place called Bethel, he experiences a spiritual vision of angels ascending and descending on a stairway and makes a vow to God saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me safe, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, *21 *so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God.
 
*Lives with Laban*
·         Jacob’s Uncle Laban deceives him.
Jacob had agreed to work for 7 years to marry Rachel, but Laban tricks him and he marries Leah.
Then, Laban requires Jacob to work another 7 years for Rachel.
·         Afterwards, there is continual struggle with Laban and jealousy between his wives.
·         He departs Haran, the place where Laban lived, for the Promised Land because Laban no longer favored him.
Laban pursues him and they agree to not harm one another.
*Journey Home*
HIGH – Learns of Esau’s approach and prays to God for help.
HIGH – He then wrestles with a man until daybreak.
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HIGH – Returns to Bethel, remembers former vision and vow to God, and builds an altar.
*Later Years*
Joseph is sold into slavery.
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HIGH – But Joseph rises to power in Egypt and helps his family during a famine.
HIGH – Ends his life blesses his family and prophesying the coming Messiah.
So, Jacob had a life full of valleys and peaks.
As we can see, Jacob had some good moments and some bad moments.
This is not unlike our lives today.
I believe we all go through periods of our lives when we are on a spiritual peak, where things are going great and we are really close to God.
Then there are other times when we are in a spiritual valley, where things are not so good and we don’t feel very close to God.
Jacob’s life, however, ends on a spiritual peak, where he blesses his family and prophesies the future Messiah.
Through all the peaks and valleys, we do see a character flaw in Jacob.
For the most part, he was not a very nice person.
He was opportunistic, selfish, and a deceiver.
These are not good qualities…but not surprising when we consider his name.
The names of people in the Bible had significant meaning.
To the Hebrews, names generally expressed some personal characteristic, some incident connected with birth, or some hope or desire of the parents.
For Jacob, his Hebrew name meant “supplanter.”
“To supplant” is to cause someone to stumble, or to supersede another person esp.
by force or treachery.”
To be called “the Supplanter” does not seem very appealing, but it was appropriate.
From his birth, Jacob was “supplanting” others.
He was born second, but grasped his brother’s heel during birth.
As Jacob grew up he made it his habit to go on grabbing everything he could for himself, especially those things that belonged to his brother Esau.
So, Jacob had to live with a name that for the most part fit his character.
While the passage of Jacob wrestling with God is incredible, we should realize that Jacob was doing here what he had been doing his whole life.
He had continually wrestled for the things he wanted:
 
* He wrestled with Esau before birth
* He wrestled with Esau during birth
* He wrestled Esau for Esau’s birthright
* He wrestled his father Isaac for Esau’s blessing
* He wrestled his Uncle Laban for romance and wealth
* Then He wrestled with God for a blessing
I believe, however, that Jacob had been wrestling with God all along.
Perhaps Jacob thought he needed to make sure God’s promises came true.
After all, God had promised him his brother would serve him.
Maybe Jacob didn’t believe God would fulfill his promise.
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In the book Hosea, the prophet records the following:
 
*Ho.
12:3* In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he strove with God.
In this passage, Hosea connects Jacob’s wrestling match with God, with what took place at the birth of the twins.
He teaches that Jacob merely completed, by his wrestling with God, what he had already been engaged in even from his mother’s womb.
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