Wrestling With God  

     Abraham's grandson Jacob lived a __?__ life. We don't have a word for his many experiences. He fathered 12 sons by two wives and two servant women. This was long before Moses and the laws. Jacob's sons would eventually be known as fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel. 

     One night, Jacob sent his family and possessions across a tributary of the Jordan river. He feared his brother Esau, whom he had deceived 20 years earlier. Jacob stayed back to pray, and a man - presumably the "angel of the Lord," God himself - wrestled with him until daybreak (Genesis 32:22-24). 

     The "man could not overpower" Jacob, but touched the socket of his hip, causing him to limp. (Commentary: a reminder that Jacob must no longer walk in his own strength but rely on God and walk in dependence on him.) 

     V. 28: "Then the man said, 'Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome."  

     Israelites and Jews in many other nations, and Christians, have their own struggles and challenges to rely on God...and walk in dependence on him. The Lord didn't promise an easy life, without struggle, without opposition from enemies, both human and spirit.     

             Jimmy