Foundations Week 4, Day 3

Scripture Read:  Genesis 31 -32
Title: Run For Your Life
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H.E.A.R. Entry
(H) Highlight verse::  "But Jacob said, 'I will not let you go unless you bless me.'"  Genesis 32:26b

(E) Explain: Jacob is a stubborn and troubled man.  He has a victim mentality, as he feels he has been treated unfairly since he has worked for his father-in-law for 20 years and in return Laban has been unfair to him.  It is interesting that in these 20 years Jacob has gained much wealth as a result of his father-in-law, so much so that this has become a real point of contention among Laban's family.  It seems that Jacob forgets his deceitful actions from the previous years with his own family.  Regardless, Jacob hears that Laban's family is not really happy with him, so he decides that he needs to leave his father-in-laws home and God tells him to go back to Canaan where his family is from.  Laban does not hear about Jacob leaving until three days later and eventually pursues and catches up with Jacob's clan.  As Laban pursues Jacob, God tells him not to harm Jacob in any way.  When the two men meet, they have a tense reunion that ends with the two making a covenant.
Now that Jacob is free from the pursuit of his father-in-law, he must now face his brother Esau.  20 years prior Esau determined to kill his brother, so Jacob was not necessarily looking forward to this reunion.  In the evening a man (who we later find is God in human flesh... Most likely Jesus) appears to Jacob and has a wrestling match with him.  As the conflict continues God touches Jacob's hip and dislocates it.  Jacob stubbornly clings to God and demands to be blessed before he will let go.  God concedes and blesses Jacob by giving him a new name.  He is no longer Jacob (deceiver), he is now Israel (God fights).

(A) Application: What is the take away from this passage?

1. Don’t be afraid to wrestle with God.  God is a big God.  There is so much about Him we cannot understand.  We often have “issues” with Him because we may not understand why He does what he does.  You may wonder why He allows bad things to happen in this world and in our lives.  He is not afraid of our questions.  He is not afraid of our struggles.
   I used to be a wrestler in high school.  I detested every moment I did it but I am glad I did.  Wrestling another person is very tiring, and messy. It is intimate, I mean your face is literally in someones armpit at time, but you need to know your opponent and how they maneuver.  Eventually you will understand that when you are on the losing end what it feels like to be put into a place of submission.
2. Cling to Jesus.  I am holding on to Jesus more than I ever have.  I am clutching to the cloak of Jesus and begging him to bless me, to bless my family, to bless our church, and to bless our community.  I am clinging to him until he makes his will known to me so I (through the power of the Holy Spirit) may be the person He has called me to be. I pray that  I will be led to the place where I can truly know him, experience him and witness his power as I see people come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.  I am desperately clinging and my prayer is that when I have been blessed by God that I too may be able to proclaim that I have seen the face of God and prevailed by submitting.    

(R) Respond:  God, I fight with you often.  I constantly argue with you and I am faithless at times.  I know that engaging in a wrestling match with you, that I cannot overtake you, nor do I want to.  But, I do know that when I do struggle with you, I am at a point of desperation and I will cling to you and you will bless me.