Genesis 32:24-30: Why did the Lord approach Jacob to wrestle with Him?

Genesis 32:24-30: Why did the Lord approach Jacob to wrestle with Him?

In Genesis 32:24-30, a man meets Jacob while he is alone on the way the be reunited with his estranged brother Esau.  The man wrestles with Jacob "until the breaking of day," and it is revealed that it is not a man after all, but the Lord Himself.  

The Lord touched Jacob's hip and sets it out of the joint.  When the Lord tells Jacob to let Him go, Jacob refuses and says, "I will not let Thee go except The Lord bless me."  The Lord blesses Jacob and tells him his name is no longer Jacob, which means "supplanter," but is now Israel, which means "he struggles with God."  

When reading this story, it is easy to get caught up in the whys. Why did the Lord approach Jacob to wrestle Him in the first place?  Why was Jacob so much stronger that the Lord had to put his hip out of the socket?  And why was Jacob insisting God bless him when back in Gensis 28:11-22, we read that God had already promised to bless Jacob with many descendants.    

The wrestling may have been somewhat symbolic. Perhaps because Jacob struggled against his flesh for so long to be a deceiver before he let God change him to becoming a man of better moral character.

Also, the Lord may grab a hold of us to get our attention.  It is how He forces us to focus on Him alone.  Sometimes it is through a tragedy or illness, or maybe through something more positive such as a vision, but He will get our attention.  With Jacob, maybe the only way he be still enough to pay attention and listen to God was forcing him into a wrestling match. Remember in the above-mentioned chapter 28, that God chose to get Jacob's attention through a dream.  Maybe Jacob was one who rarely stood still and the only way to get through a restless body or mind was while he was sleeping or being forced to pay attention and physically holding him in place.  I can only speculate, of course, but I know for myself my mind rarely shuts up and the best way God gets my attention is through dreams or visions just as I am going to sleep or waking up.  

The answer to the second question is not that Jacob was stronger, as no one is stronger than the Lord, he was just so stubborn that he refused to let go.  Again, perhaps the wrestling was all symbolic of Jacob's spiritual journey.  The Lord could have easily tossed Jacob aside like a rag doll, but he wanted Jacob to remember this profoundly unique experience so that Jacob would not slip back into his old ways as a trickster. This may also be why God made Jacob go lame; to humble Jacob and to give him a permanent reminder of the day he wrestled with God.  Sometimes we also need a permanent scar to remember that God is stronger than our own stubbornness but also loves us very much and will bless us when it aligns with His perfect will. 

Now in answer to the third question, why was Jacob demanding more blessings, well, maybe we see that same side of greed in him that we saw when he twice tricked his own twin brother out of a birthright and blessing.  How many other people never seem to get enough and continually demand more and more from God?  Even if this was the case, God was still gracious toward Jacob.

Sometimes we need to be more like Jacob and grab ahold of God and say, "I'm not letting you go until you bless me."  Don't stop praying or asking.  It is not disrespectful; it is being persistent and asking God to bless us in an area of great importance. (See Luke 18:1-8, The Parable of the Persistent Widow.)

Yet, we also need to find the proper balance when it comes to asking things from the Holy of Holies.  We should not be like Jacob and become selfish and demand more from an already gracious God.  If we are so greedy, we may even end up with a figurative hip out of joint as a way of God telling us calm down and listen to him.

What is just as vital is not to let go after the blessing has been gifted.  Do not just say "Thanks, God," and then go back to ignoring Him or only praying when you're in need.  Honor God by living for Him and showing Him how grateful you are for all His blessings.

Another thing to notice in this story is that God does not choose to wrestle with Jacob until Jacob has shown humility (see earlier in Genesis 32:1-21).  Jacob is willing to repay Esau for all the wrong he did by offering up livestock.  Of course, he also did it to spare his own life, but there was a new humility in him. 

I am not saying never, but God rarely blesses the haughty people or those with unrepentant hearts.  The blessings are more likely to flow when we are living holy lives.  

If God came to me, I pray I would have the endurance to hold on until He blessed me, and then humbly thanked Him for all He has done!

If you are interested, here is a link to a blog my husband and I wrote titled, "Bless me or bless the Father?" that deals more on the subject of asking God for blessings: https://thankful-julie.blogspot.com/search?q=bless+me+or+bless+the+father

(Genesis 32:24-30) And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with Him until the breaking of the day. And when He saw that he prevailed not against him, He touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

And He said, "Let me go, for the day breaketh."

And he said, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me."

And He said unto him, "What is thy name?"

And he said, "Jacob."

And He said, "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed."

And Jacob asked Him, and said, "Tell me, I pray thee, thy name."

And He said, "Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name?" And He blessed him there.

And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."