Genesis 32: A short conversation on Jacob

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0:00 Okay, this time we're talking about Jacob, we're in Genesis 32. I'm going to start reading that in verse 22. The same night he arose, took his two wives and his two female servants and his eleven children and crossed the fort of the jabber. He took them and sent them across the stream and everything else that he had and Jacob went left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.

0:30 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket and Jacob's hip was put out a joint as he wrestled with him. And then he said, let me go for the day has broken, but Jacob said, I will not let you go unless you bless me. And he said to him, what is your name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed. And then Jacob asked him, please tell me your name.

1:02 But he said, why is it that you asked my name? And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place, Penny L saying, for I have seen God face to face and yet my life has been delivered. I'm here with Carol Forrest and Brian Carlson, because I like the way to think about the Bible. God, this is this is kind of a crazy story. But what does it make you think of? We're thinking about church and Abram and Peter. What does this one make you think of?

1:33 This one makes me think that the blessing of God is really important. So if we're part of the blessing from Abraham, then what we have in that is really important. And that if we're just looking at this life that this guy, what's the name? Jacob is real. Israel. It's okay to live your life.

2:07 Wrestle with God, ask questions. Ask him for the blessing. Remind him of the blessing. Mess it up. Mess it up. Get redeemed. Do things to make your life right with the people around you, which is what he did. Yeah, go back to his family. Your family is important that you're born into.

2:37 Yeah, those are the things I think about. Yes, cool. He definitely is betting a lot on that blessing of God. He's wrestling with God and refusing to let God go until God does something that doesn't seem like he's predisposed to do. He's not like, hey, I'll bless you. Just quit wrestling with me. He's like, let me go. Yeah. And Jacob's like, no, man, you're not leaving until you bless me. And so, yeah, he seems like he knows what he's sitting on.

3:10 He's not going to let God go until he... Right. He knows it's his. And so, he's going to take it. That's cool. Yeah, I like the... That's a long wrestling match when I think about it. I like the idea of wrestling with God. I think we see that in form here, but I think we get it in words and a lot of the Psalms. Yeah. Where he's just... I mean, he's pissed. Yeah. He's saying stuff that you're like, oh, you can say that to a guy?

3:41 You can do that? Yeah. And I think the through line here is like persistent faith and repentance. Like he has this persistent faith in God that he's willing to wrestle God and remind him and say, no, I need this. I want this. It's the most valuable thing in his life. He's probably ever gotten. And he wrestles on knife for it. And then he's... I mean, he still goes and repents. Like, after that, he could just get it and be like, and honestly, like kind of his character,

4:12 he could have just bounced and be like, well, I got that. Like, what do I need to like go repent for? Yeah. But he continues to the repentance. And I think... I mean, isn't that like faith is like faith repent, faith repent, faith, act repent, you know, like... Totally. It's faith, act repent totally. Like the thing, just when you said it's a long wrestling match, it's interesting how badly Jacob wants that blessing.

4:43 And sometimes I'm starting to think that like a real danger for us is that there are very few things that we... That actually arise passion or deep desire in us. Like the problem isn't misplaced desire. It's like apathy. Just like we don't have anything that we really want or love. And he definitely really wants this blessing.

5:14 That's something to emulate. It wasn't a... I mean, David wrote a bunch of Psalms. Was he the one that God said, man, I from out in heart? Yeah. And then just the image of that and him, I mean, be wealthy and powerful. And he's crying on the floor half naked because he's torn out his beard and he's saying, like, I need you. That's guys everything in the world. He's the ruler of the known kingdom. And here he is like crying out to God and wanting that more than anything.

5:44 And I truly believe in those moments for the preservation of Israel, but also the preservation of God through Israel. That's how David is. Yeah. The preservation of the righteousness of God, not only his own life and his friends and family. That's why David is calling that. Yeah. I can't think of you right. Yeah. Han.