Genesis-112-Wrestle and Overcome

Genesis 32:24-30

24 Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. 28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” 29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” Amen.

 

Jacob’s Prayer and God’s Answer

Do you remember Jacob’s prayer from last time? Personally, every time I read that prayer, I am always filled with wonder. He says, “I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant.” This is truly a revolutionary statement in Jacob’s life. He prays that since he is unworthy of God’s grace, God will now save him from his brother Esau’s hand.

 

The last part is even more moving. He does not pray for his own possessions but for himself and his descendants. “God, shouldn’t that promise be fulfilled?” This is because his descendants are ultimately connected to the Messianic promise. In fact, the process of Jacob being chosen as God’s people and forming Israel is not because he was special or great, but because of God's redemptive history. In that respect, it is a very moving prayer because he was no longer preoccupied with his own possessions but was thinking about the promise of the Messiah.

 

Now, events begin to unfold where God answers that prayer. I have intentionally omitted the scene where Jacob sends gifts to Esau. I will be sure to cover that part next week, so please don’t misunderstand. We will cover that with the story of Esau.

 

The Night at the Jabbok Ford

Anyway, Jacob sends gifts ahead to Esau. He divides the gifts into at least four groups and sends them little by little. This can be seen as Jacob's cunning strategy to appease Esau. But here, an interesting scene emerges. Jacob does not cross the Jabbok River and remains alone. After sending all the gifts, he should have followed to meet Esau, but he chooses to stay alone.

 

When you read the Bible, it may not be easy to find the reason why Jacob was left alone. However, if you remember the previous sermon, it’s not that difficult. Who did Jacob first meet on his way to Canaan? He called the place Mahanaim. That’s right. He met a camp of God’s angels. This encounter reminds Jacob of Bethel. At that time, he saw angels ascending and descending a staircase in a dream, but this time, he saw them forming a camp and approaching him directly. Although there was no conversation between them, these angels were not there to welcome Jacob but to guard the land of Canaan.

 

Jacob likely thought of a few things. Most importantly, the Bethel incident. He was left alone probably because he wanted to hear God say, “I will protect you,” through a dream or a revelation, just like at Bethel. So he stayed alone, waiting for God to speak to him.

 

But contrary to his expectations, a man appeared. As soon as the man appeared, he immediately started wrestling with Jacob. This situation may not seem strange. In the history of salvation, as Jacob was entering Canaan, it wasn’t just Jacob who was being obstructed. Joshua also met the commander of the army of the Lord before entering Canaan. In the same way, God wanted to show the uniqueness of salvation history by obstructing Jacob, the patriarch. It was similar to how He obstructed Joshua. God did not obstruct Jacob’s wives or children, but the fact that He obstructed the patriarch means that someone appeared as an enemy when he was about to enter.

 

In other words, a being—an angel, a messenger of God, or even God Himself—appeared before Jacob, not to bless him and protect him, but to contend with him. Jacob was forced to wrestle with the man who was obstructing him. This event was already decided when he was entering Canaan. To enter the holy land, Jacob had to confront his own sin. This wrestling was not something Jacob started; it was something God initiated by coming to him and picking a fight. Jacob, having been challenged, persevered to the end.

 

Jacob’s Strength and Realization

Did you know that Jacob was a strong man? When he first met Rachel, the well was covered by a large stone. Several shepherds had to work together to move the stone to water their sheep, but when Rachel came, Jacob moved the large stone by himself to impress her. Although he is not described like Samson in the Bible, Jacob was a man of great strength.

 

That same Jacob now confronts a person wrestling with him. We know he is God or a messenger of God, but Jacob does not know yet. If God had come, Jacob would have expected blessings and protection, but instead, this person suddenly starts a fight with him, which was completely unexpected. So the biblical author wants us to follow the intention of Moses, who describes the person as “a man.” The story progresses with increasing tension. Jacob must have endured for at least seven hours, until daybreak.

 

But the Bible says, “When the man saw that he could not overpower him…” This is a strange expression, because we later learn that this being is God, and it’s illogical that God’s messenger could not overpower Jacob. The old Korean translation used the term “hipbone,” while the revised Korean translation uses “thighbone.” More precisely, medically, it is called the acetabulum. It’s the deep socket where the hip and thigh bones meet. The meaning of some Hebrew words has become obscure over time, and the name of this bone is one of them. However, many scholars agree that it refers to that very bone.

 

God struck that part and dislocated it. The bone was dislodged. How painful must that have been? To be more precise, He struck his groin, and the impact caused his thigh bone to pop out of his hip joint. In modern terms, it was a severe injury that required surgery.

 

The Name of Victory, Israel

In the midst of his immense pain, Jacob grabs onto the man who struck him. Here, a familiar lesson emerges. Just as Jacob, despite being hit so hard he couldn't use his leg, held on to the man, we too must endure the pain of a broken leg to cling to the Lord and pray until the end. Then God will finally say, “You have overcome,” and bless us. You have probably heard a similar story before. And this story is often mentioned as a great example for prayer.

 

However, this story is not about Jacob praying first; it is about God coming to him first. If it were true that Jacob won by holding on and persevering to the end, then the Book of Hosea would not make sense. Let's look at Hosea 12 together. Hosea 12:3.

 

The Book of Hosea interprets this story in the following way: “In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel; as a man he struggled with God. He struggled with the angel and overcame.” But immediately after the word “overcame,” it says, “he wept and begged for his favor.” This part is not found in the Book of Genesis, but God’s word helps us understand this event more deeply.

 

It is illogical that he won and then wept and begged for favor. If he had won, he should have been filled with joy and exhilaration. Therefore, the common interpretation that God blessed Jacob because he persevered and won is incorrect. Jacob clung to him because he realized he could not win with his own strength, and his tears were not tears of victory but a desperate plea for God's grace.

 

A Fight for Jacob: God’s Severe Mercy

This story is not as simple as it seems; Martin Luther considered it one of the most difficult passages in the Old Testament. Let's start by looking at the blessing Jacob received after this event. It was the changing of his name from Jacob to Israel.

 

What does the name Israel mean? ‘El’ means God, and ‘Yisra’ means ‘to struggle’ or ‘to contend.’ So we often think, ‘Jacob struggled with God.’ But the subject of the name Israel is not Jacob; it is God. In other words, it means ‘God struggled.’ ‘Jacob struggled with God’ and ‘God struggled for Jacob’ are completely different stories.

 

The idea that God struggled for Jacob means that throughout his entire life, God struggled for Jacob against the world, against Laban, and against Esau. God worked and fought for Jacob. And finally, He struggled with Jacob himself. This was a struggle for Jacob’s growth and maturity. Because there was something lacking in his faith, God wrestled with him to mature his faith.

 

This is what we call God’s struggle with Jacob in English: ‘Severe Mercy.’ What does this mean? It means that God does not hesitate to discipline His children, to make them suffer, or to take away what they love and cherish more than Him, in order to make them truly His children.

 

If it means bringing us closer to God and making us more like Jesus Christ, God does not hesitate to use a rod of discipline. He loves us to that extent. This is different from the heart of a parent who tries to correct a child by taking away something they love but eventually gives it back when the child cries. God works for His children and will never give them a sword. That is why we sometimes call this ‘severe mercy’ or ‘severe grace.’ It is an expression of how God loves us to the point of jealousy, with all His heart, with an intense passion. God's love for him is shown in the way He struggled for Jacob.

 

God strikes Jacob and says, “Will you still live by relying on yourself, even if your life is threatened and you lose everything? Will you still fight against me with your own strength and live by it?” Jacob had prayed, “I am unworthy of all the kindness,” but his life showed the exact opposite. Seeing Jacob still relying on his own strength, his cunning, and his desire to do what he wanted, God struck his hipbone and asked, “Even if you lose your life and everything, will you still live by your own strength?” Jacob finally understood and realized the truth.

 

Victory Through Trusting in God

When his hipbone was dislocated and his leg was out of joint, Jacob finally realized. He had already known that he should not rely on his own strength on his way to Canaan to meet Esau, but now he realized it again, with a deep sense of urgency. “Ah, that's right. Wasn't it because I was afraid and terrified that I did so many things and even prayed to God? But now, here I am again, relying on my own ability and strength and trying to fight him.” When he was hit and fell, he instinctively knew that this person was no ordinary being. So he clung to God’s messenger and desperately pleaded, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” It was literally a plea for grace.

 

When Jacob asked for a blessing, God blessed him and changed his name to Israel. The name Israel comes with the explanation, “because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” When did he overcome? When he fought with his own strength, he was beaten and was on the verge of losing everything. But when he clung to God and, as the Bible says, wept and pleaded, “Please help me, please show me grace,” God gave him the title, “You have overcome.” This is a clear truth showing that God fought for Jacob.

 

God’s hand, which wrestled with Jacob all night and would not let go, was a hand of grace. The phrase, “He could not overpower him,” doesn’t mean God lacked strength or ability; it means He had compassion and mercy for Jacob. So when He finally struck his bone, He made Jacob realize how foolish it was to rely on his own strength. This is something every believer should remember, no matter what kind of trouble they are in.

 

Whether it’s a problem in the church, a family issue, or a situation where you are in a spiritual rut and want to break through, you are very likely to be facing this very question: “Are you living by your own strength, or are you truly relying on God?” We so easily think that to grow in faith, we need to read more good books, read the Bible more, and pray more. By doing so, we try to build up our own skills and want to approach God with those skills. We think, ‘I don’t know enough, I need to know more, I need to work harder.’

 

While this may not be entirely wrong, when we study the Bible and pray correctly, what should we realize? The reason we study the Bible is not to memorize the genealogy from Abraham or to know more facts than others. God doesn’t want us to memorize a lot. If you study the Bible correctly, you will realize, “God, I am truly a sinner and can do nothing on my own.”

 

Prayer is even more so. We are supposed to pray to realize, “God, without You, I am nothing.” But instead, we try to use prayer as our own strength to overpower God. We ask, “I prayed, so why aren’t You answering me?” Does God owe us anything? Do we think He’s in debt to us? We act this way whenever we get a chance because we misunderstand the meaning of what it means to pray.

 

Our Faith is Humility, Not Skill

Therefore, you must be sincere about this first point. You must confess, “I realize my weakness, and I truly know nothing. The very act of saying that I know God with my own knowledge is an act of great arrogance.” You must pray and study the Bible with the heart of, “Lord, I truly want to love and know You, so please humble my heart and help me consider others better than myself.” You must pray that way. Because only then will God say to you, “You have overcome! You will be exalted.” This is the truth.

 

Another Truth from Jacob’s Story

However, there is not just one thing we should learn from Jacob’s story. While God fought for Jacob, He also fought against him. He clearly wrestled with him, prevented him from leaving, and struck his hipbone.

 

I will explain one more truth hidden in this precious passage. This part may be a bit difficult for some to understand. It is easier to grasp for those who understand the connection between the Old and New Testaments, but for others, it may feel a bit strange.

 

The Story of Death and Life

First, let me tell you this: you must remember what Jacob said after he saw God in verse 30. He said, “I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” In other words, what happens when you meet God? You die. This must be your first realization. You think, ‘Jacob met God, how wonderful!’ But that’s not it. If you meet God, you die. We live in the so-called ‘age of grace,’ the ‘age of the new covenant,’ so we only see it as a joy that the Lord is with us, but God also has a terrifying side.

 

If you look at the history of Israel, when God was present on Mount Sinai, the Israelites pleaded with Moses, “Please go up alone.” God also said to them, “Do not let them come near. I will break out and destroy them.” You need to think about what it means for us to approach God boldly in grace. The story of Jacob meeting God is a story of death and life.

 

Jacob’s Struggle: A Story of Death and Life

This event has a much deeper meaning than just a story of Jacob's growth. It is a matter of life or death for Jacob. God is dealing with Jacob’s sin and judging whether he is worthy to enter the holy land of Canaan.

 

This story is closely related to the entry into Canaan. When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River to enter Canaan, God commanded them to be circumcised before attacking Jericho. Circumcision reduced their combat effectiveness, making it impossible for them to fight. But through this ‘circumcision of blood,’ God was showing them that they had to die to themselves to stand before a holy God. Because we lack this deep anguish over ‘death,’ the meaning of the grace we receive is slowly fading. We have less understanding of where God saved us from. We think, ‘I’m living a good life, and salvation is just a bonus.’ So we feel we have nothing to lose. But you must remember this: God saved us when we were facing death. We know that even if we live a good life according to our own standards, we cannot survive without God. This passage today is also connected to this very fact.

 

The Meaning of Jacob's Wounded Bone and Jesus Christ

Now, think about this. Jacob, who said he was unworthy of grace, met God, who had every right to kill him. What was happening to him? He was hit in the hipbone, the source of his strength, the very thing that should have led to his death. He may have realized his weakness then, but the meaning of being hit in the hipbone goes deeper.

 

The word translated as “struck” in the Korean Bible means “to be hit” or “to be beaten.” This same word is used in Isaiah 53:4: “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.”

 

Who is the one described as being “stricken” by God? It is Jesus Christ. Jacob was a person who should have died the moment he met God. Yet, he lived. Why?

 

The bone he was struck in was the very place where he should have been struck and died. Yet, it was also the place of procreation, the very place where children are born. That place was where the ‘descendant of the woman’ would come from. And God struck that very spot. God was not just striking Jacob; He was striking Jesus Christ, who would come through Jacob.

 

Our Strength is Only in Jesus Christ

That’s when we finally understand. We understand why Jacob clung to him. He clung to him after his bone was dislocated, and he asked for a blessing. He realized his weakness and that he had to rely only on God. This is also a clear truth for us. The one who relies only on God is the true victor.

 

Every attempt to do God’s work with our own strength and with the skills we have built up is a failure. We have no strength and can do nothing on our own. Yet, the Bible calls the one who delights in walking with the Lord and who participates in all His work out of a heart of love for Him a victor.

 

We cannot and will not receive the kingdom of God with our own strength. God fights for us; He fights against the world and against our sin. You do not fight and overcome sin with your own resolve and strength. The blood of Jesus Christ fights for you. We are fighting together with Christ by relying on Him, because with our own strength, we can't even fight against sin; we love it too much.

 

It is more comfortable for us to sin. Lying is easy, but speaking the truth is so hard. This is because we are sinners. It’s as if we are wearing a suit that doesn’t fit us. The commands to ‘live righteously,’ ‘remember the kingdom of God,’ and ‘rely on God’ feel foreign to us. We have lived our lives trying to prove how good we are, taking joy in receiving applause and recognition from people. And when we don’t, we are filled with disappointment and frustration. But now, we are told that when we realize we are nothing and rely on God, we become a true victor and a success. How amazing is that?

 

The New Name Given by God

But there’s more. When Jacob clung to him and asked for a blessing, he wept. Why? Because he not only realized his weakness, but he also realized that he, an unworthy person, was standing before God’s judgment, and yet he was still alive and was experiencing this grace. All this, including how he received the name Israel, was too much for him to accept without tears.

 

He should have died, but he lived. If he doesn’t cry now, when would he? Is there anyone who, after being miraculously saved from an obvious death, could look at their life without shock, emotion, and tears? Perhaps we are the only ones who can. Jacob realized that he lived because of the Messiah who was struck for him in the hipbone. His life deserved judgment. He was completely unworthy. But now, he could cling to God because he was saved by the very One who was struck—the descendant of the woman. That night was a night of death, but the morning was a morning of victory.

 

That is why he called the place Peniel. ‘El’ means God, and ‘Peni’ means face. It means, ‘the face of God.’ The sun rose, and he was limping. He saw God face to face, and yet his life was spared. Even a faint glimpse of God’s face would have meant death for him.

 

But what about you? You not only know the glory of God’s face, but you are also a person upon whom that glorious light has shined.

 

The Name Engraved on Our Forehead

Edmund Clowney says this in his book, The Unfolding Mystery: “The name of the Lord was too wonderful for Jacob’s ears, and the face of the Lord was too glorious for Jacob’s eyes. But the Lord Himself came so that Jacob might know him. The Lord's coming to Jacob anticipates the coming of Jesus Christ to us. Jacob saw the face of the Lord dimly, but we see the light of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.”

 

You are the people upon whom the light of God’s glory, reflected in the face of Jesus Christ, has shined.

 

Furthermore, when Jacob asked, “What is your name?” God did not answer but simply blessed him. But you know that name. At Bethel, God built a staircase from heaven to earth, but He did not come down. At the Jabbok River, however, He came down to Jacob in person. Jacob experienced God, but he did not know His name.

 

But now, that secret and mystery that was hidden until then have been opened and revealed to us. What is that name? That name is not just one among many. It is the name above every name. We have come to know that name. Through the name of Jesus, which is exalted above every name, we have also come to know the name of the Almighty God. We have even come to hear the name of the Father: ‘My Father, My God.’ We can now call upon that name, which no one before us could easily call.

 

An Unshakeable Life

But there is one last important thing that I cannot miss. Jacob was given the name ‘Israel,’ and you, too, are given a new name in Jesus Christ—the name of the true Israel. When you are baptized, you are baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The name you have received is not just any name in the world, not even the name Israel. We were all cursed and deserved to die because of our sins. But God wrote a name on your forehead: Father, Son, Holy Spirit!

 

Revelation 14:1 says, “Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.” The 144,000 represent God’s people. God’s people have God’s name on their foreheads. Are you afraid of 666 but fail to see that God’s name is written on your forehead? What are you so afraid of when God has written His name on you? We are not afraid of 666, 777, or 999. It’s because the name of God is engraved on your forehead.

 

Revelation 3:12 also says, “The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.” This verse is not just for someone else; it is for you. The name of God, the name of the new Jerusalem, and the new name of Jesus Christ are engraved on your forehead.

 

What in this world could possibly shake you? Even if you lose everything, and like Jacob, your life is threatened by Esau, even if you are hit by arrows and your life is about to end, you will still be content with the name Israel and greet the morning. And even if Satan shakes you, filling your heart with frustration and complaints, and you begin your day feeling heavy and exhausted by the lack of change in your life, or burdened by sickness or your children, so much so that you stumble and fall, the name on your forehead will be enough to save you and lift you up. It’s because the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is engraved in your life.

 

Prayer

We have the holy name of the Lord; Lord, let us live holy lives.

We have the loving name of the Lord; Lord, let us love.

We have the name of wisdom; Lord, let us discern.

O Lord, we have Your wonderful and glorious name; Lord, let us shine.

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.