24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till 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 men 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." Genesis32:24-30
Years ago the current moderator of our church, Alan Spence, preached on this passage and the antics of Jacob who the Bible portrays as an ankle-grabber, brother-swindler, father-deceiver, uncle-manipulator and all-round-grabber. Alan called him a "fixer." (In the sense of match-fixing - not car-fixing.)
This scene at the Jabbok river is powerful. Jacob is alone, he has already been confronted by his uncle Laban who pursued him after he hot-footed it from the family farm and now he must face brother Esau whom he defrauded of birthright and blessing. He has sent his family and flocks ahead and now in solitude he is confronted by God in human form.
They wrestle (it is a parable in action).
When we read it - we are tempted to think that Jacob has managed to get God in a half-nelson, refusing to let Him go, but a more careful reading reveals something different.
In Hebrew culture knowing someone's name gave you power over them.
It is God who asks for, gets and changes Jacob's name.
This is Jacob's new beginning.
He wrestles and is bested (it looks like God cheats by touching his hip, but its the only way to stop Jacob from foolishly wrestling to his own death.) Although beaten he realises that he does not want to continue life without this Presence in his life and he asks for a blessing.
He asks for a blessing and gets something much bigger - a new name and destiny.
His name (and therefore his nature and destiny) is changed from Jacob (Deceiver) to Israel (He struggles with God). It is a name that implies relationship and God blesses him and spares him.
If we read forward, we see it takes Jacob a little while to stop "fixing" and to trust God, but it happens.
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Although we've often been guilty of stubbornly trying to be the master of our own destinies and manipulate our own ways, God will wrestle us to the point where we finally acknowledge that we cannot win (and sometimes God has to touch our hips to help us see truth) When we surrender to God without letting go of Him, He will change our names and our destinies.
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
