2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The Lord demonstrates His love for us in many ways. If you have been reading this series of devotions, you already know that one of them is to reveal His marvelous attributes in the Scriptures. For me, and I hope for you, the more I learn about Him, the more I love Him. The thought of one-day being in eternal fellowship and joy with Him and all of you in heaven provides a wonderful motivation for me to do whatever is necessary to allow him to further my sanctification-even if it involves things hard for me to do. There are more ways that God reveals Himself than one can imagine upon his first inspection of the Scriptures. Some particularly fascinating ways are found in the story of how Israel got her name. This goes back to GN 32 which depicts some key events in the life of Jacob.
Let me begin by giving some background on Jacob. Jacob, whose name means “deceiver,” was the younger of twins, his older brother being Esau. God directed Rebecca (Jacob’s mother) to participate with Jacob in the deception that led to Jacob receiving Isaac’s blessing [GN 25: 19-26; GN 27: 1-29]. In His omniscience, the Lord understood Esau’s character, something that is really brought home to us from the story of how Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of red lentils [GN 25: 27-34]. It is interesting to note that Esau’s descendants became the nation of Edom, one that was spiritually corrupt and ended up in oblivion because of that [OBAD 1-14]. As you know, Jacob’s descendants became Israel. So, let’s look now at how the nation of Israel got her name and at the interaction between Jacob and the Angel of the Lord from GN 32.
Jacob, after many years of separation from his brother, Esau, while he worked for his mother, Rebecca’s, brother, Laban, in Mesopotamia, was finally on is way back to Canaan. Jacob had left for Laban’s because of the strain that existed between himself and Esau, once Esau realized Jacob’s deception had left him without his blessing. Now, Jacob was coming back. GN 32: 6, “When the messengers came back to Jacob, they said, ‘We went to your brother, Esau, and he is already on his way to meet you. He has four hundred men with him.’ “ We can well imagine the mixed feelings Jacob had at this news. He didn’t know if Esau was coming to kill him or welcome him home. Jacob was coming with his family and all his sheep, goats, camels, and cattle. He divided the people who were with him and his animals into two groups in case Esau attacked. This way half of them would survive; that’s how worried he was. Then, Jacob prayed the following prayer [GN 32: 9-14]: “God of my grandfather Abraham and God of my father Isaac, hear me! You told me, Lord, to go back to my land and to my relatives, and You would make everything go well for me. I am not worth all the kindness and faithfulness that You have shown me, Your servant. I crossed the Jordan with nothing but a walking stick, and now I have come back with these two groups. Save me, I pray, from my brother Esau. I am afraid -afraid he is coming to attack us and destroy us all, even the women and children. Remember that You promised to make everything go well for me and to give me more descendants than anyone could count, as many as the grains of sand along the seashore” [GN 12: 3, 15: 5, & 22: 17]. Note the example of humility in this prayer and now let’s look at how the Angel of the Lord responded to it.
Jacob sent gifts ahead of him for Esau and spent the night in camp (21). GN 32: 22-32, “That same night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two concubines, and his eleven children, and crossed the Jabbok River. After he had sent them across, he also sent across all that he owned, but he stayed behind alone. Then a Man came and wrestled with him until just before daybreak. When the Man saw that He was not winning the struggle, He hit Jacob on the hip, and it was thrown out of joint. The Man said, ‘Let Me go; daylight is coming.’ ‘I will not, unless You bless me,’ Jacob answered. The Man said, ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob. You have struggled with God and with men, and you have won; so your name will be Israel [which in Hebrew means “He struggles with God” or “God struggles” ].’ Jacob said, ‘Now tell me Your name.’ But the Man answered, ‘Why do you want to know My name?’ Then He blessed Jacob. Jacob said, ‘I have seen God face-to-face, and I am still alive’; so he named the place Peniel [which in Hebrew sounds like “The Face of God”]. The sun rose as Jacob was leaving Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. Even today the descendants of Israel do not eat the muscle which is on the hip joint, because it was on this muscle that Jacob was hit.” Theologians use the word, theophany, to describe the Man-a manifestation of God, the Angel of God, which appears in several places in the OT and can be perceived by mankind.
Hosea speaks of Jacob’s interactions with the Angel of the Lord in HO 12: 3-5, “Their ancestor Jacob struggled with his twin brother Esau while the two of them were still in their mother’s womb; when Jacob grew up, he fought against God-he fought against an Angel and won. He wept and asked for a blessing. And at Bethel God came to our ancestor Jacob and spoke with him. This was the Lord God Almighty-the Lord is the name by which He is to be worshipped.” Hosea was writing about the punishment the divided nation of Israel and Judah deserved. However, his message is applicable to us today. HO 12: 6, “So now, descendants of Jacob, trust in your God and return to Him. Be loyal and just, and wait patiently for your God to act.”
God reveals His willingness to rename Jacob from a word meaning “deceiver” to a word meaning “He struggles with God” or “God struggles.” After 3000 years, Israel still exists as a nation. That is truly an example of God’s compassion demonstrated. Israel, even today, is a nation struggling with God. Yet, God has made it clear He will never abandon her [RO 11: 25]. From these stories about Jacob, we can see that God was always present in the lives of His children, that He is willing to deliver righteous punishment and even condemnation on those who continually disobey Him as Esau did. God keeps His promises, such as the Abrahamic Covenant. GN 33: 4, shows us how God protects His children. “But Esau ran to meet him [Jacob], threw his arms around him, and kissed him. They were both crying.” We can carry away from this story the knowledge that God is faithful to those who love Him. We can also know from the lasting injury to Jacob’s hip that our Lord wants us to always remember Him and keep our lives focused on Him. Because Jacob prayed, seeking out God first, God was pleased. Our Lord will be pleased with us when we do that too.
PRAYER: O Lord, what a rich blessing You bestow on us when You reveal Yourself to us through the Scriptures. The story of Jacob and Esau is one that demonstrates Your profound interest in us and desire to bring us closer to You. Sadly, You don’t always get what You want, as was the case with Esau. You would have been much happier to see Esau come to faith. However, You reveal Yourself as a compassionate, righteous, promise-keeping Deity through Your interaction in their lives. We can show our love for You by faithfully obeying Your commands and by placing total trust in You. You have asked us to “write Your law upon our hearts” and to claim You as our God. All You have ever wanted to do was to claim us as Your children and to bless us. We humbly dedicate ourselves to continuing to read the Scriptures, so that we can see Your wonderful attributes revealed in them. We appeal to You to keep communicating with us as we strive to keep an active, dynamic prayer life with You. We listen for Your direction and wish to take it in thought, word, and deed. We offer You our adoration, worship, love, honor, glory, praise, thanks, trust, and obedience. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will finish up the section of the series,Who Is God? on the Angel of the Lord with some citations which demonstrate how God offers us His help and some insights into the nature of the Angel of the Lord. In the meanwhile, be encouraged in your faith and comforted in knowing that our Lord loves us and wants to be an active participant in our lives for wholly righteous reasons. Peter and I send our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn