Genesis 32:1-32

I wonder if Jacob was expecting the answer he received to his prayers.

Here, Jacob is fleeing from one danger into another: he has escaped Laban with his family and his fortune.  Now he goes to meet the brother who would have killed him if he'd stayed home.  Obviously, Jacob is very concerned about meeting Esau, even after 20-some years.  And so he sends up a prayer to the Almighty, whose blessing he is already under, to spare him from danger.  After this his sends peace offerings to his brother in the form of some price gifts in animals, and then awaits for the next day to go to meet him.

During the night, someone comes and attacks him, wrestling him throughout the entire night.  This would have been quite a match!  I know students who wrestle, and I doubt they would have been excited about such a long bout.  I think they would have a much better understanding of what it would really mean to wrestle so long with an adversary than I would.

Still, this is God's answer to Jacob's prayer: Jacob had asked for deliverance and God had wrestled with him, pushing his hip permanently out of socket and crippling him.

But then, what did he do after that?  He renamed Jacob.  Names were a big deal back then, as I'm sure you've heard.  Jacob literally meant heal-grasper, and it was a euphemism for "liar" or "cheater" or someone of that nature.  Here, God changes Jacob's name to Israel: he strives with God.  From this Israel comes the nation of Israel, and it is from Jacob/Israel, father of the nation that they take their name.

If you were Jacob, how do you think this would have answered your prayer?  Would it reassure you that God met you face to face, wrestled with you, and told you that you had prevailed over your enemies (did that include Esau)?  Would you feel completely lost?  Would you be saying in your heart, "Yeah, thanks!  My brother wants to kill me and now I can barely walk!"  No way Jacob will be able to outrun Esau now.  Maybe that is so that Jacob can see how God will take care of him.

Some consider this to be the final break between the old, swindling, lying Jacob and the older, wiser, humbler man.  A name change does seem to reflect his character change.  But still, I somehow don't think that was exactly the answer to prayer Jacob expected.  Perhaps we should be similarly prepared for answers to our prayers: who know what the Lord might do to answer?  What life-changing things might He send our way?

Tomorrow's Reading: Genesis 33:1-34:31