Wrestle It Out (Part 1)

In this lesson we will see how God used a physical and spiritual struggle in Jacob’s life to bring about Four major changes.  We will learn that we also must wrestle with God about some things in our own lives so that God can bring us through it with a whole new outlook and change in our walk with Christ. Just like Jacob, we will receive blessing if Wrestle this thing out and do not give up!  Praise You LORD!

Wrestle It Out (Part 1)

In this lesson we will see how God used a physical and spiritual struggle in Jacob’s life to bring about Four major changes.  We will learn that we also must wrestle with God about some things in our own lives so that God can bring us through it with a whole new outlook and change in our walk with Christ. Just like Jacob, we will receive blessing if Wrestle this thing out and do not give up!  Praise You LORD!

Handout: Wrestle It Out
Teachers Guide: Wrestle It Out

Genesis 32:24-30

“24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.  25And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.  26And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.  27And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.  29And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.  30And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Before we begin reading our chapter for this lesson today, I want to do a bit of a summary up to this point in the life of Jacob just so we better understand what is going on here. 
Jacob was one of two sons born to Isaac, (Abraham’s son) and Rebecca Isaac’s wife.  Isaac’s two sons were Jacob and Esau.  They were twins. (Genesis 25)  Esau was born first, and then Jacob was born.  As they were being born, first came Esau then came Jacob and the Bible tells us that he was grabbing on to Esau’s heel, thus the name Jacob was given which means heel holder or supplanter or schemer.  So Jacob struggled to get ahead of his brother from the time they were born.  Please keep this in mind. 
Later in Genesis chapter 27 we read where Jacob along with his mother Rebecca schemed and tricked his father Isaac who was going blind, into thinking he was Esau, the first born and stole Esau’s birthright and blessing from his dying father.  In those days, the birthright and blessing from one’s father was EVERYTHING!  If you look up the word birthright in a Jewish Encyclopedia, you will see that the firstborn was appointed over the estate of his father when his father died.  The firstborn was given a double portion of the inheritance.  Jacob stole that from his brother through trickery.  This of course made Esau furious and it hurt him deeply.  After that, Esau hated his brother Jacob and planned in his heart that he would kill him for what he had done.  Their mother Rebecca finds out about Esau’s plan to murder Jacob so she told him and Jacob ran away to stay with his uncle Laban.   When Jacob is with Laban, he meets and marries his wives.  After some years we see Jacob returning to the land of his father because God told him to.
Genesis 31:3 “Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you."
So here we have Jacob his sons, his wives, his servants and his livestock are heading back to the land of his father.  He is on a journey and will have to face his past.  He will have to come face to face with his twin brother Esau who he wronged and who was plotting to kill him for it!  Wow.  We go now to Genesis chapter 32 in God’s word.
Genesis 32
 1And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim. 3And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now: 5And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight. 6And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. 
 7Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands; 8And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape. 

Jacob’s servants report back to him that Esau is coming to meet him but he isn’t alone, there are four hundred men with him and Jacob is terrified!  He is afraid for his life and the lives of his family.  In those days many times when someone did something so terrible to another person, they not only were killed but everyone in their family and in their household or company were killed also.  So Jacob was greatly afraid but he knows that his only help is in the Lord so he began to pray and remind God of the promises He (God) made to him (Jacob).  (Genesis chapter 28)

 Genesis 32:9 -12 “And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: 10I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. 11Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. 12And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.” 

Genesis 32:13-21  

13And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother; 14Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, 15Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals. 16And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove. 

 17And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? 18Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us. 19And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him. 20And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me. 21So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company. 
Genesis 32:24-29

“24And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.  25And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.  26And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.  27And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.  29And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.  30And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Wow.  What an amazing story.  Wrestling with God, let that sink in for a moment.  This is a defining moment in the life of Jacob.  It would be his first honest struggle!  One of which is not scheming and acting deceitfully to gain what he wants.  An honest to goodness struggle with God and it would change him forever.  He would have to face Esau, but God had a plan.  First, Jacob had to face God before he could receive the courage to face his brother. 

  1. New Courage.

Remember at the beginning I wanted you to keep in mind what the name Jacob meant?  Look at what he is doing here.  He knows he must face his brother who he has wronged but still he is living up to his name and still trying to face his problems the way he always has by scheming.  He sent these gifts ahead of himself so that Esau will be distracted and appeased instead of just meeting him head on and facing him and telling him that he is sorry for all that has happened.  

Numbers 32:23 “But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.”

When we wrong someone, when we make a mess, we may run, but it will always catch up with us!  It is better to just face it early and head on getting it out of the way.  However sometimes in our fear, or pride, just in our humanity we run.   Many times when it finally does catch up with us and we are forced to face it, we are so afraid and we try to appease the other person either by flattering words or by gifts, or whatever it may be.  We are hiding our faces from the other person so that they cannot see the real us.  It is very difficult sometimes to bring ourselves to just say…Look, I was wrong and I am so sorry and I’m asking you, will you forgive me for this?  Can I make it up to you?  This is God’s way.  God’s ways are straight forward and honest and good.  His ways bring freedom and forgiveness to us not bondage.  In order for us to just face our problems and our past mistakes head on, we must get a new courage from the God, A higher courage that only He can give is just what God wants to do for us just as He did for Jacob when he went back to face his brother.  When we first face God with our problems and endure, we can face anything or anyone!  

Don’t give up today if you are in a struggle to face your past, or problems that you are having now.  You wrestle it out!  Do not let go.  Determine in your heart you will not let go until you receive the blessing in this struggle and you can gain courage to face whatever it is that you have to face and you can be free from it in Jesus name!  Hallelujah.  
We will stop here for today, but next week with God’s help we will move on in this lesson and we will learn how Jacob’s struggle with God brought him not only:

1. New Courage but also 
2. Deeper Intimacy with God
3. New Identity 
4.  New Way to Walk.

I hope this first portion has been a blessing to you and I pray that each person reading or hearing this lesson will open their hearts to the things that God wants to gift.  However, it doesn’t come without struggle but in the end WE WILL HAVE BLESSING if we do not give up!  Thank You FATHER!

Dear Father in Heaven…
Thank You for this day and for this lesson Lord.  I know that I cannot write without You.  I praise You for who You are and Who you always have been and always will be and that is ALMIGHTY!  You are God over our pasts, presents and futures.  Father, Today I ask that You bless Your children.  I ask You to help us to understand that sometimes we must struggle in order to step into the divine destiny that You have planned for us before the foundations of the world!  Thank You Lord for loving us that much and for never giving up on Your children.  Father I ask today that You help us to never give up on You and that we hold on for dear life until You bring us into the place that You have prepared for us.  I love you Lord and I praise You.  Father I ask that You bless this ministry and all those who come to eat from Your table of Spiritual food.  Lord help us to grow, nourish us in Your word and help us to teach others!  Thank You for Jesus and the free pardon of sin.  In Jesus name we humbly pray.  Thank You for hearing and answering our prayers.  Amen.

~*Cindygirl*~
March 17, 2013