Jacob A Natural Born Wrestler (e)

Genesis 25:21-27

James R. Davis

You have heard of people who apparently have a natural born gift. My two children have natural artistic gifts. They can draw anything they decide. We have seen people that have a natural inclination to play a musical instrument, etc. These people seemed to be born with a natural gift endowed at birth. Of course anyone endowed with a natural gift must develop it.

In Genesis we read of a man who was, at least it seems, a natural born wrestler. In fact he fought round one before he was born. I think he fought round two as he was born.
 

And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD. And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. (Gen 25:21-27.)

Isaac and Rebekah named the boy properly. The name "Jacob" means "supplanter" in the Hebrew. The word "supplant" means "to overthrow by tripping up -- to supersede by treachery." In fact, if you study the Hebrew, the name "Jacob" literally means "heel grabber." No I'm not making any of this up; this is what the Bible teaches.

You know when you have a child that fought his first round before he was born and was dragged out of the ring, so to speak, on the heel of his opponent . . . you are going to have a lot of fun rearing this child.

 It is amazing how each of us is born with our on natural inclinations. Good or bad we have to deal with those inclinations throughout our entire life. These inclinations can become our strength or our weakness. We depend on them solely to get us through.

Jacob spent his entire life wrestling. He wrestled with his brother. He had to wrestle a man for his wife. He eventually even got into a wrestling match with God where he wrestled all night.

Jacob was like many of us. He knew that God had a plan for his life. So he spent most of his energies using his natural abilities trying to make what he thought to be God's plan work. The trouble with Jacob was that the majority of the time it wasn't God's will that was at stake; it was his own deceitful plans that caused him trouble. He knew that his older twin brother was to serve him. He knew that the blessing upon Abraham was to come to him. So he spent his life trying to make it happen according to what God had foretold.

"And the LORD said unto her, 'Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.'" (Genesis 25:23.)

It is very apparent that his mother reminded Jacob of the way it was supposed to be throughout his life. So Jacob grew up thinking that he had to make it happen. We love people that make things happen. We want to hire people that will make it happen. Jacob felt the same way; he had to make God's plan happen. It was very evident what God had said, now Jacob had to make sure that it worked out that way.

So Jacob, knowing what was supposed to be, set out using all his inborn traits making sure that it would be. He started from a very early age making sure that he would rule over his older brother Esau. You have to understand that when you were first born in that world at that time, you had certain rights that only the firstborn was entitled to. It was sort of like being born into a royal family. If you are born first, you are next in line for the throne. But God had decreed that Esau the older would serve Jacob. How on earth can you make this happen.

Jacob's First Wrestling Match with Esau.

At a very young age Jacob wrestles his brother out of his birthright.
 

And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright. (Genesis 25:27-34.)

So Jacob gets Esau to sell him his birthright. But there is another round he must fight. He must receive the blessing of the first born from his father before the birthright has validity. You can only wonder how young Jacob was when he bought Esau's birthright for a bowl of soup. He must have spent years trying to figure out how he was going to wrestle the blessing of the firstborn away from his father.

He need not fear his mother was the best coach in his corner. By the way his father was Esau's coach in the other corner. When you look at the story, wrestling was an old family tradition. Rebekah knew from the beginning that the blessing of the firstborn was to go to Jacob. Isaac knew this also. But the father was determined that Eau would get the blessing regardless. Rebekah was bound and determined that Jacob would get what God decreed before the boys were born. Over the years many wrestling matches had probably occurred over the dinner table over this very thing. No doubt the boys sat in on the discussions. Jacob no doubt sharpened his skills of wrestling by watching his father and mother go at it.

Jacob Wrestles His Father Out of the Birthright Blessing

Another round was fought over the birthright blessing. I'm sure there were many other rounds over the birthright issue. But the Bible just tells us of the knockout rounds. That's all we really want to know the next morning after the fight. Which round was the knock out round? That's the really important one. Well the Bible only tells us about the knock out rounds. I'm sure that the other rounds were somewhat boring.

Gen 27:1-29

Jacob won the battle and received the blessing of the firstborn. He wrestles his father and Esau and won. It is a surething to win when your opponent eyes are swollen shut or are filled with blood . . . so to speak . . . Isaac had lost his sight in his old age.
 

Note the blessing: "Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee." (Genesis 27:28-29.)

Victory Is Short Lived

The victory is short lived. Really what appeared to be the knock out round wasn't really the final round. It was only the first sparring round. The wrestling match had only begun for Jacob. Esau set his heart on killing Jacob.
 

And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee." (Genesis 27:41-42.)

Esau was a man who hated his birthright. He sold it to Jacob for a bowl of soup. But he really probably spent the rest of his life thinking that he would be the one blessed with the birthright blessing. He knew that he was his father's favorite.

So the mother, being the great coach she is, steps into the corner and gives Jacob the instructions for the next round. Rebekah knows that Esau's heart is set on killing Jacob. So she tells Jacob to go back to her brother Laban in Padan-aram. She sells Isaac the story by telling Isaac that she doesn't want Jacob marrying the Canaanites. She wants Jacob to go back to her brother's people and find himself a wife. Isaac being the passive father he agreed.
 

And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother. And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham. And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother. (Genesis 28:1-5.)

The amazing thing is, when Jacob left his father and mother he left with a very hollow victory. He left empty-handed; he had to use a stone for a pillow. It is tough to fight for what ought to naturally happen and what is supposed to already be in the cards and when the fight is over you leave empty handed.
 

And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. (Genesis 28:10-19.)

The story about Jacob's ladder . . . angels ascending and descending from heaven seems like such a sweet little story from a Bible storybook. We think, how blessed Jacob must have been. It sounds great! But Jacob's ladder takes place in his life immediately after he had made all the right moves and won all the rounds and seems to have lost the battle. At least he certainly didn't get what he expected, after all he ended up with a stone for a pillow.

Isn't it amazing how we are like Jacob? We spend our lives trying to make something happen? We spend our entire lives trying to accomplish a certain thing. When it is accomplished, it vaporizes on us. That's where Jacob was.

It is also amazing when we know what needs to be done in the church and we spend our time developing strategies and techniques to make it happen. Sometimes it seems as though the ethics behind what we are doing mean very little to us. We expect God to bless our plans because of our good intentions. So many times when we clearly see God's will for our lives we strategize to accomplish what we see so clearly. We even think that God will bless whatever plan we use to make his will happen.

So the ladder appears at a crucial time in his life. He has left his father's house and has only a stone for a pillow. It is a story that shows us the end result of all those wrestling matches at home. Even though it seemed that he won all the rounds, he lost the fight. In fact his whole family lost. Each fighting for what each thought was right. Everyone lost and these battles were really the result of a dysfunctional family.

Churches sometimes become dysfunctional. Everyone fighting for what each one believes is right. And in some cases for what each member believes to be a God given vision. They become so engrossed over their plans that they become ineffective.

Jacob Meets A Worthy Opponent

Jacob's life was so desolate after all his wrestling matches that he hires out as a servant tending flocks. Certainly seems distant from what God had in mind.

Jacob hires out to Laban his mother's brother to tend his flocks. Laban asked, "What shall your wages be?" Jacob struck a deal; he would labor seven years for Rachel his daughter. At the end of seven years Rachel would be given to him as his wife. Laban agreed to the terms.

So Jacob works hard for seven years. A marriage feast is prepared. A veiled bride is given. Jacob takes her into his tent, but the next morning when he awakes he is in bed with a strange woman with funny looking eyes. The father explains that it is not right to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. So Jacob strikes another deal to work seven more years for Rachel. Fortunately, he took Rachel for his wife one week after he married Leah her older sister. Yet, he had to work seven more years.

You wonder if Jacob ever realized that he was being paid back for his "heel grabbing ways." There is a difficulty that arises when you don't treat other people like they ought to be treated. You will eventually be treated the same way. "Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard." (Proverbs 13:15.)"Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him." (Proverbs 26:27.)

Jacob has worked for fourteen years and he has a family but has nothing to call his own. It sure seems far from the blessing that God promised at birth . . . others would serve him . . . he would be blessed, God would curse those that cursed him and bless those who blessed him, etc. Where is God?
 

After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me on my way so I can go back to my own homeland. Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I've done for you.But Laban said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you." He added, "Name your wages, and I will pay them." Jacob said to him, "You know how I have worked for you and how your livestock has fared under my care. The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own household?" "What shall I give you?" he asked. "Don't give me anything," Jacob replied. "But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. They will be my wages. And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored, will be considered stolen." "Agreed," said Laban. "Let it be as you have said." That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs, and he placed them in the care of his sons. (Genesis 30:25-35.)

Both probably left this meeting feeling that he had the best deal. Laban moves immediately to remove all the speckled and streaked goats from the herd. Jacob could only have what was born with specks or streaks. Laban intends for Jacob to continue working for no wages. Laban removes all the speckled and streaked from the herd and sent them a way with his sons tending them. Jacob left the meeting planning to use breeding techniques that would favor his plan.

Jacob says to Rachel, "You know that I've worked for your father with all my strength, yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times . . . If he said, 'The speckled ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, 'The streaked ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks bore streaked young. When Laban saw what Jacob was doing with the sheep he would change his plan. If Jacob were having success breeding the spotted, Laban would change his mind and say, "I'll let you have the streaked." When Jacob was successful breeding the streaked Laban would change his plan again." (Genesis 31:6-8.)

I don't know if you know how frustrating this must have been. The gestation period of a sheep is 5 to 6 months, and goats and sheep become sexually mature at about 6 months. Laban initially removed all the spotted and the streaked. Jacob would have to take the young that were born and raise his herd from babies. It would take six months before any could be bred another six months for any to be born. When Laban saw that Jacob was successful he would change his mind about the ones he was going to give Jacob for his wages. Jacob would start out with the streaked and it would be another year before he could have any real results. Then Laban would change his mind again.

It was only when Jacob realized he couldn't win that he looked up and saw God in the midst of his helplessness. It is strange how we only look to God when we have been brought to the end of our ropes. Jacob had been working for at least fifteen years as a shepherd and realized the hopelessness of his situation. Then he saw God.

God saw Jacob's helplessness and stepped in. God overruled Jacob's efforts and labors. He overruled Laban's plan. God gives Jacob victory.

Jacob says, "So God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted. "Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, 'Jacob.' And I said, 'Here I am.' "And He said, 'Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. 'I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.'"(Genesis 31:9-13.)

Jacob Faces His Estranged Brother

Jacob flees from Laban and for the first time in his life, after all the wrestling matches with Esau and his father, after wrestling with Laban for 20 years he has finally decided to allow God to lead him. All his life he had been fighting his battles without God. God appeared to Jacob when he left home and had only a stone for a pillow, now God has to remind Jacob who is speaking to him.
 

"And He said, 'Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family." (Genesis 31:12-16.)

God seems to be reminding Jacob that this is the God that appeared to you in Bethel. It seems as though Jacob has gone twenty years without consulting God, without hearing from God. It is ironic how life brings us full circle so we can look at ourselves in a mirror.

So Jacob goes back to his father's homeland. Esau comes to meet Jacob with four hundred men. Jacob must meet his brother from whom he has swindled his birthright blessing. But this time is different; Jacob is relying on God.
 

Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, 'Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,' I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups. Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. But you have said, 'I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.'" He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift for his brother Esau: two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. (Genesis 32:9-15.)

Jacob has fought enough rounds and lost enough battles now he realizes that God was the determining factor. We can only wonder what Jacob's life would have been if only he had sought direction from God from the very beginning. We can only wonder how different our lives would have been if we had let God have his way from the first. I know one thing for sure, Jacob lived a hard life.

Jacob Wrestles With God

When Jacob reaches Jabbok Jacob sends his family and herds ahead of him to meet Esau and Jacob brings up the rear.
 

That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 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. Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. 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." Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared. (Genesis 32:22-30.)

Jacob has wrestled with God and man and has prevailed. That seems strange. It seems as though nothing has gone his way. After all these years he hasn't been able to make it happen. All his strategies and techniques have failed. He has sent everything he has, family and possessions, ahead of him to meet his brother Esau who had vowed to kill him twenty years earlier. Yet the Bible tells us that he had wrestled with God and man and prevailed.

How had he prevailed? It wasn't that he won all the rounds, but he had won the most important round. All those wrestling matches taught him one thing. God is the determining factor in life; not Jacob's plans and schemes. Not his "heel grabbing" ways. It was God's will that really mattered. Actually in each of his difficulties Jacob was wrestling with God? Jacob was unable to see God until he had no where to look but up?

Have you ever been to Jabbok? It is a river in Eastern Palestine they say that its waters are blue. But really the Jabbok I am talking about is not a place in Eastern Palestine. It is a place in your heart. It is a place where you have wrestled with the life wrenching questions. It is a place where you have fought with others, with God and mostly with yourself but it was a place where you saw God, maybe for the first time in a looooooong time.

Jacob named the place Peniel.

"So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared." (Genesis 32:30.)

Conclusion:

It is amazing that Jacob left Peniel limping. How many of us are limping through life trying to make it happen and aren't relying on God. Jacob had wrestled God and prevailed. Actually Jacob was wrestling God all his life not just at Jabbok.

The story of Jacob is actually the story of God. Think how God struggled with Jacob to bring him to Peniel . . . the place where Jacob could see God.

Abraham struggled all his life to do God's will. He finally came to a place in life where he named his God from his own experience of God . . . Jehovah-jireh, which means that God will provide. It took Abraham a lifetime to envision God's providence, when he did see it he named his God Jehovah-jireh. Jacob named the place where he wrestled with God "Peniel" I have seen God and survived.

Actually we are all born with the gift of wrestling with man and God. God has placed something inside us that draws us to him. Something that naturally makes us inquisitive about his nature and his will for our life and if we are smart we will follow this natural born inclination and wrestle with God's ways for our lives.