“And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.” Genesis 32:24
Faith is an individual matter when it comes to seeking God. One may be with those of like faith, but at the end of the day, one is faced with Jesus’ words to Peter: “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? FOLLOW THOU ME.” (Jn. 21:22) As the individual calling to follow Christ is a basic truth that must be reckoned with, so is the blessing of that calling. It is in the measure of one’s response, and certainly beyond what one could ask or think, that God calls individuals to Himself, there to bless them beyond the measure of what they could conceive, and this for the glory of God. That blessing is primarily spiritual, and eternal. Paul wrote that the believer has been blessed with, “…all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” (Eph. 1:3) God calls the individual, sets him or her apart from the world, sin, and Satan, to be His, to know Him, and to fellowship with Him.
When Jacob was called, God revealed Himself to him in a dream. In that dream Jacob saw the Lord standing above a ladder into heaven. God made it clear to Jacob who He was: “I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac.” (Gen. 28:13) There came a promise with the revelation of God, and it was: “…the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed.” There would come a day later in Jacob’s life when, after Jacob had been sent to Haran in search of a wife, that God would reveal Himself again. This time the call would come for Jacob to return to “the land of thy kindred,” (family) a place where God reminds Jacob of a commitment he had made to him, to follow, or obey Him. The problem for Jacob, in response to this call, was Jacob’s brother, who had previously sought to kill Jacob, as Jacob had stolen his birthright. It would be on that journey back, with the expectation of meeting up with his brother, that Jacob would find himself alone with God, this time, with no alternative but to trust Him alone to save and deliver him. Jacob had learned a great deal about God and his ways, as he declared to God in prayer: “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast shewed unto thy servant.” (Gen. 32:10) God had blessed Jacob with wives and with flocks, proving His faithfulness to him. But there remained something in the heart of Jacob that needed to be dealt with if God would bless him fully and fulfill His promises to him.
Upon hearing that Esau, Jacob’s brother was approaching with at least four hundred men, Jacob was gripped with fear, not only for himself, but for his wives and children. His thoughts drove him to flee with his wives and children, hoping to save them. It seems that Jacob at this time took his wives, children, and two women servants, and sent them over them over the ford call Jabbok, leaving himself alone. It was there in the aloneness that he sought God, the God of Bethel, and Penial. He would seek him in a way that he had never sought him before. Scripture tells us that, “…there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.” (32:24) What was the specific need in Jacob’s heart that needed to be addressed? It was the idea, the concept, of “saving his own life,” and now those whom he loved. Up to this point, Jacob had always been able to provide for, protect, and preserve that which he had. Now, he was in a position where he had to relinquish, surrender all, to trust God alone to save and to keep. He fought against the idea of saving himself by stretching out his hands alone for Christ’s salvation.
Dear Father, Give us surrendering faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.