Jacob and the Angel
Posted by Anonymous | | Posted On Thursday, January 10, 2008 at 8:14 PM
- Gustave Doré
Exodus 32 - Jacob Wrestles with God
24 This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. 25 When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!”
But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
27 “What is your name?” the man asked.
He replied, “Jacob.”
28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”
29 “Please tell me your name,” Jacob said.
“Why do you want to know my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.
30 Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” 31 The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip. 32 (Even today the people of Israel don’t eat the tendon near the hip socket because of what happened that night when the man strained the tendon of Jacob’s hip.)
I wanted to post this story and painting because I just got finished reading it on my bible plan. I very much enjoy this story, and have found it even more interested after listening to a message concerning it at my mom's. I'm not a HUGE fan of Doré, but I've always been rather interested in this painting in particular. Doré is a lesser known but critically acclaimed artist, this work being done in 1855. The angel is typical, what you would expect of many late Christian pieces, but Jacob is the part of this painting which I really love. Although his face is shadowed and blocked from view, there is a certain intensity there that I find admirable. His arms bulge as he fights against this angel, fighting for the blessing of god.
This piece unfortunately suffers from the serenity that most artists found necessary in their paintings. The fight seems unrealistic to me because the angel seems so very docile. However, this doesn't take away from Jacob and the emotion which is writhing inside of him. It is almost as if all of humanity is inside of him, fighting against this spiritual force which is so alien and glorious. He does not truly fight against it, but instead, fights to become a bigger part of it.
Certainly, he walks away bruised and battered, but better for the experience.
You, my son, might just be the coolest person I know.
And i know some pretty cool people.
I am so proud of how you are becoming. Remember, HIM first, second and third...
I love you.
I just read this story the other day! Very very very cool. I loved it a whole lot.
I am praying for you, you are very cool.
WOW what a coincedence, we just mentioned this last night! THATS AWESOME! Drew, you make my day. I love learning from you. I also pray you do well on your test today and that you would pass with FLYING COLORS! amen!
So I know you posted this a while ago but I just read something very cool in the book Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets, having to do with this. I will now share it with you!
One final thought in introducing this subject of warfare: It is important to know that in our wrestling we are not to wrestle with God. I don't know about you, but the very thought terrifies me! The verses most often used to teach that we should are from Genesis 32:22-32 where Jacob wrestled all night with the angel of the LORD. Many a dynamic messages has been preaches using the words of Jacob as an example for what we should do in prayer: "I won't let you go until you bless me" (see v. 26). I've done it myself.
However, Scripture does not present this wrestling match as an example of how we are to pray. The reason it lasted so long is (1)God allowed it- the angel could have flipped Jacob into orbit had he wanted to. He once sent one angel to destroy an army (see 2 Chron. 32:31). (2) God and Jacob were after different things. Jacob wanted protection from Esau; God desired a nature change in Jacob.
Notice what, on the surface, seemed like a ridiculous quesion the angel asked Jacob: "What is your name?" Doesn't it seem strange to you that in the midst of this wrestling match they began to have a nice little conversation trying to get acquainted? That is not really what was happening. God was trying to get Jacob to acknowledge the truth about his nature, which was described by his name. The Amplified translation demonstrates this clearly: "[The Man] asked him, What is your name? And [in shock of realization, whispering] he said, Jacob [supplanted, schemer, trickster, swindler]!" (Gen 32:27).
That's all the Lord needed: revelation and confession. Immediately grace was released and a nature change occurred. His name was also changed to Israel. A study of Jacob from this point on shows great difference in his nature.
"But Jacob prevailed," some might say.
Only by losing. The only way to win a wrestling match with God is to lose. If you win, you lose; if you lost, you win. The only wan to find our lives is to lose them (see Matt. 16:24-26; Luke 9:23-25). Jacob lost Jacob and found Israel. Such sweet defeat!
Yeah, so as I read that it just reminded me of this post soooo.
I hope you like it! :]