Sermons from Mission Hills UCC San Diego, California Rev. Dr. David Bahr [email protected] August 6, 2023 “Blessed Wrestling” Genesis 32: 22-29 – Common English Bible Jacob got up during the night, took his two wives, his two women servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed the Jabbok River’s shallow water. 23 He took them and everything that belonged to him, and he helped them cross the river. 24 But Jacob stayed apart by himself, and a man wrestled with him until dawn broke. 25 When the man saw that he couldn’t defeat Jacob, he grabbed Jacob’s thigh and tore a muscle in Jacob’s thigh as he wrestled with him. 26 The man said, “Let me go because the dawn is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I won’t let you go until you bless me.” 27 He said to Jacob, “What’s your name?” and he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name won’t be Jacob any longer, but Israel,[a] because you struggled with God and with men and won.” 29 Jacob also asked and said, “Tell me your name.” But he said, “Why do you ask for my name?” and he blessed Jacob there This summer, we started with Abraham and Sarah who laughed at the idea that a 100-year man and a 90-year-old woman would have a child. That child was named Isaac. Isaac married Rebekah and after they also tried for many decades, she finally became pregnant and gave birth to twins named Jacob and Esau, but in a sign of what was to come, the twins put up a terrible battle inside Rebekah’s womb. And when they came down the birth canal, Jacob grabbed the heel of his twin and never stopped trying to get ahead of his older brother. He used every means of trickery and deception he could think of. Among the stories told, Jacob sold Esau some stew for the price of his birthright. Later, Jacob dressed himself with Esau’s clothes and covered his neck and arms with goatskin in order to trick their blind father Isaac, while he was laying on his deathbed, into giving Jacob power over the tribe. He was helped by his co-conspirator mother who cooked goat to taste like venison. You can read about this in sermons from earlier this summer. When Esau learned he had been tricked again, he was so enraged he vowed to kill his twin brother. Their mother sent her favorite son off to live with her brother, Laban. As Jacob ran for his life, the first night he was so exhausted that he slept with a rock for his pillow and dreamed of messengers, like God’s angelic office workers, going up and down from heaven. It’s where we get the familiar image of Jacob’s ladder. He finally made it to Uncle Laban’s and began working for him. And fell in love with Laban’s daughter Rachel. Uncle Laban promised Jacob that he could marry Rachel if he worked for free for 7 years. Jacob agreed and at the end of 7 years, he indeed married Laban’s daughter. Except that the morning after the marriage had already been consummated, he woke up and discovered he had just slept with Rachel’s sister, Leah. Uncle Laban had tricked Jacob into marrying his oldest daughter, but promised that Jacob could marry Rachel if he worked for free for another 7 years. The trickster met his match. Although, to add to this soap-opera, Jacob began a scheme to steal his uncle’s sheep. After 20 years of this dysfunctional family dynamic, Jacob felt God was calling him to reunite with his estranged twin brother. It was a frightful idea because, you’ll remember, their last interaction had involved Esau’s raging vow to kill Jacob. But the time had come. Jacob, however, didn’t tell Laban he was leaving. He just took off with his wives and his possessions, his 11 children and livestock, plus some of Laban’s possessions – those ill-gotten sheep. Rachel added to the fun by stealing her father’s household gods. When Laban discovered this, he raced after their caravan and demanded what had been stolen. He searched through everything but Rachel sat on the gods and declared it was her time of the month and she couldn’t be touched. Laban went home infuriated while Jacob’s caravan moved on toward an uncertain reunion. I wanted to remind us of this backstory because this is all part of that which Jacob is now wrestling. But this time, it wasn’t a dream on a rock pillow; it was so real, he walked away from it limping from a torn muscle. But before I talk more about this wrestling match, I want to finish the story of Jacob and Esau. Next week the lectionary skips on to one of Jacob’s sons, Joseph and his amazing technicolor dream coat. But it leaves us wondering, what happened with Jacob and Esau? So, for 20 years Jacob had imagined, fretted over, what might happen when and if he ever saw his twin brother again. God told him it was time. But Jacob didn’t want to just show up unannounced. He sent some messengers ahead to prepare his brother. They were to announce: “This is a message from your servant Jacob” (servant, not brother who tricked and deceived and stole from you). “I’ve lived as an immigrant with Laban, where I’ve stayed until now. I own cattle, donkeys, flocks, men and women servants. I’m sending this message to my master now to ask that he be kind.” His master? Jacob is laying it on pretty thick as he begs for mercy. The messengers returned and told him that “Esau is coming to meet you with four hundred men.” Hearing the report back, Jacob was terrified. He prayed to God, “you were the one who told me to do this, so you better protect me! Save me from my brother!” Jacob came up with a strategy. He divided everyone and everything into two camps. He thought, if Esau meets the first camp and attacks it, at least one camp will be left to escape.” Then he pulled aside 200 female goats and 20 male goats. He sent a servant ahead and told him, when Esau asks you who you are, tell him these are a gift from his servant Jacob. Also tell him, Jacob is right behind me. An hour later he sent a group of 200 lambs and 20 rams with the same message. They are a gift of Jacob. He’s right behind. An hour later he sent 30 nursing camels with their young. Same message. An hour later, 40 cows and ten bulls. And an hour later, 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys. Every time, the same message. Jacob thought he could pacify Esau and overwhelm him with one generous gift right after the other. Quite the contrast to all the things Jacob had stolen from Esau. That’s when Jacob went back across the river and spent the night alone. As it turned out not alone but a night spent wrestling with… was it angels or demons or God? Was he wrestling with his conscience or maybe his fears? All of the above? Think of all the baggage he was carrying. In the morning, he limped across the river and rejoined his family on the other side. His fears were confirmed when in the distance he could see Esau coming closer with his 400 men. Oh… crap. His plans hadn’t worked. Jacob frantically took his women servants and their children and put them together in a group out in front. And behind them, Leah and her children together. And behind them, Rachel with Joseph. And behind them, stood Jacob. He then came out from behind and approached Esau, bowing to the ground seven times. When Esau first spotted Jacob coming from behind these groups of women and children, the big hairy brute came running, not with fists ready to punch but arms wide open. Esau hadn’t sent an army of 400 to harm Jacob. He sent a great big welcoming party. Esau threw his arms around Jacob’s neck and kissed him and they wept. And then he asked to be introduced to all his sisters-in-law and nieces and nephews. And then he asked, “What’s with all the gifts you sent? I don’t need any of that. Take ‘em back!” It’s the consummate story of grace and generosity of spirit that reminds me of the story of the Prodigal Son. We may agree that the father had every right to demand a full accounting of what his wasteful son had done with his inheritance. The father had every right to be angry and skeptical that his son would have finally come to his senses. But he wasn’t angry and told his oldest son, who was angry, I’m just happy we’re reunited. I thought my son was dead but he is alive. Esau too could have recited a litany of all the ways Jacob had tricked him and deceived him but instead, he was grateful to be reunited with his twin. To finish their story, the brothers had so many livestock and family members, they were so rich and successful, that they had to part ways and live in different lands. There simply wasn’t enough room. But, for the first time in their lives, after all they had gone through, they were at peace with one another. That must have been quite the relief for their father Isaac, who was still alive. Remember he was supposed to have been on his death bed 20 years earlier when Isaac was tricked out of giving his blessing to Esau, his favorite son. Isaac didn’t die until he was 180 years old, at a time when his sons were at peace. I’m almost out of time before I’ve even talked about what Jacob’s wrestling in the night means. But first, there’s still a couple of things I want to make sure you understand. To be clear, Jacob and Israel are the same person. When you hear about the 12 Tribes of Israel, that’s the same thing as the 12 sons of Jacob. We’ll talk a little more about that next week. This night of wrestling marks the transition from Jacob, named for grabbing his brother’s heel as they were born, to Israel, which means one who strives, struggles, wrestles, with God. This is a very important story because it teaches that to be the people of God is not to be the puppets of a grand marionette but people who push and pull and argue with God and accuse God of being unfaithful and yet know that it is to God that we belong. Like any relationship, love is sometimes expressed in affection and sometimes in anger. But it still remains love. Genesis 32 is a profoundly mysterious story that raises numerous unanswerable questions.[1] Like:
Corrine Carvalho defines faith as “the stubborn refusal to let God off the hook.” Wrestling. And an adult faith welcomes that struggle. Answers to ultimate questions don’t come neatly packaged. And, in fact, answers aren’t the point. Meaning doesn’t come from having the answer. Meaning comes from the struggle to understand. It changes us, transforms us. Even renames us. It changed Jacob into Israel. So, what are you wrestling with today? Angels? Demons? Is it God or your conscience or your fears? Hold on. Persist. And remember, when you demand an easy answer, it is a blessing that God invites us to wrestle, not to be puppets. [1] Callie Plunkett-Brewton, working-preacher.org
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