Word of Encouragement (04/12/2022)
Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” (Gen. 32:26-28)
There are some people, who arouse your compassion and desire to help them. There are others, who don’t move us to pity despite their obvious needs. What are the qualities that tug at our hearts to help? To be humble and earnest but not too desperate and forward. We love helping those who help themselves. There is something that puts us off when people are too clingy and needy. If someone like Jacob clung to us with that kind of desperation, we may get more annoyed than feel pity toward him.
We should be grateful that God is not like us. God does not despise our desperation; He is moved to pity by it. God does not punish those who may seem too forward out of desperation (and not out of pride and entitlement); He shows kindness and mercy. Just notice how God dealt with Jacob. This took place at the ford of the Jabbok (Gen. 32:22). He feared the worst when he heard that his brother, Esau, was coming to him with four hundred men. He ran away from home because Esau intended to kill him as soon as their father died for “stealing” his blessings with a trick. Jacob had reasons to believe that Esau was angry enough to do it. He also had the ability to carry out his murderous anger, too. While Jacob was “a quiet man” dwelling in tents, Esau was a skillful hunter. Rebekah, their mother, agreed. So, she urged Jacob to run away from home. Now, he was coming with four hundred men. Why would he if he did not mean to wipe out his family out of a vengeful spirit? That is why He clung to God with his dear life.
God did not get angry with the desperate Jacob. God did not rebuke him for his small faith. God heard his plea and blessed him. As if that were not enough, God honored him by changing his name from Jacob to Israel. Jacob did not have an honorable meaning: it meant “one who takes by the heel or supplants” or even “a cheater”. After finding out that Jacob took his birthright, Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times” (Gen. 27:36). But God changed his name to “Israel,” saying, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed” (32:28). What an honor!
This is a great example of what the Hebrews writer says about God: “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Heb. 11:6). God did not just tolerate Jacob’s desperate plea. According to this verse, God was pleased with it because he pled with intense and desperate faith. Jacob believed that only God could deliver him and his family from the impending doom. That is why he clung to God with his dear life, refusing to let go of Him even when God struck his hip socket and it was put out of joint.
This challenges the way we pray, doesn’t it? Do we pray merely as an insurance policy, just in case what we try doesn’t work out? Do we pray because it seems the easiest way to get what we want? Or do we pray as if everything depended on God? This is not to say we don’t do anything but pray. Jacob divided his family into two camps to minimize the damage in the event that what he feared came true. But he must have realized how insufficient his plans were to avert the coming danger. Without God’s blessing, his plans could backfire and lead to a far worse result.
May the Lord use this reflection to make us more serious about our prayer life and make our prayer more earnest and heart-felt!