Jacob – Supplanter to Israel Part 2

Moving to Become Israel

Jacob is becoming Israel. Imagine the looks on both Esau’s and Isaac’s faces. Esau asks for the blessing and Isaac says, ‘Who are you? I’ve already blessed my son, Esau.’ Esau cried bitterly and begged his father for a blessing. When Isaac says he cannot give him the firstborn blessing he cries about Jacob twice supplanting him and taking his birthright and his blessing. Isaac does bless Esau and it is a prospering blessing but says he will live by the sword and will serve his brother (Israel), but from time to time would assert their independence. 

Esau wanted revenge. He wanted to kill Jacob but Isaac was near his time of death. Esau would wait until he passed and the mourning time was over. Isaac and Rebekah send Jacob away to his uncle Laban so he would not be wed to a Canaanite woman (Genesis 28:1-7). This is where God began to work out Jacob’s character and turn him into the man who would become Israel. On his way, he had a dream at Bethel and vowed to serve God if He would take care of him (Genesis 28:7-22).

The Player Gets Played

When he arrived in Harran, he spotted Rachel and fell in love. He asked her father for her hand in exchange for 7 years of service. This began the lessons God would teach him over what he did to his brother. This began the healing process of the broken man, Jacob. When the time came and Jacob was to marry Rachel, Laban pulled a switch and gave him Leah. So Jacob served him 7 more years for Rachel. The deceiver had been out deceived. Jacob was reaping the harvest of how he treated his brother and father.

After several years Jacob prospered and had many children despite Laban using him as he used Esau and Isaac. The time came and God called Jacob to go home. He told his wives and prepared to leave. Only Laban was not having it. Laban chased after him and the two men had words (Genesis 31). This was the second time we saw Jacob become a leader. The first was when he first told Laban he wanted to leave and negotiated his payment for so many years of service. That resulted in Jacob becoming wealthier than Laban. So naturally, Laban did not want to lose all his wealth that was now with Jacob. Jacob and Laban struck an accord and parted ways.

Facing the Consequences

On his way back home Jacob sent a message ahead to Esau telling him that he was returning and had gained much wealth and a large family in his time with Laban. He asked Esau for grace and he returned to his homeland and his family. Esau responded that he would meet him with 400 men at his side. Suffice it to say, Jacob was frightened. I would be too. Jacob separated out the women, children, and old and infirm and sent them somewhere safe. He and the fighting aged and fit men went on to meet Esau. Then he prayed.

That is something we see Jacob do more and more of since he left his family. We had never seen him pray before then. He never asked for God’s favor and direction in his life. Jacob never asked for God to show him the plan for his life. He just went ahead and tried to make things happen until his scheming caught up with him. Then he had to leave home. Then he began to see his need for God’s presence and guidance.

Relying on God not Ourselves

Isn’t that just like us? We go through life and make things happen and create a life for ourselves without truly consulting God. Until suddenly, it all goes sideways. We lose everything, nothing works out for us anymore, everything starts to go wrong, and then we decide we need to consult God. And when we do, more often than not we are angry that God let all this happen. We ask why and where He’s been. We question His love for us. I speak from experience. I understand where Jacob is because I’ve been there more often than I’d care to admit.

Then after Jacob finishes beseeching God for favor he prepares a massively expensive gift for Esau and sends it on ahead. Obviously in hopes he could mollify his brother’s anger towards him. He then sent his family ahead of him across the river and he was alone. This is when Jacob wrestled with the Lord all night. I wonder sometimes if Jacob wasn’t wrestling with himself. I do believe that is what it was; he was wrestling with the man he was supposed to become. Jacob fighting with Israel. His flesh wrestling with his spirit.

Wrestling with God

I’ve been there many times. A battle for my very future. A ‘dark night of the soul’ where who I am in Christ fights for dominion over my life with who I want to be in the world. Two aspects of myself wrestling for control over my destiny. Trying to make it happen on my own so I don’t have to surrender to God and who He wants me to be. Trying to have it both ways. A foot in both worlds. We, I, cannot live that way. It leaves me confused as to who I am and why I am here. It leaves me impotent in every aspect of my life. James 1:8, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” Matthew 6:24, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

Genesis 32:25, “Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.” That’s what it takes sometimes. We can be so stubborn and want our own way that the only way God can move us forward is to allow us to be broken again. You see, before it all falls apart when we were doing it on our own, that’s when we were first broken. And just like a bone that does not set properly, God will sometimes have to break us again and reset us so He can restore us to our proper settings. So we can get back on the right path He has for us.

Jacob to Israel

That’s what happened to Jacob.  God popped his hip out of joint. He stopped his walk. You cannot walk with a hip out of joint. God weakened Jacob’s strength so that he would not prevail in his foolish walk. He needed to stop Jacob and get his attention. Wrestling with God may obtain victories, but come off with broken bones. When you are weak then are you strong, weak in yourself, but strong in Christ (2 Corinthians 12:10). God then blessed Jacob with a new name and a new character. Jacob, the deceiver, and supplanter, became Israel, May God Prevail for Him – A Prince with God. No longer was he a man of subtlety and craftiness, but he was a true warrior and leader of men. A man worthy of being God’s chosen.

Are you willing to wrestle with God all night and not let go until He blesses you? Many of us will say yes, but when the price of such fierce combat comes due, we are less than enthusiastic. It will cost you everything you are and your strength. In the end, however, we will gain a new name and a new character. We will become a Prince with God.