During
the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his
eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them. After taking them to the other side, he sent
over all his possessions. This left
Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the
dawn began to break. When the man saw
that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of
its socket. 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.” “What is your name?” the man asked. He replied, “Jacob.” “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.” “Please tell me your name,” Jacob said. “Why do you want to know my name?” the man
replied. Then he blessed Jacob there. 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.” The sun was rising as
Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip. Genesis 32:22-31(NLT)
We, who inhabit America, live in a “success story”
land. We enjoy more luxury and ease than
most of the rest of the world can imagine.
And we are told, from a very early age, that anything we want, or want
to be is within our grasp. We are a
nation of winners, achievers – over-achievers!
If there is a prototype for this American dreamer, it
might very well be the iconic professional football coach, Vince Lombardi. In the late 1930’s he was part of Fordham
University’s storied “7 Blocks of Granite” defensive line. His first pro head coaching job was with the
Green Bay Packers in 1959. In his first
year he was named coach of the year. A
total of nine seasons in Wisconsin brought him five world championships,
including the first two Super Bowl games played. After Lombardi’s death in 1970 the NFL
renamed the championship trophy after him.
Lombardi-isms are legendary. One of his sayings is recorded as:
If winning isn’t everything,
why do they keep score?[1]
Vince Lombardi was a man committed to winning. It is part of our national heritage and
collective personality – we want to win!
Sometimes – often times – the obsession to win (and in
an effort to “fit-in” to this mold) causes people to lose contact with the
purpose for which they were created. We
can lose sight of who we are, and what the pursuit of power, pleasure,
possessions and position can do to the image of God that is stamped on each of
our souls. In short, we trade character
for cash or personal pride!
The fact is that we do get to choose
our character.
My brother Thom retired
last year after 50 years of teaching in the same school.
The school’s logo is Character Before Career, and their mission statement contains seven core values that govern how they
teach, and what they will model for their students and the world; the values
are Christian-centered: Love, Hope,
Faith, Wisdom, Justice, Courage and Temperance.
If Elizabeth and I were in the market to send a college prep age child
to school, this one would be a top choice.
As a sample of interpretation of their core values, just consider the
one on Courage:
Courage
We confidently overcome and endure threats to our own well-being
and the well-being of those we love. Courage requires not that we be fearless
but rather that even in our fear we persist in doing what is right.
It is (as C.S. Lewis once said) by our actions that
character is formed, and, is either growing into the image of Christ, or
growing more hellish every day!
It was that way in the life of Jacob. His life’s story is competition, deception
and ruthless ambition.
Esau was the first-born, but Jacob wasn’t far behind;
in fact, when they came out of the womb, the second-born had his brother by the
heel. Being first-born gave Esau the
right to a double-portion of the estate; Jacob wanted more. He waited until his brother came in from an
unsuccessful hunting trip and tempted him with a pot of stew. Esau sold away his right to lead the family
and be in the middle of God’s plan for a “happy meal”.
Now, if stealing the birthright wasn’t enough, with
help from his Mom fooled his dad into thinking he was blessing Esau. When Esau found out about it he vowed to kill
his mama’s boy of a slimy, scheming brother.
Jacob hit the road…all heels and elbows!
He was out of town before his shadow could find him.
Twenty years later Jacob was coming home. On this night he is shaking like a skeleton
hanging in a tree on a windy Halloween night.
He is camped just across the Jabbok River crossing, less than a short
walk from the home he’d left twenty years prior. His servants have informed him that his
brother Esau is on the way to meet him; and, by the way, he’s got 400 men with
him. (What would be going through YOUR
mind about this time?)
Jacob has matured some by this time, but this night he
would fall back on his manipulative ways.
He is scared, but not enough to forget how to strategize. He sends his servants on ahead with gifts for
his brother. He divides his wives and
children into two groups and sends them ahead at different flanks. Jacob is alone with his thoughts, and he
settles down near the river bank for a night of wondering and Pepto Bismol to
relieve the river of anxiety acid in his stomach.
That’s when God showed up!
Jacob’s character development was about to bump-into a
test for signs of growth. God had been
working on this character’s character, and it was time to check-in for a
mid-term exam. The river’s name,
“Jabbok” is actually a play on Jacob’s name, and it means “wrestle”. Jacob was really good at scheming and
manipulation; unbeknownst to him that night, there is no planning, training or
alliances you can make when the wrestling match is scheduled by God. That’s the really unnerving issue here – it
is God who decides when the test is given….what the rules are…and He knows the
outcome before you even know you’re in a contest. It was going to be wrestling, but it wasn’t
much of a match!
Wrestling
Lessons
There are some really important and valuable lessons
that Jacob learned that night. They are
still valid.
#1. Our really important struggles challenge and
determine our character.
The text(v.24) says they wrestled all
night. You have got to care
about something to wrestle with God like that.
It has been my observation that the bigger the character issue is, the
messier the fight! And you won’t have a
whole lot of help. Jacob was alone – and
when it comes to character, it’s all about being alone.
Character is even defined as the way you act when
nobody is looking. No one else can wrestle
for your character – that is something as individual as your fingerprints!
#2.
Character begins with honesty (facing the truth about yourself)
Again the text (v.27) says that the angel
(God) demanded that Jacob tell him his name.
It’s not that God didn’t know; Jacob needed to say it, own it, and admit
it – that his name Jacob meant surplanter, trickster, and heel-grabber…DECEIVER!
In that time and culture, names were an indication of
character. Jacob certainly lived-out the
prophetic nature of being so-named . God
was asking him, “What’s your character, Mac?”
Often people would rather not face reality; denial is
so handy, so warm and comfy. We can be
that way personally, or in homes or even church families. God demanded Jacob face the truth, name the
truth, and then God could do something about that truth. Until we’re honest, we haven’t a prayer of
lasting 30 seconds in the ring with God as adversary; we might as well be a six
year-old facing a sumo wrestler!
#3. An honest struggle always produces growth!
When the struggle was over, God re-named Jacob
the deceiver; now he was Israel, struggler! Now, that’s quite an upgrade…but it didn’t
come easy.
If you cut down a tree sometime take note of the
“growth rings”. You can tell a lot about
the history of a tree by the thickness and shape of its rings. Tough years, dry years, good years, storms –
the whole life of that tree is there for the reading.
It’s that way in humans – struggle produces growth in
character. James (1:2) says
that when you’ve got trials on top of trials, count it all joy! He doesn’t suggest you be thrilled with
having trouble – he’s telling you to look beyond the trouble to the kind of
persevering character that’s being built in you. You’re
pumping character iron!
#4. Even an honest struggle won’t settle
everything
The text (v.29) says that Jacob also wanted
to know the name of the one with whom he’d struggled. God told him to back off, and then blessed
him anyway.
I know just what Jacob felt at that moment. I’ve always wanted clarity; I like to plan
ahead, know where I’m going…I want it all laid out, neat and clean.
I suppose Jacob and I are related. He wanted to know what kind of God he was
going to serve – if he could expect this kind of rough treatment again.
Don’t forget, by this time his leg bone socket was
dislodged from his hip; his pain was more than likely off the chart. Jacob had wrestled like WWW-Smackdown all
night long, and he felt like he was entitled to at least know whether he’d
really accomplished anything here! I
have to admit to being that way. Give me
a little sign, God…how about a hint? Do
I really have to step out without knowing for sure?
This leads right to the next lesson…
#5. We often resist out of fear – we don’t like
struggle or change
We hate to change the way we do things…ruts are
comfortable and struggle is hard work, and the outcome is most always in question. Jacob named the place Peniel…survivor.
Nobody relishes the kind of struggle Jacob faced; we
prefer the warm, fuzzy womb of our complacency.
But God is not content to let us rest in ruts – his plan for us is
abundant life; they don’t sell that in bargain basements…life is all about
struggle:
·
Have you noticed that a baby has a rough ride down the
birth canal?
·
And have you noticed that baby taking his first
steps? Falling down is the next thing he
experiences!
·
Have you noticed how hard geometry and calculus are?
·
Have you noticed that ceremonies and honeymoons only
last a little while, and then she actually expects you to take out the garbage?
Life is about struggle – and God offers us life. You cannot have one without the other.
And now, for the good news…
#6. If you
choose Godly character, the struggle will probably leave you with a limp where
he knocks your legs of pride out from under you.
Uh…pastor, did you say good news?
Exactly! Often
the test comes just when we’ve got our lives neatly arranged. The job is going better, and you’ve gotten
used to that mortgage payment. Your
child stopped throwing a tantrum at bedtime every night.
And then, wham! The car breaks down, your dog bites the
mailman, and you get sued for looking at somebody the wrong way. On top of it all you’re gaining weight for no
apparent reason.
Life just isn’t fair!
And then, the pastor preaches a message on being
called to ministry – and you’re actually sensing that God is asking you what
YOUR name is. What timing! Suddenly, everything that was so settled is
now a real bother; you were running the race…and now you’re limping.
But, perhaps it’s not quite that simple? What if it’s that you found out your
husband’s having an affair? How about
the doctor telling you it’s Leukemia?
What if your daughter was murdered?
Now, that is cause for a limp, is it not? What if it’s September 11th? You know….9/11. What if it was your husband in the North Tower?
It was that way for Susan Retik and Patti
Quigley. They were widowed by the
attacks of 9/11. They had a struggle;
their existence was plagued with limping along in grief. Do you know what they did? They formed a non-profit organization called Beyond
the 11th[ii].
Do you know what they do? They help Afghan widows grow past their
poverty by starting businesses – Afghans!
They began to support a women’s center where carpets are woven for export and
it has a literacy center with a bakery.[iii] They decided if they’ve got this limp,
they’re going to do something Godly with it!
Choosing Godly character means limping, because it’s
not an easy ride, but you will be changed.
Like Jacob, God will give you a new identity and a new mission. Jacob became Israel, the struggler. Jacob’s twelve children became the heads of
the twelve tribes of Israel.
If you played for Vince Lombardi you bought into winning
is everything. Fitting-in
with the American success story is what the Apostle Paul called being conformed
to this world[iv]. It’s letting this world squeeze you into its
mold so that you look, act, and breathe success for yourself. It means you’ve chosen cash over character,
career over character, and comfort over character.
That’s how Jacob spent the first half of his life –
me, mine, and right now! Then he
wrestled; he wouldn’t let go – he said, Kill me or bless me; I am in your hands. So he chose character over life itself, and
his surrender to God was complete. Jacob
chose character – and he was transformed into Israel. He gave up his winning and gained
everything.
I choose that also…call me deeply defeated…and transformed,
pressing-on for the prize that will make me limp like Jacob – a person of
Christ-like character!
In the name of the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen!
Notes
[iii] Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times, September 8, 2010
(quoted in Christian Century 10/5/10, p.8)
