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Wrestling Things Through
The parasha for this Shabbat is entitled Vayishlach, which means “and he sent”. Jacob is returning from Aram (Syria) to the land of Canaan, and there is this little unresolved matter – something about his brother Esau wanting to kill him. They say ‘time heals all wounds’, but Jacob wasn’t about to take any chances. As the parasha opens, Jacob sends messengers on ahead to tell Esau that he is returning, that in his years of absence he has acquired family and flocks, and that he hopes Esau will receive him favorably. The messengers come back to Jacob and announce that Esau is coming out to meet him – along with 400 men!
Understandably, Jacob is frightened. He decides that he’d better separate everyone into two camps, so that if Esau’s “army” attacks one group the other can make an escape. In addition to all his preparations, Jacob offers up a marvelous prayer to Adonai. It is a fitting example of the proper sequence and substance we should follow when we pray. Jacob first acknowledges who God is and how faithful God has been to him; he admits his own unworthiness and then presents his request.
Next, Jacob arranges an extraordinarily generous gift to Esau of various animals to be sent on ahead of him, hoping to appease his brother’s anger. Gifts can do that. He also sent his family on ahead of him, across the Jabbok River. That left Jacob alone… or so he thought. What follows is one of the most enigmatic passages in all of the Word of God.
“A man” – that’s all we’re told about him initially, appears out of nowhere and starts wrestling with Jacob – a wrestling match that would persist through the night until sunrise. Jacob seems to get the upper hand, so the “man” touches Jacob at the place of his thigh socket and instantly dislocates his leg. But Jacob’s grip is firm. Just as he held tenaciously to the heel of his older brother when they were born, he is not about to let go now; not without a blessing, anyway. At this point, being aware of the supernatural nature of his opponent, Jacob insists upon, and receives, a blessing. An interesting blessing – it goes like this:
Your name will no longer be uttered as Jacob, but Israel for you have persisted with God and with men and have prevailed.
Who is the man? Moses leaves his identity somewhat veiled in mystery. But Jacob names the place Peniel – ‘the face of God’ saying, I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved. Many years later, upon his death bed, Israel will speak of having been delivered from harm by an angel. Somehow this mysterious stranger was an angel, and yet somehow regarded as God. Six hundred years later the prophet Hosea echoed the mystery about Jacob, writing In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his maturity he contended with God. Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed; He wept and sought His favor. He found Him at Bethel and there He spoke with us… (Hosea 12:3-4). I believe that mysterious figure to have been an appearance of Messiah Yeshua prior to His incarnation, or what is commonly called a Christophany.
In the morning, Israel walked away (actually, he limped), in some ways a new man. He has a new name, and something of a new outlook. Perhaps the prospect of his reunion with Esau seemed less daunting, now that he’d prevailed with God and been blessed. I believe we can learn a lot from this account. Struggling in prayer with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and yielding to His will can give you an eternal perspective. It can make your circumstances seem so much less intimidating. We would also do well to remember the circumstances and meaning behind that name change. When, for example, you see the names Israel and Jacob used interchangeably in the early chapters of Isaiah, pay attention to that detail. The choice of names is not arbitrary. God may want you to connect something about Israel’s attitude or circumstance that is reminiscent of Jacob’s experiences; whether a return from having sojourned eastward (see Isaiah 2:6, 10:21, 14:1) or his face-to-face Divine encounter (see Isaiah 8:17).
In chapter 33 Jacob and Esau (Israel and Edom) are reunited amicably. Esau is impressed, although somewhat puzzled, by all the gifts Jacob sent him. He politely declines the gift, but Jacob insists. Their reunion is brief, as Jacob, rather than following his brother to Seir, returns instead to Canaan (the land of promise), settling in the vicinity of Shechem. Thus the separation continues between the two brothers, who will eventually become two nations!
Chapter 34 records the murder of all the men of the city of Shechem by Shimon and Levi, in retaliation for the rape of their sister Dinah. Why are we told about this? Three reasons come to mind. First of all, it really happened. The Scriptures are an honest record of Israel’s history, both good and bad. Second, the slaughter of the men of Shechem forced Israel and the family to leave the area. Though a horrific act, it did serve to keep Israel a separate nation. Third, it explains why Shimon and Levi later forfeited the patriarchal blessing they might otherwise have received from their father (Gen. 49:5-6).
Jacob returns to Bethel. God appears to him there again and reiterates His promise to give him and his descendants the land and all the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant.
In this chapter we read that Rachel dies while giving birth to Benjamin, and Jacob buries her in Bethlehem Efrat. To this day Rachel’s tomb is regarded as the third holiest site in Judaism. This site has over the years been a source of contention among Israelis and Palestinians, and periodic outbreaks of violence by Palestinians have caused great damage to this archaeological treasure.
How paradoxical that this same town, Beit-Lechem (“House of Bread”) which represents grief also has yielded the greatest hope the world has ever known; for in Bethlehem (Micah 5:1) would be born the Redeemer of all mankind, Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah. Our weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning!
Chapter 35 records the disgraceful actions of Reuben with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, which we will later see disqualifies him also from receiving that patriarchal blessing (Gen. 49:3-4). This chapter also tells of the reuniting of Jacob with his father Isaac, and of Isaac’s death at 180 years of age. Jacob and Esau together bury their father and then part ways – just as Isaac and Ishmael parted ways after burying their father Abraham.
Esau’s descendants, the Edomites, would eventually become Israel’s adversaries. With the conclusion of Esau’s descendants in chapter 36, the Scriptures again take a selective genealogical turn. We are meant to watch the line of Jacob for that coming Redeemer. We are also meant to recognize in these chapters the need to cultivate a relationship with God. The tenor of Jacob’s prayers changes perceptibly through his life as he learns to trust God for himself, not merely as the son of Isaac or grandson of Abraham.
So it must be for you – God must become your God! Having family members or friends who made a commitment to follow Yeshua doesn’t cut it. If you are on the outside looking in, the invitation is extended to you: cease your rebellion and enter into the New and greater Covenant that Messiah has inaugurated – a covenant that guarantees the forgiveness of your sin, reconciliation with God, and eternal life in the World-To-Come. It’s a wrestling match worth having.