(A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 32:22-32, “Wrestled,” for Sunday, April 14, 2024. Includes a sample lesson introduction, outline, text highlights, illustrations, questions for your class, and spiritual life applications. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at:

INTRO:  My former pastor, Bill Elliff, said that one of his favorite games to play with his preschool daughters was for them to sit in his lap and try to pry a penny out of his hand. He said they would work and pry so hard to get it out. He said, I could have opened my hand at any moment and let them get it — but, he made the point: I enjoyed spending the time with them sitting with me, so he’d let it go on for a while, until he let them get it.

Bill’s story reminds me of our scripture passage for today, from Genesis 32, where Jacob wrestled with the Lord. If you’ve got a good wrestling story you might open this lesson with that, but most of us probably don’t. I think Bill’s story is a pretty good illustration of what God was doing with Jacob in Genesis 32 when He wrestled with Jacob. Was Jacob really getting the best of God there? No. Like Pastor Elliff, the Lord could have ended that match any moment He wanted to. But He was doing something in Jacob’s life through that wrestling — and sometimes He does the same in us as well, as we see in our lesson for today.  

CONTEXT

We’ve been following God’s story in Genesis, as He called Abraham to found a nation from whom the the Messiah would eventually come, and Abraham finally had a son, Isaac, who bore Jacob, who stole the blessing from his older brother Esau. Esau promised to kill Jacob when Isaac died, so Jacob ran away back to Haran, where Abraham came to Canaan from. As we saw last week, Jacob found his relatives there, married Leah and Rachel, had sons, and prospered with God’s blessing. Now he’s decided to leave Laban and Haran, and go back to Canaan with his family and flocks. He is still afraid of what Esau might do to him, as at last word, he had promised to kill him!

OUTLINE

I. Crossing the River (:22-23)

II. Wrestling With God (:24-30)

III. Reminders of the Encounter (:31-32)

TEXT

I. Crossing the River (:22-23)

:22 “Now he arose that same night and took his two wives and his two maids and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.” 

So they’re making their way back to Canaan, and you can look on the MAP (and I’d have a map like this one you can show where they were)

He has to cross the river to get back into Canaan.

?How often in scripture do people have to “cross a river” to get where God wanted them?

How often do we? It seems to be a very symbolic thing: we “cross a river” to get to the Promised Land, to get heaven (InPilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan pictures death as crossing a river, to get to the Celestial City). There are a number of important “river crossings” we make our lives.

??? What are some of the ‘rivers’ we have to cross in life??? Some of the strategic moments we face:

(Salvation is a crucial one; sometimes an important job; or the decision of a spouse; or sometimes a decision to move, or to take a certain stand or make a decision that will determine the future direction of your whole life.

There are a lot of “rivers” we have to cross in life. Jacob was literally crossing one here — but it was also very symbolic; he was leaving Haran and Laban behind, and sending it all across into the Promised Land. It was a big moment!

:23 “He took them and sent them across the stream. And he sent across whatever he had.”

Have you ever moved, and loaded everything up in a moving van, and watched it pull out, and thought something like, “There goes my whole life and family all my worldly goods!”” THAT is what Jacob had to be feeling here. He was sending it all over. :23 emphasizes that: “And he sent across whatever he had.”  (In Hebrew: esher-lo, “which/to him” — in other words, whatever he had, he sent across. 

I can imagine that Jacob might have felt like Dwight Eisenhower did on June 6, 1944, what we call “D-Day,” when he sent the Allied armies across the English Channel to take invade Nazi-held Europe in France. Eisenhower had a difficult decision to make: the seas were rough; the wind and waves might swamp some of the landing craft; there were a number of potential complications, but if they didn’t go on June 6, the window of the tides would be close for the foreseeable future. So he studied, prayed, consulted — did all he could — then he had to make the decision, which he did. He sent the troops a message:

“Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward

which we have striven these many months.The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened.

He will fight savagely. But … The tide has turned ! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory

I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty

and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory! Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.”

Stephen E. Ambrose reported that when the last plane roared off, Eisenhower turned to his driver, and she saw tears in his eyes. He began to walk slowly toward his car. “Well,” he said quietly, “it’s on.”

I think must be how Jacob felt that day: sending his wives, his children and all his possessions over the Jabbok. “Well, it’s on!” Here we go!  Really it was a big step of faith. And God calls us in life to take some big steps of faith sometimes. 

It’s somewhat related, but I think a slightly different one than we just asked about crossing the rivers, but you might also ask your group:  ??? What are some big steps of faith God might ask US to take today???

(First of all, the decision to really commit our lives to Christ as our Lord & Savior. It is a HUGE decision, to commit your whole life to Him! 

Also He may call us to leave where we are, like Abraham and Jacob did; to change vocations to serve Him – maybe to start a new business — giving everything to do that would be like “sending it all across the river”!   Maybe to go into missions or ministry; or to start or get involved in a new ministry we are not familiar with — stepping out there can be hard!

To begin to tithe or give in a new way. To witness to someone or go on a mission trip.)

There are a lot of ways that God might call us to take a step of faith and “send everything across the river,” like Jacob did here. He still calls us to do this today. 

II. Wrestling With God  (:24-30)

Verse 24 says “Then Jacob was left alone, and A MAN wrestled with him until daybreak.”

First of all, this says “a man,” wrestled with Jacob, but we’ll see it was not just “a man”

Then  :26 says “Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.’ But he (Jacob) said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

So Jacob “wrestled with God.” He said, “I will not let You go unless you bless me.”

??? Can you think of others in the Bible who in a sense “wrestled” with God?

(— Abraham over the destruction of Sodom, wrestling with Him over the number of righteous He might spare the city for.

— Moses over whether His presence would go with them to the wilderness and Canaan

— Even Jesus wrestled with His Heavenly Father in Gethsemane: “If possible, let this cup pass from Me”)

??? Have you ever felt like you were wrestling with the Lord over something???

This is an attitude that I believe many Christians are missing today: this attitude of “I am going to stay and wrestle with God until He gives me what I am asking for.” 

I think often times we give up too easily.

In the New Testament, Jesus taught us to spend much time, if necessary, “wrestling” with God in prayer.

— In Luke 11:8 He taught us in the parable of the friend asking at midnight, “because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.” 

He said (literally) “Keep on asking and it will be given to you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” That present-tense “keep on”, means to persevere in prayer, “wrestling” with God, if you would.

— I just read this morning in Luke 18:1 where Jesus told them a parable “to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart.” This reminds us of a couple of important things: first, that we WILL be tempted to “lose heart” in prayer. We’ll be tempted to give up. BUT DON’T Jesus says. Keep on praying. Keep on wrestling with God in prayer. 

Habakkuk 2:1  “I will stand on my guard post, and station myself on the rampart; And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me” I.e., he is going to stand there and watch UNTIL God speaks to him. To me, Habakkuk is another picture of someone who wrestled with God. He didn’t understand what was happening in his land, why God seemed to let the wicked prosper. His whole book is the story of him “wrestling with God.”

So he says, I am going to stand here and watch until God gives me an answer! THAT is a great picture of wrestling with God! And it’s a great model for us.  

This should cause us to examine ourselves:  What’s the longest amount of time you’ve spent in prayer? (You don’t really have to answer out loud, or have your class answer — but it’s a good question to think about. How long have we ever really given to “wrestle” with God? Are we willing to wrestle with Him for an hour? Have we ever “wrestled” with Him all night, like Jacob did — or even longer?

If we REALLY really want something from God, we should be willing to give much time in prayer for it, and “wrestle” with God for it. 

Be willing to spend:

1) much time on it; pray as long as you need to in a single session, and also

2) be willing to pray as long as you need to, day after day, week after week, year after year, as you need to. “Pray and not lose heart” as Jesus said in Luke 18.

DON’T GIVE UP. Say like Jacob did here, “God I will NOT let You go until You bless me” with this thing I am asking.

— Is there a time when we should accept that something is just not God’s will? Yes there is, and sometimes we do need to learn to accept that.

— But I believe that sometimes there is also a place to keep on “wrestling” with God, like Jacob did here, and say, “I am not going to leave You alone about this until You answer me.” 

Maybe there’s something like that in your life (or some of your class members) today. You/they need to be encouraged: DO NOT GIVE UP ON THIS! Keep “wrestling” with God about it! 

I could picture saying, “Well I won’t wrestle with God; I’ll just let His will be done.” That might sound “spiritual,” but it could really just be a mask for apathy — if the truth be known, the real reason for our lack of wrestling with God is that we really just don’t care that much. 

Are we wrestling with God over someone’s salvation? Paul wrote in Romans 10:1 “My heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.” This was not a trite thing to him. He wrestled with God over it. He wrote in Romans 9:1-4a:

“I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites …”.

Paul powerfully wrested with God in prayer for the salvation of his countrymen. It was no light thing with him.

And it should not be with us, either. Let us not give up easily. Let us “wrestle” with God — especially for someone’s salvation.

So Jacob wrestled with the Lord, and will not let go until He blesses him, so :27 says “So he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’

It is interesting that he asked Jacob his name. You might wonder why he did that? This is not just “a man,” as we will see, it is GOD — likely Jesus pre-incarnate most Bible students believe — so he KNEW his name. So why did He ask him his name?

I think it’s similar to when God asked Adam in the Garden of Eden, “Adam, where are you?” God was not asking Adam for information! He was asking to get Adam to face up to where he was.

I think it’s similar here. God is not asking Jacob for information here. He wants him to face up to himself; to who he is/has been.

His name, “Jacob,” means “supplanter” (Or as my old Hebrew professor Dr. Garland would say “heel snatcher”!) — someone who was taking from others. He stole from Esau, Laban felt like he stole from him. God wanted him to face up to what had been his life so far.

He does that with us too. We can’t just “sweep everything under the carpet” and move on with God; we have to face up to things. We have to face up to our sin; we have to admit that we have been going in the wrong direction and repent of our sins. 

This is why Jesus asked the Samaritan Woman in John 4 to call her husband. She’d just asked Him to give her the drink that would give her eternal life; it sounded like she was ready to be saved! So why did He throw that “go call your husband” in there? Because Jesus knew she needed to face up to her sin before she could really be saved.

He’s doing the same thing with Jacob here. “What is your name?” “Heel snatcher.” This is the kind of person I’ve been. He has to face up to it.

Owning up to our sin is an integral part of salvation. Really being saved isn’t just a matter of “deciding we are going to go to church.” We must each come to a point in our lives when we are confronted with the fact that we have sinned against God, and we need a Savior. Until we admit our sins, we can’t be saved. 

This is the testimony of our son David. When he was a small boy, he came down during the invitation and said he wanted to be baptized. I always ask children, “Do you know what sin is?”, and then “Do you know that YOU have sinned?” — because if they know they’ve sinned, then they are accountable, and they need a Savior. So I asked David: “Do you know what sin is?” He said he did; and I asked him to give me some examples of sins and he did. Then I asked him, “David, have YOU sinned?” And he immediately exclaimed, “Oh no!” So I knew he was not ready to be saved. Rest of the story: a year or so later, he came down at the invitation again, this time with tears in his eyes because he had sinned, and then I knew he was truly ready to be saved.

This was true for David, for Jacob — and for all of us. God will confront us with our sin, because our sin is what is separating us from fellowship with Him. Maybe someone in your group this week needs to understand that THEY have personally sinned, and they need a Savior. I pray that through you, God’s Spirit will convict someone of their sins, and lead them to Jesus, this week!

So after He confronts Jacob’s name/his sin, He says:

:28 “He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.”

This is significant. God changes his name here: signifying his new life, after his encounter with God (this was common in Israel, and to some extent through Christian history as well).

And it’s also significant historically, for our Bible understanding, because THIS IS WHERE THE NAME “ISRAEL” COMES FROM, for those God chose to be His special people, through whom He’d give His word to mankind, and also through whom the Messiah, the Savior would be born. 

:29 “Then Jacob asked him and said, ‘Please tell me YOUR name.’ But he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’ And he blessed him there

And then notice what :30 says: “So Jacob named the place, Peniel, for he said, ‘I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.’”

??? So Who does Jacob realize he was been wrestling???
(GOD!  He says “I have seen God face to face.” This is not God the Father, who does not have a body; it is not the Holy Spirit; so many believe this is a pre-Incarnate appearance of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who wrestled with Jacob here. (Theologians might call this a “Christophany”: “Christ”—“phanos” = “appearance” — an “appearance” of Christ before His earthly birth.)

So it says he named the place “Peniel.” Again we can see in Hebrew = “pan” = “face” “El” short for “Elohim” or God.

So “Pan-I-El” = “face of God.” 

III. Reminders of the Encounter  (:31-32)

Verses 31-32 end this section, saying “Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh. (:32) Therefore to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.”

What’s all that about? These are REMINDERS.  

— Jacob is limping as a reminder of his encounter with God

— Israel doesn’t eat the hip as a reminder of Jacob’s encounter with God.

It’s good to have reminders of our encounters with God. 

??? What are some ways we can be reminded of our encounters with God today???

(— take a picture of your baptism, or some special moment

— write it in your spiritual journal; highlight it/put a star by it in your Bible

— make a scrapbook page

— post it on Facebook, social media – it will pop up as a memory and you’ll be reminded!

— display a certain item from the mission trip on your shelf, or beside, etc., that reminds you of what God did. 

— Sometimes like Jacob we might carry a “scar” or “limp” from our encounter with God — so we will be very well aware of it for the rest of our lives! 

And of course, don’t forget that the Lord gave us ALL at least two “living reminders” of our encounter with Him: in the two ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We can remember our own baptism, and are continually reminded of it each time we witness baptism; and we are also repeatedly reminded of our salvation each time we share the Lord’s Supper as well. These ordinances are reminders of our encounter with God, that led us to salvation, which will lead US to ultimately “see the face of God” one day in glory!  

Encourage your members Sunday to make sure they have truly had that life-changing encounter with Him, by facing up to their sins like Jacob did here, and “send it all across the river” by committing their lives to same Jesus who wrestled with Jacob here in Genesis 30.

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