Jacob walked with god. Then God changed his name to Israel because he overcame.
Jacob walked with god When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Neither overpowered the other, but the man struck Jacob’s hip and put it out of joint before asking Jacob to let him go as dawn was breaking. They Walked With God: Jacob - September 2022 Genesis Chapter 32 is a story of how God comes down and brings His grace into t he l ives of people who don’t deserve it, don’t seek it and cont inual ly resist it. When the man realized that he hadn’t yet won the struggle, he injured the socket of Jacob’s thigh, dislocating it as he wrestled with him, and said, “Let me go, because the dawn has come. The reason behind God wrestling with Jacob is a topic of ongoing theological debate. “My name is, ‘Deceiver,’ my name is, ‘Trickster,’” (which is what Jacob means). We can trust God to keep the promises made to us, as well—like the promise to be with us, even when we travel to our own The man, later revealed to be God, blesses Jacob and changes his name to Israel, meaning "he struggles with God. It also communicates t hat many t imes we wil l fight God for a long t ime, and even Twice Jacob, one of the fathers of Israel, has important events happen to him there. Jacob's struggle and encounter with God is a pivotal moment in the biblical narrative, found in Genesis 32:22-32. " Jacob names the place Peniel, saying, "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved" (Genesis 32:30). So it is especially for those who have fought for God, especially for a long time. This is both a challenge and an invitation to those of us who think our relationship with God has to be smooth and pretty all the time. ” (Gen 5:18-24) Enoch is one of two people who did not die (the other is Elijah). Mar 16, 2025 · 1. ” This name change signifies a new beginning and a deeper relationship with God. During this event, it is believed that God appeared to Jacob and blessed him, something that was seen as a sign of God’s favor, which had been promised since Abraham’s time. Yeah, he limped away but he walked away changed. ” 2. Please accept my gift that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have everything I want. Nov 12, 2020 · Jacob had been alone with God once before when he was on the run at Bethel, as we noticed in a previous article (“When the sun sets: Jacob meets God,” Gen. But God sends angels to meet Apr 11, 2025 · This verse speaks of a significant event in which Jacob struggles with a mysterious figure, often interpreted as God or an angel, during the night. He learnt to fulfil God’s calling and purpose for his life, despite walking with a limp. God marked him, and his limp became a pin 5/15/2002. The sovereign grace of God reigned supreme in Jacob’s experience and sustained him despite his many flaws. As a result of this encounter, Jacob’s hip is injured, causing him to walk with a limp. Jacob Struggles with God - And so Jacob was left alone, and he struggled with a man until daybreak. “This is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you. And God says to him, “That was your name, but not anymore. Jacob’s physical limp was a constant reminder to him of his own brokenness and limitations. That wrestling match took place at Jabbok (Yabboq in Hebrew), which means “emptying. Then God dislocated his hip. It received its name—"House of God"—from God revealing Himself to Jacob there, and Jacob believing that He lived there. And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. Sep 9, 2010 · As Jacob’s life drew to a close, he blessed his children and grandchildren. SAY: You just had a very quick Tug of War that lasted a short time. com. For the rest of his life, Jacob walks with a limp. God was always with him, even if Jacob did not realize it all the time. Everywhere he went people would ask, “Jacob, why are you limping?” Jacob won when he was beaten. 35:27). 28). For modern readers, Jacob’s encounter with God through the ladder serves as a poignant reminder of the nature of faith. Through it all, Jacob was learning to walk with God along life’s varied journeys. Dec 31, 2018 · Jacob was preparing to meet his brother, the same brother he cheated some 20 years prior. Jacob’s First Encounter with God - Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. ” Has God had to cripple you to bless you? Jacob, now Israel, limped for the rest of his life. ” It refers to the manner of life a person living in nearness to God. As he walked with God one day, the Lord miraculously snatched him up and took him to be with Him permanently in Heaven! Jacob is a very interesting man. His struggle with God creates a limp in his life and all can Sep 18, 2021 · God has children like Jacob who walk with a limp, and you may be one of them. ” Jul 24, 2013 · Jacob fights with God and receives a new name and identity. The Hebrew word "Mahanaim" means "two camps," indicating both Jacob's camp and God's camp, symbolizing divine presence and protection. "And He said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. Apr 8, 2025 · The struggle resulted in a new identity for Jacob; as God changed his name to Israel, which means “he strives with God. Jacob insisted on receiving a blessing, and he received one; but not until “the man” (actually God) somehow touched the tendon in the socket of his hip, causing Jacob to limp. Rather than facing death, God supernaturally “took” Enoch. It means we both have skin left in the game. This was not the case with Jacob. Jacob is tired and exhausted from his hurry journey. ” “I won’t let you go,” Jacob replied, “unless you bless me. We are not told what the angels did or told Jacob. He saw the angels of God going up and Jan 14, 2024 · Jacob Wrestling With God A Night of Struggle. Penuel (Peniel) The place where Jacob wrestled with God. Genesis 5:24 simply states “Enoch walked with God, and he was no longer there because God took him away”. You see a lot of memorials established as memory aids along the journey. Jul 3, 2013 · In Genesis 32:22-32, we read the account of the patriarch, Jacob as he wrestled with God in a human form. Suddenly he saw that God was the lion and Jacob was the mouse. . ” May 9, 2025 · Beersheba was where Isaac, his father, had worshiped. Jan 14, 2024 · The account of Enoch’s unusual departure has intrigued Bible students for generations. Although Jacob knew God, and was blessed by God, he was always scheming to his own ends, until God dealt with him. (See Genesis 32:25 and 31-32. ” Deuteronomy 1:31 and in the wilderness, where the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way by which you traveled until you reached this place. Text: Genesis 32:28-31. He got renamed. Later, Jacob also refers to the man he struggled with as “God” (verse 30). Just imagine a Tug of War that lasted all night! SAY: Jacob wrestled with God all night. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel – “he who strives with God. The God-man blesses Jacob, leaves him, and from that day on, Jacob has a limp. Having sent his flocks and family ahead, Jacob now stood alone. When one encounters God, when one is wounded by His tremendous love, it is difficult to look at another the same way. Toward the end of the night, the God-man touches Jacob’s hip, and Jacob is defeated. Jacob hasn’t gone that far from home, but he sun is beginning to set. Jacob had been on the run for several hours. 3 days ago · Wrestling with God’s Presence. But God is going to make Jacob say it. He is known for struggling with God, wrestling with Him. And he said unto him, What is thy Aug 2, 2020 · But Jacob still refuses: “Not until you bless me. Perhaps you have experienced a painful failure, and because a limp isn’t something you can hide, people notice it. 6 days ago · It symbolized a deep spiritual transformation. Oct 29, 2019 · One day, as I studied the scriptures, God gave me a divine “lightbulb moment. That night, God called out, “Jacob, Jacob,” and reassured him. Up until this point, Jacob has always found a way to come out on top. There was the vision, the ladder, the angels. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway set up on the earth with its top reaching up to heaven. I will go with you. He no longer ran ahead or away from God. Jacob Wrestles With God. The story of Jacob's wrestling with God on the banks of the Jabbok moves me. God goes with us even in unfamiliar places: Not Just a Trip—It Was a Divine Sending Feb 14, 2022 · Jacob wrestles God for the blessing God intended for him all along—a summarizing picture of Jacob’s life. What do we carry in our life that demonstrates to others that it is “marked” by God? Do we walk with a limp because God has so impacted us, so that now we are no longer the same as we used to be? Until God is able to impact us enough to leave His mark on us, then we will not demonstrate very much authority as men and women of God. Jacob’s grandfather Abraham walked with God and was known as a friend of God. He even wrestled with God and would not stop until God blessed him. In They Walked with God, the life stories of Adam, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph are amplified beyond the Genesis accounts by adding hundreds of insights from other scriptural sources. Succoth was not part of God’s plan for Jacob. The name ‘Israel’ could mean that Jacob wrestled with God and that God wrestled with Jacob. But the Bible doesn't say that. He got blessed. Jacob wanted God’s blessing before his expected death and then admitted he is Jacob, the deceiver. Our walk with God includes some quiet and uneventful times where we seldom see his active intervention (though we are often blind to his care over us). And I can’t help but wonder whether Jacob’s dislocated hip was as much an altar as the stone pillow he once slept on. ” I don’t know what is more surprising in this passage, Jacob’s audacious tenacity as he continues to wrestle, despite the darkness and pain, or God’s willingness to bless Jacob after Jacob refuses to let go, after Jacob insists, “Not until you bless me. Crowther [Duane S. Return to Bethel Apr 30, 2007 · However, Jacob was not fully aware of these lessons before the struggle ended. ” Emptied of himself, Jacob now had a new name and a new way to walk. There He wrestled with God – probably to save him from Esau and death. Moreover, when God told Jacob to return from Haran, He identified Himself as “the God of Bethel” (Gen. The name “Succoth” means a temporary Jacob, the son of Isacc and Rebekaha, went through quite a bit with issues with his brother and father-in-law. But Jacob had a whole-body wrestling war with an angel of God for an entire night! That would be really difficult. It was this state that allowed him to reconcile with Esau. Jacob no longer walked proudly, but became meek. The Bible is replete with examples of biblical characters who also walked with their own “limps”. This injury serves as a reminder of Jacob’s transformation through his struggles. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. But the cost is significant: Jacob leaves this encounter with a limp; a physical disability that symbolizes God’s loving dominance over his life. Dec 14, 2020 · Alone for the night, Jacob, who would become the patriarch for the nation of Israel, was confronted by “a mysterious man,” and the two wrestled for hours. In Christian theology, the story of Jacob's wrestling match foreshadows the theme of transformation through struggle, a theme that is central to At that time, his father Isaac lived near Bethel in Mamre (Gen. Mar 3, 2020 · Jacob had wrestled with God, and with men, and prevailed. He has just experienced a transformative encounter with God, where he wrestled with a divine being and received a new name, Israel. Advertise on TGC “The Most Practical and Engaging Book on Christian Living Apart from the Bible” The first two verses of Genesis 32 begin with the angels of God meeting Jacob. While blessing the sons of Joseph, Jacob called on the Lord, before whom his father and grandfather had “walked faithfully. God in human form as this mysterious man in the night shows his vulnerability in human flesh. Jacob wrestled with God and walked away with a blessing—and a limp. To know Jacob’s story is to know his life was a never-ending struggle. Genesis 28:11-22 records the first occasion Jacob has an encounter with God at Bethel, though it was not called Bethel then. As described in Genesis 32, Jacob was left alone one night and wrestled with a mysterious man until daybreak. 29 And Jacob asked Him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, Thy name. Because of the urgency of this trip, he hadn’t been able to get an early morning start. Instead of following God’s Word, Jacob compromised in his walk. The Twofold Wrestle --God's with Jacob and Jacob's with God 'And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast shewed unto Thy Nov 8, 2009 · They Walked with God: Intimate Biographies of Patriarchs from the Book of Genesis-Adam / Seth / Enoch / Noah / Melchizedek / Abraham / Isaac / Jacob / Joseph [Paperback] Duane S. JACOB LIMPS ON. His limp not only generated his surrender, but also was a physical reminder of his struggle against God. Aug 30, 2013 · But then in one light touch, the Lord wiped Jacob out. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. Despite venturing into the unknown, Jacob was not alone. ” Some have said: Does God not know Jacob’s name? Of course God knows Jacob’s name. During this struggle, God touched Jacob’s hip, and it became out of joint, and from that day, Jacob walked with a limp. That time it was exhilarating. And God would keep the promises made to Jacob, even if Jacob did not realize that, either. From this point forward your name will be Israel. He had a lot of different experiences in his life – experiences with the world, with enemies, with family, and in a very distinct way with God. Apr 23, 2021 · Jacob had been relying on his own physical strength and mind, instead of on God. Then God (per Hosea 12:3-4) showed up. 32:26–28). He’s a wounded chosen one, not unlike other wounded chosen ones we will meet later in the story of the Bible—notably, the suffering servant of Isaiah. Aug 20, 2021 · God’s grace is greater than our failures, so He gave Jacob a new name: “Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed” (v. But it’s only Jacob who is wounded when he’s struck in the hip. He triumphed when he yielded. This extraordinary event happened because Enoch “walked with God”. Watch now: The Man Who 3 days ago · Jacob wrestled with God and walked away blessed not rejected. God wrestled with Jacob to break down his self-reliance and teach him humility. Jacob wrestled with God all night. Nevertheless, the God-man blessed Jacob, and from that day on Jacob walked with a limp. ' So he named that place Mahanaim" (Genesis 32:2). ” Jacob’s prayer was that now a faithful walk with God would follow in the generations to come. A man with a dislocated him cannot walk at all. Jacob also offered sacrifices there and waited for God’s direction. When Jacob was in great danger, the Bible records that he spent a night wrestling with God, and God wrenched his hip so that ever after he walked with a limp [Genesis 32:22-32]. Toward the end of the night, the God-man touched Jacob’s hip, and Jacob was defeated. Sep 5, 2024 · And that ‘torch’ included a special relationship with God. God had just been playing with him! Until God breaks us, so that we walk with a limp, we have a tendency to view Him as a benign old grandfather, nice to have around, but not very strong. He took one of the stones from that place, put it under his head, and lay down there. This event marks a significant transformation in Jacob's life, symbolizing a shift from self-reliance to divine dependence. He left the wrestling match a new man, Israel, but also with a new limp. “The face of God. Jacob is leaving Gilead and on his way to Canaan. ” Aug 15, 2017 · “And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name…Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again…Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice…And when all the people saw it Oct 17, 2023 · Vulnerable to God, Jacob walked limping. One of the most significant moments in Jacob’s life happened when he wrestled with an angel at Bethel. He had been touched by God and it And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. Moreover, Jacob’s limp is not a sign of weakness but a strength because it reflects his acknowledgement of God’s presence and power in his Jacob said, “No, please; if I find favor with you, then accept my present from my hand; for truly to see your face is like seeing the face of God—since you have received me with such favor. The word “walk” is the biblical expression for “fellowship and obedience with God that results in divine favor. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. For example, we have spoken of Jacob’s total submission to God when he gave up his name and held on for a blessing (Gen. The name means "face of God," signifying the profound spiritual encounter Jacob had, where he saw God face to face and yet his life was spared. ) of faith. The Limp May 9, 2018 · A sermon by Charlie Dates on Genesis 32:22–32 and how Jacob’s limp, a result of wrestling with God, should make us rethink our own weaknesses. Today’s Takeaway Nov 13, 2019 · Whereas Jacob named the place of the ladder Bethel, he named the place of his limp Peniel. 22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. Fear and Distress The limp with which Jacob walked after the encounter serves as a metaphor for the nation of Israel—a people who, despite their weaknesses and failings, are chosen by God and sustained by His grace. Yet Jacob probably did not know the full meaning of his capitulation until Yahweh left him. It doesn’t. The God of Jacob delights in those who strive with him. Scripture: Genesis 32:24-25 – “So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. Before blessing Jacob, though, the man touched the socket of Jacob's hip, so when he walked away had a limp. This encounter with God would become the defining moment for Jacob, changing him in at least three ways. This divine encounter challenged Jacob’s character, compelling him to confront his past and accept a new identity. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. May 21, 2025 · Genesis 32:22–32 recounts the puzzling story of Jacob in an all-night wrestling match. This encounter reaffirms God's presence and blessing upon Jacob, marking a turning point in his life. ” Oct 10, 2022 · Alone for the night, the patriarch Jacob is confronted by “a Mysterious Man,” and the two wrestle for hours. 31:13). “Don’t be afraid to go down to Egypt. Dec 20, 2023 · Jacob was the third Patriarch and the son of Isaac. When he came to a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had gone down. Jacob refused to walk with Esau: Esau’s Offer and Jacob’s Unexpected Response; 2. And he walked away with a new name, blessings, and a limp. Jacob refused to walk with Esau: Why Did Jacob Go to Sukkoth? 4. 3. But it is important to notice that there is an intervention from God at this moment. Jacob refused to walk with Esau: Walking a Different Path for the Right Reasons; 5. God struggles. His opponent is a man who refers to himself as “God” (verse 28). I don't know who told us that struggling with God means we're failing. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. ” As far as I can tell, Jacob walked with a limp the rest of his life. God loves to use flawed people because when they become successful, they aren’t arrogant like others who think they deserve it. We will be able to infer what happened in a moment. This chapter highlights the theme of divine encounter as Jacob meets angels of God: "When Jacob saw them, he said, 'This is the camp of God. He didn't get punished. At these times it seems that we experience little spiritual growth. Crowther] on Amazon. ” As I read in Genesis 32 about Jacob wrestling all night with God, the same Lord who touched his hip, asked me, “Do you see the souvenir I gave Jacob from his night with Me?” Jacob walked the rest of his life with a limp. He is now to be called Israel, and through him a nation will one day share the same name. Feb 25, 2025 · Jacob’s experiences laid the groundwork for the nation of Israel and foreshadowed the notion of divine revelation and covenantal relationships that would characterize the narrative of God's people. 2. Then God changed his name to Israel because he overcame. ” Jul 26, 2020 · Fighting means I haven't walked away from God, and God hasn’t walked away from me. May 18, 2010 · We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Discover how one man’s struggle became a turning point in history. 27:41-28:22). Jacob refused to walk with Esau: Two Brothers, Two Different Paths; 3. jegbgfgafatxarvkljktstqwkxmzobfiprpmiecpwrfcpjknvsftd