Epic Threat, Epic Fight
Epic - The Story of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 55:37
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Today, as we continue our study through the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we will cover quite a few chapters.
Last week we viewed some EPIC Baby Mama Drama. We saw that Jacob had run to the city of Haran, outside of Canaan. Incidentally, this is where Abraham stopped for a while on his journey to Canaan from Ur of the Chaldees. It is the place where Abraham's father passed away. It seems that more of Abraham's family travelled out of Ur with Abraham than just Lot and Abraham's father, because we see that this is the place that Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac, that wife being Rebekah.
Now we find Jacob going to Haran for two reasons. Does anyone remember the reasons Jacob runs to Haran? 1) Running from the wrath of Esau, 2) finding a wife.
And Jacob does indeed find the love of his life. As Jacob approaches Haran, he meets Rachel. Rachel is one of Laban's daughters. Laban, if you will remember, is Jacob's uncle, brother to Rebekah, his mother.
So Laban takes Jacob in, and after a month, he asks him what he wants for payment for all his work that he is doing. Jacob responds that he would work for Laban 7 years if he were allowed to marry Rachel.
So they come to this agreement, and after 7 years go by, there is a wedding feast. Jacob is surprised the next day, however, when he realizes that the woman that was under the wedding veils is not Rachel, but her older, less attractive sister, Leah.
Jacob gets angry, understandably, and talks to Laban who tells him that if he still wants to marry Rachel, that he can, as long as he works another seven years for him. So Jacob marries Rachel, and then works another seven years for Laban.
This, of course, causes major drama. Add to that the fact that Jacob doesn't love Leah like he loves Rachel. Then, of course, there is the issue of children. Leah is able to have children, but Rachel is barren. So Rachel, out of envy, gives her servant to have kids with Jacob that she will adopt as her own. Sucked into this "competition" mindset, Leah does the same.
In the end, God allows Rachel to conceive a child of her own.
When all is said and done, Leah has given birth to six sons and a daughter, her servant Zilpah has had 2 sons. Rachel's servant, Bilhah, has 2 kids, and Rachel has 2 sons.
Because of the favoritism shown by Jacob and the envy and jealousy present in the lives of Leah and Rachel, this home becomes a boxing ring.
We pick up today after the birth of Joseph, Rachel's first son. At this time, Jacob has 11 sons and a daughter. Genesis 30:25-26 And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country. 26 Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee.
And Jacob is asking to leave now, but Laban has other plans. Genesis 30:27-28 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake. 28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.
Laban is not at all interested in letting Jacob go. Since Jacob has arrived, he's been nothing but a cash cow for Laban, and he doesn't want to lose that. So he asks him to stay. "Name your wages," he says, "and I will pay it."
But we know, Laban is crafty. Later we will find out, Laban has no interest in God, as Laban worships his own set of false gods, but he is interested in the fact that Jacob's God is bringing him so many blessings. And he does not want to lose those blessings by allowing Jacob to leave.
All Jacob wanted for his wages was the privilege of building his own flock of sheep and goats from the speckled and spotted animals in Laban’s flocks, animals that were considered inferior anyway. These would be separated three days’ journey from Laban’s flock so that Laban could investigate at any time and immediately know whether Jacob was robbing him.
Laban agrees, and over the next six years, Jacob's flock is blessed and increases more than Laban's. As time goes by, Jacob begins to notice a shift in the way that Laban treats him. He is then told by the Lord that it is time to go.
Genesis 31:1-3 And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this glory. 2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before. 3 And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
He calls Leah and Rachel to his flock and tells them of his plan and his reasonings. Genesis 31:4-8 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, 5 And said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. 6 And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. 7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. 8 If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked.
Laban and Jacob had agreed that the inferior sheep that were born would be a part of Jacob's flock. If you read the rest of chapter 30 that we skipped over, you see that Jacob used some methods, widely based on superstition, that would ensure that more spotted or striped cattle would be born.
Laban notices that more of the speckled and spotted and brown sheep are being born, so he changes Jacob's wages over and over again. From now on you only get the spotted sheep. So God would work it so that more spotted sheep were born that season. Laban would change then and declare that Jacob could only receive the ringstraked or striped cattle, and God would work so that more of those were born. All in all, Laban changes the terms to their agreement 10 times, but God continues to bless Jacob. This rubs Laban the wrong way, and God now tells Jacob go.
When Jacob presents this to his wives, Rachel and Leah agree with Jacob that it is time to go. Genesis 31:14-18 And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house? 15 Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. 16 For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children's: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.
17 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; 18 And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.
I like how Leah and Rachel now see through Laban. They understand how selfish he is. They realize, like Esau had about Isaac, that they were merely pawns to be used and sold for the benefit of Laban. So they agree to go, and Jacob and his family gather up all their belongings and cattle and head home.
They do this hastily and secretly, not letting Laban know of their plans. Is this the action of a man that is firm in his faith with God? No.
Is this the action of a man that is honest and upfront about things? No.
And such is Jacob, unfortunately. Jacob, though blessed by God and guided by God, has not learned yet that dealing with things honestly is the best way to go about things, so he fearfully mounts up his family and runs away from Laban.
As their packing up, Rachel steals some of her father's images that he worshipped. Jacob doesn't know anything about this and off they go. Laban finds out about this and also realizes that his gods are missing and becomes infuriated. He sees this as an attempt at sabotage and takes off after Jacob. It takes him 7 days to catch up.
Laban confronts Jacob and asks him why he left "deceitfully." Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, Laban had spent the last 20 years deceiving Jacob!
But what he is most upset about is the fact that his idols are missing. He attempts to find them by personally going through all of Jacob's belongings. Rachel, knowing that she could be in big trouble if her dad finds out she stole those idols, places them in a chest and sits on them in her tent. When Laban gets there, he tells Rachel to get off that chest so he can look.
Rachel lies to Laban and says, "Oh, I can't. See, it's my time of the month..." So Laban leaves her alone.
But while all this is happening, Jacob is getting more and more angry. Finally, he does what he should have done before ever leaving Laban: he confronts his father-in-law.
Genesis 31:36-42 And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me? 37 Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both. 38 This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten. 39 That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night. 40 Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes. 41 Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times. 42 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.
You see, as Laban pursued Jacob, God tells Laban in a dream to be very careful how he treats his son-in-law.
But if you continue to read on, you see the height of Laban's selfishness and egotism. He responds to Jacob as he points around, "All of this is mine! The cattle is mine, the children are mine, my daughters are mine." This is what Jacob sensed before he left. This is why he was fearful of directly going to Laban and saying, "Hey, we're leaving!" He had a strong impression that Laban would just have sent him away empty-handed. But he acknowledges that God is the one who is with him and that God is the one holding Laban back from acting selfishly.
So Laban and Jacob make a truce. They erect a pile of stones as a boundary. Laban states that he will not cross it and Jacob is not to cross it either. What is strange to me is that as Laban is stating the truce, he calls as witness "the God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father." Nahor was the father of Bethuel, who was the father of Rebekah and Laban. We are not told how it happened, but Laban was not a follower of God. That was either a choice he made or an influence from his father, because he acknowledges that his grandfather was a God-follower like Abraham was.
Laban gets up early the next morning, kisses his daughters and grandkids goodbye, and heads back home.
I hope y'all have enjoyed that little introduction as we get into the main part of the message this morning!
I know, you're probably looking at the time thinking, "All that was just an introduction? How long is this sermon going to be?" Don't worry, this last part won't be long, and we will still get out like normal, if all goes as planned.
The reason I wanted to go through all of that before entering this part, is because in future sermons in this series, we are going to reference some of the things that we just covered.
So now that Jacob and his family are clear of Laban, they start to make their way back to Bethel. Bethel is the place where Jacob first encountered God. So what better place to go back to.
Genesis 32:1-2 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
Jacob sees a host of angels there and names the place Mahanaim, which means "two camps." God has set up camp with his angels alongside Jacob. Why? Well, Jacob was travelling back to a place from where he had run. He had fled from Canaan, from his family, because he had deceived his brother and Esau wanted him dead. I believe that God sent his host of angels to comfort Jacob. To relieve fears.
But look what happens. Genesis 32:3-8 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now: 5 And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.
6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.
7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands; 8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
So there is God presence with Jacob. And Jacob, maybe even emboldened by the fact that the angels are there, sends a message to Esau. But instead of committing the whole matter to the Lord, who had protected him from Laban, Jacob adopted a condescending attitude that wasn’t befitting to the man that God had chosen to carry on the Abrahamic covenant.
Sending the messengers was a good idea, but calling Esau “my lord” and himself “your servant,” and trying to impress Esau with his wealth, was only evidence that Jacob wasn’t trusting God to care for him.
As Jacob continues making his way south, his messengers come back with news about Esau: He is coming, and he is bringing 400 men with him.
Verse 7 shows us that Jacob truly is not trusting God. Fear comes crashing down on Jacob, and it takes over. He is no longer trusting the God just days before showed him that he was being accompanied by a host of angels.
And before last week, I would have criticized Jacob rather harshly, but now, I get it. Look, if you were here last Sunday, you witnessed probably not the strongest moment in my life. I have been saying for weeks, God is doing wonderful things in our church, Satan is not going to stand idly by. He's going to put up a fight. I was desperately preaching and praying and trying to figure out where he was going to attack first. I knew it was coming. I considered the members, the new Christians among us, the recently baptized. I considered different families and situations that some of y'all are going through. I was on the lookout. I was not thinking about me however...
Saturday night came and a fear gripped my mind. Satan used past experiences to make my imagination go wild. Listen, if there is anyone that can come up with worst case scenarios better than me, I am glad I do not know them!
I won't go into details, but I was convinced that something horrible was going to happen after the service. I don't usually fear things, especially like I was Sunday. Tahsha and I talked before the service, and she'll tell you, she's never seen me this affected by fear in our 17 years of being married. I had been praying all day and all night that God would be with me and that He would take the fear away and help me trust Him.
And Sunday morning, after the first song, I could not continue anymore with the service without once more talking to God. And that is what y'all witnessed. An unfocused me attempting once more to focus on the Lord.
I had been preparing all week to preach a sermon on focusing on God and how easy it is to get off focus if we aren't careful. In fact, that seems to have been a secondary point of several of the sermons and Bible studies for the previous 2 or 3 weeks. And Saturday night I had become unfocused. The lack of focus led to fear. And fear is a liar.
And if you know anything about Star Wars, you know that fear leads to the dark side, and I had gone to a dark place in my mind.
Jacob is now in a dark place in his mind. And after reading that God had his angels with him, it is so easy to wonder why Jacob was so afraid. But now I get it. He lost focus.
So he cries to God.
Genesis 32:9-12 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: 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. 11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. 12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
Intellectually, Jacob knew that God was with him. He remembers God's promises. He knows in his head that God is able. He knows by experience that God is faithful. He knows all this, but his heart is not focused, and fear grips his heart. He expresses his fear to God, he asks for deliverance from Esau, he restates God's promise to do good unto him, but look what he does next.
Genesis 32:13-20 And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother; 14 Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, 15 Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals. 16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove. 17 And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? 18 Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us. 19 And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him. 20 And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me.
You would think that after a theologically strong prayer like Jacob just prayed, that Jacob's heart would finally find God's peace. But he doesn't. Remember, it is his heart that is unfocused. He's just finished praying, but Jacob takes matters into his own hands. He sends gifts of cattle to Esau so that Esau will hopefully be appeased by all this and not want to still kill him.
Up to this point, this is what has happened with Jacob.
- He sees God's angels with him, so he worships God
- he finds out Esau is coming with 400 men, and becomes afraid
- he strategizes, splitting his camp in two so that if Esau does attack, at least half of them will escape alive
- he cries out to God, asking for help and declaring trust
- but now we see him strategizing on his own again, how to appease his brother.
Back and forth, back and forth. Focused, unfocused, focused, unfocused.
Jacob is not living in faith. Remember, faith is living without scheming. But Jacob is trying every way he can to pacify his fear.
"I'll send out messengers with a humble message. I'll split my camp to have better odds of survival. I'll send presents to pacify Esau."
He is trying everything except fully trusting God.
Jacob's real problem was not Esau. It was Jacob. So God sets out to deal with Jacob.
That night, after his family crosses a river and makes camp, Jacob is left alone.
Genesis 32:24-31 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25 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. 26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28 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. 29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. 30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. 31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
Jacob encounters a man. And as we have read, we see that this man is no ordinary man. God has presented Himself to Jacob as a wrestler. And that night, Jacob and God have a wrestling match. They fight and struggle with each other all night long, until dawn.
God says to Jacob, "Let go; give up." And Jacob responds, "I will not give up until you bless me." We don't know who Jacob thought this person was; I think maybe he thought it was one the angels that were accompanying him. Whatever the case, Jacob seems to think this person or entity is in a position to give him a blessing. We know that Jacob is stubborn, and in his desire for a blessing, will not give up or give in or let go, even after Jacob's hip has been dislocated.
Jacob, unknowingly so far, is having an encounter with God, but he is about to have an encounter with himself.
God asks Jacob, "What is your name?" And God asks, not because He doesn't know, but for the same reason that God asked Adam after he had sinned, "Where are you?" God wants Jacob to come to grips with who he is.
More than anything else, Jacob wanted the blessing of the Lord on his life, and for this holy desire, he’s to be commended. But before we can begin to be like the Lord, we have to face ourselves and admit what we are in ourselves. That’s why the Lord asked him, “What is your name?” As far as the Genesis record is concerned, the last time Jacob was asked that question, he told a lie! His father asked, “Who are you, my son?” and Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn."
So God asks this question and it is meant to say, "Are you going to continue to live up to your name? Are you going to continue to be a schemer and a deceiver? Are you going to continue to be someone who tries to get everything all on his own and by his own means?"
And when Jacob answers, God says, "Not anymore. From now on your name is Israel." Receiving a new name in the Bible is symbolic of having a new start, and here, Jacob is receiving the opportunity for a fresh start in his life, no longer as a supplanter and deceiver, but as on who has prevailed with the Lord. The meaning of the name Israel comes from a Hebrew root that means to struggle, but the meaning of the name itself has been subject of debate. Some say it means "one who struggles with God," others believe it may mean "let God rule" or "God strives."
After looking into various sources, I am inclined to side with evangelist, theologian, and author Dr. G. Campbell Morgan who designates the meaning of Israel as "one who is ruled (mastered) by God." Jacob, however, even though he has lost this wrestling match, does win something. He Gains power with God. In his weakness, he now has strength with the Lord.
So God changes Jacob's name, and now, Jacob asks the questions, "What is your name?" And God responds, "Do you really have to ask?" And it dawns on Jacob that he has not just been wrestling an angel, but God Himself. So he names the place Peniel, which means "Face of God."
As he leaves Peniel at the rising of the sun, he leaves with a new name. A name he doesn't need to be ashamed of anymore. A name that evokes images of royalty and power, not deception, lies, and manipulation. He has come to grips with who he was, and now embraces who he is in God. He is a man that is ruled by God.
Who he is now has nothing to do with the amount of children he has, with his riches, with his cattle, or with his accomplishments. Who he is now has everything to do with who God says he is.
And as he leaves Peniel, he leaves with a new name (Israel), a new title (prince with God; no longer a "heel-catcher), and a new walk (he is limping).
This new walk, this new limp, will serve to humble Jacob/Israel even more. For now, when he stands before Esau, Jacob will no longer be able to stand tall and proud, in fact, he will find it difficult to stand at all with a dislocated hip. He will have to meet Esau standing, relying completely on the Lord.
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LIFE GROUP:
Five lessons to learn about Jacob's wrestling match with God.
1. We need forgiveness, and it only comes from God. What things did Jacob need forgiveness for?
- Up to this point, Jacob had relied on his own wits for his success. He was guilty of tricking Esau and deceiving Isaac.
- Even after meeting God in Bethel (before he eve met his uncle Laban) and receiving God's promise that He would bless Jacob and make him prosperous, Jacob relied on himself to succeed. He relied on his schemes to increase his flocks over Laban's
- He ran from Laban, scared, even when he knew God was with him. He should have confronted him.
- He relied on his own schemes and strategies to appease Esau, instead of trusting God who had revealed that His angel army was with Jacob already.
The question asked by God to Jacob, "What is your name?" is the same as God asking, "Who are you." When Jacob responded with his name, he was responding, "I am the heel-catcher, the deceiver."
The last time he was asked that he lied; now Jacob tells the truth of who he is and what he has become.
2. God honors perseverance when we seek after Him. What did Jacob want from the stranger he was wrestling? A blessing.
How did Jacob show his perseverance as he wrestled God? Even when he had hopelessly lost, he still hung on. He would not let go, even after being defeated.
Jacob was after a blessing from the Lord and would do all he could to get it.
3. Our identity is Christ. What is the significance of Jacob's new name, Israel?
God changed it from being something that meant supplanter, to something that meant being a prince of God or being ruled by God.
It signified a new beginning for Jacob, now Israel.
When we are saved, Jesus does the same thing for us. 2 Corinthians 5:17
We are new creatures, new creations in Christ! It is a fresh, new start.
Compare what we are without Christ to what we are in Christ using the following passages:
Romans 3:10-20, 23
Ephesians 1 & 2
v.10 - unrighteous
1:3 Blessed with every spiritual blessing
v.11 - not seeking God
1:4 Chosen to be holy (separated for a specific purpose) and blamess
v.12 - unprofitable, we don't do good
1:5 Adopted (and it pleases God that we are His children)
v.13 - filthy; liars; destructive
1:6 Accepted
v.14 - bitter
1:7 Redeemed; forgiven
v.15 - quick to shed blood (but murder is primarily an act born out of hatred and disregard for life. We naturally hold little pity for others if it doesn't benefit us.)
1:8 possessors of all wisdom and prudence
v.16 - destructive; miserable
1:11 heirs of God with Christ
v.17 - without peace
1:13 sealed by the Holy Spirit
v.18 - no fear or respect toward God
2:1 Alive, no longer dead in sin
v.19 - guilty
2:4-5 loved; saved
v.20 - unjustifiable (by good works)
2:6 seated with Christ in heavenly places
v.23 - sinners; undeserving of God
2:10 we are God's workmanship, His handiwork
The identity that we are given by Christ is the trues thing about us. We should strive and persevere to hang onto this despite what our past may be.
Don't forget who you are in Christ!
4. God wants us to know Him intimately, and when we do, it will change us forever. In what ways was Jacob changed after wrestling with God?
- His name was changed
- His identity changed
- He limped
Struggling with God, persevering in following Him will result in changes in our lives. What are specific ways that God has changed you? If it seems hard to answer this question, are you truly persevering in your walk with God?
5. Closeness to God requires humility.
Jacob was made lame by his wrestling with God. This was a humiliating thing for Jacob who had been proud, self-sufficient, and quick-witted. Jacob's disability was a sign of humility.
Jacob was no longer able to run from his problems (as he ran from Esau and Laban) on a whim, now he would struggle to simply stand and walk. He had to be someone ruled by God, not by his own wit.
But the Bible says that God gives grace to the humble. No one that is healthy wants to go through life with a disability or anything else that would be humbling, however, God gives strength to those that are weak. 1 Peter 5:5 and 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Are there things in your life you need to confess to God?
Are you persevering in your relationship with Him?
What are steps you can take to be humble as you draw close to the Lord?
