Stephen Whitehouse – From Jacob to Israel – Class 3 – Face To Face With God

1
00:00:00,040 –> 00:00:03,760
Well, good morning, brothers and
sisters, young people, I think

2
00:00:03,760 –> 00:00:06,640
this is the halfway point.
Hope you’re feeling good.

3
00:00:08,080 –> 00:00:12,320
Well, we explored Jacob’s
journey yesterday, didn’t we?

4
00:00:12,320 –> 00:00:15,840
From deceit to a divine
encounter at Bethel.

5
00:00:16,000 –> 00:00:21,960
He laid that foundation stone,
the Lord Jesus Christ, in

6
00:00:21,960 –> 00:00:26,840
figure, the chief corner.
And we reflected, didn’t we, how

7
00:00:26,840 –> 00:00:31,400
we too are stones being shaped
by life’s challenges.

8
00:00:31,400 –> 00:00:36,720
And we are poised to join at
Bethel, the chief cornerstone

9
00:00:37,000 –> 00:00:41,480
being our Lord.
But we’re going to change gears

10
00:00:41,480 –> 00:00:43,720
now.
And I want you to imagine in

11
00:00:43,720 –> 00:00:50,040
your minds at the beginning of
today, a moonlight jewel by the

12
00:00:50,040 –> 00:00:54,160
Jabbok.
We have Jacob and a mysterious

13
00:00:54,160 –> 00:00:57,320
figure.
We have a a battle of faith and

14
00:00:57,320 –> 00:01:00,520
destiny.
And the lesson, the lesson for

15
00:01:00,520 –> 00:01:05,519
Jacob and the lesson for us all
this morning is to hang on, to

16
00:01:05,519 –> 00:01:08,520
hang on in faith.
Well, let’s open up our

17
00:01:08,520 –> 00:01:10,920
scriptures then.
And we’re going to begin our

18
00:01:10,920 –> 00:01:13,520
story today in Genesis chapter
32.

19
00:01:13,520 –> 00:01:21,360
So we’ve gone forward in time.
It’s 20 years, 20 long years for

20
00:01:21,360 –> 00:01:26,040
Jacob since we last saw him at
Bethel yesterday.

21
00:01:26,880 –> 00:01:31,840
And here he leaves Laban’s house
with his two wives and his

22
00:01:31,840 –> 00:01:36,880
family.
And a big showdown is looming.

23
00:01:36,880 –> 00:01:44,440
Jacob sends this lavish offering
of 580 animals to Esau in Eden.

24
00:01:46,440 –> 00:01:50,880
So Esau, 20 years later is still
on Jacob’s mind.

25
00:01:50,880 –> 00:01:58,760
But here there’s a twist.
Remember how Isaac told Esau

26
00:01:59,680 –> 00:02:02,920
that he would receive a land?
Remember this from chapter 27

27
00:02:02,920 –> 00:02:08,120
and verse 39, A land away from
the fatness of the earth and

28
00:02:08,120 –> 00:02:13,560
away from the Jew of heaven.
He was going to claim Edom and

29
00:02:13,560 –> 00:02:19,200
Seer, and it’s at this very
moment that Esau now is

30
00:02:19,200 –> 00:02:23,400
engaging, embarking on claiming
that place for himself.

31
00:02:23,640 –> 00:02:28,760
And so then Jacob would be very
much in Esau’s mind, the

32
00:02:28,760 –> 00:02:33,880
frustration that he didn’t take
the land.

33
00:02:34,200 –> 00:02:40,160
He hadn’t received the blessing.
And so the tension here is

34
00:02:40,440 –> 00:02:44,120
electric.
And make no mistake, Jacob is

35
00:02:44,120 –> 00:02:47,520
terrified at the prospect of
coming face to face with Esau,

36
00:02:47,800 –> 00:02:50,120
and he prays to God.
Look at the words there in

37
00:02:50,120 –> 00:02:57,440
chapter 32 and verse 11.
So we see here that he’s still

38
00:02:57,440 –> 00:03:01,120
concerned about Esau.
Deliver me, he says, I pray

39
00:03:01,120 –> 00:03:03,680
thee, from the hand of my
brother, from the hand of Esau,

40
00:03:03,960 –> 00:03:09,280
for I fear him.
And the mother with the

41
00:03:09,280 –> 00:03:14,640
children, that phrase there, the
mother with the children should

42
00:03:14,640 –> 00:03:20,160
be in the Hebrew Mothers,
mothers and the children.

43
00:03:20,320 –> 00:03:23,000
He had his whole family with
him.

44
00:03:23,160 –> 00:03:26,560
There was Rachel and Leah, there
was Bilhar and Zilpah.

45
00:03:26,760 –> 00:03:30,040
There were eleven sons.
Young Joseph was there with him

46
00:03:30,160 –> 00:03:33,200
and Dinah.
We have to go on a few chapters

47
00:03:33,200 –> 00:03:36,040
to chapter 35 for him to have
Benjamin.

48
00:03:36,040 –> 00:03:40,560
The whole family is with him.
And he imagined in his mind the

49
00:03:40,560 –> 00:03:44,160
mighty hunter approaching him.
It was an ominous picture.

50
00:03:44,320 –> 00:03:48,640
His wives, his children
slaughtered, bodies piled high

51
00:03:48,760 –> 00:03:51,400
in a grisly mound of blood
soaked flesh.

52
00:03:51,560 –> 00:03:54,600
This was the mind, the
imagination of Jacob.

53
00:03:57,240 –> 00:04:02,040
His thoughts were flooded with
sheer terror.

54
00:04:07,470 –> 00:04:13,990
Don’t you worry.
Don’t you wrestle and have

55
00:04:13,990 –> 00:04:18,990
sleepless nights.
Don’t you worry about husbands

56
00:04:18,990 –> 00:04:23,670
and wives, children,
grandchildren, family.

57
00:04:25,750 –> 00:04:29,310
Here was Jacob.
He was tormented.

58
00:04:29,310 –> 00:04:35,800
He was grappling with fear.
He was in imagining a a worst

59
00:04:35,800 –> 00:04:39,040
case scenario.
And aren’t we the same brothers

60
00:04:39,040 –> 00:04:44,160
and sisters?
But the lesson that he had at

61
00:04:44,160 –> 00:04:49,280
Bethel.
I am with you Jacob, and I’m

62
00:04:49,280 –> 00:04:54,520
never going to leave you.
We must remember that, brothers

63
00:04:54,520 –> 00:04:59,240
and sisters, when we too are
being tormented, when we too are

64
00:04:59,240 –> 00:05:04,680
fearful, our family, that our
imaginations are running wild,

65
00:05:04,680 –> 00:05:08,800
we, we, we, we think about a
worst case scenario.

66
00:05:10,360 –> 00:05:15,240
We must always remember that
even in our darkest hours, our

67
00:05:15,240 –> 00:05:19,520
Lord is there with us, at our
side.

68
00:05:21,280 –> 00:05:25,760
But Jacob, he feels compelled to
meet Esau.

69
00:05:26,080 –> 00:05:30,280
He’s haunted by two decades of
guilt.

70
00:05:30,800 –> 00:05:32,720
Look at these words here.
I want you to notice this.

71
00:05:32,840 –> 00:05:36,080
This, this Hebrew word is a
particularly strong word.

72
00:05:36,360 –> 00:05:40,880
There in verse 20, he says, I
will appease Esau with the

73
00:05:40,880 –> 00:05:43,720
present that goeth before me.
I want you to notice that word

74
00:05:43,920 –> 00:05:45,240
appease.
It’s a strong word.

75
00:05:45,240 –> 00:05:48,120
If I said the word Kappa, you
would know I’m sure what that

76
00:05:48,120 –> 00:05:50,640
word means.
It means cover, purge,

77
00:05:50,840 –> 00:05:58,800
reconcile, to make atonement.
Here Jacob is seeking Esau’s

78
00:05:58,880 –> 00:06:03,280
forgiveness.
He’s fully aware of the depth of

79
00:06:03,280 –> 00:06:09,880
his wrong to his brother.
So imagining the worst case

80
00:06:09,880 –> 00:06:14,320
scenario, the bleakest
situation, he’s imagining that

81
00:06:14,520 –> 00:06:17,000
that that that disaster is about
to strike.

82
00:06:17,520 –> 00:06:20,960
Jacob now separates himself from
his family.

83
00:06:22,360 –> 00:06:25,760
He’s imagining the worst, and
here he is.

84
00:06:25,760 –> 00:06:28,440
I want you to picture this in
your minds, with all these

85
00:06:28,440 –> 00:06:34,920
things going through his head.
He’s alone, He’s restless.

86
00:06:36,440 –> 00:06:43,000
Esau’s confrontation looms.
He’s consumed by guilt and past

87
00:06:43,600 –> 00:06:49,360
experiences with his brother,
and the face of Esau that he had

88
00:06:49,360 –> 00:06:53,560
at Bethel the first time is
still with him even after the

89
00:06:53,560 –> 00:07:00,160
long 20 years in Laban’s house.
He fears the face of Esau.

90
00:07:02,080 –> 00:07:07,000
So that’s the picture.
And then suddenly, out of the

91
00:07:07,000 –> 00:07:11,360
blue, something totally
unexpected happens.

92
00:07:11,760 –> 00:07:19,840
Verse 24 of chapter 32.
And Jacob was left alone with

93
00:07:19,840 –> 00:07:23,880
all these pictures in his mind,
and there wrestled a man with

94
00:07:23,880 –> 00:07:26,040
him until the breaking of the
day.

95
00:07:26,160 –> 00:07:28,960
And when he saw that he
prevailed not against him, he

96
00:07:28,960 –> 00:07:32,360
touched the hollow of his thigh,
and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh

97
00:07:32,520 –> 00:07:35,920
was out of joint, and he
wrestled with him.

98
00:07:35,920 –> 00:07:40,240
So without warning, Jacob finds
himself in the middle of a

99
00:07:40,240 –> 00:07:43,120
wrestling match.
So there’s lots of confusion as

100
00:07:43,120 –> 00:07:45,640
you read these two verses.
It’s between night and day.

101
00:07:45,760 –> 00:07:48,040
There’s an unknown, unknown
location.

102
00:07:48,240 –> 00:07:51,720
And, and we’re wondering as we
read this with Jacob, who was

103
00:07:51,720 –> 00:07:54,200
it?
Who is this unidentified person?

104
00:07:54,240 –> 00:08:01,800
Was it Esau?
As Esau’s face burned in his

105
00:08:01,800 –> 00:08:10,600
mind, was it Esau first detail I
want you to notice is that it

106
00:08:10,600 –> 00:08:15,080
takes place here at Jabok.
Now that’s very significant.

107
00:08:15,080 –> 00:08:19,200
I, I think this, this begins to,
to reveal a narrative that’s

108
00:08:19,200 –> 00:08:23,480
going to unravel.
Now, before us, Jabok was the

109
00:08:23,760 –> 00:08:32,200
the border where Israel first
triumphed over the Kingdom east

110
00:08:32,400 –> 00:08:35,840
of Jordan as they made their way
into the land.

111
00:08:35,840 –> 00:08:38,600
And that’s very significant.
That was the first battle, That

112
00:08:38,600 –> 00:08:43,520
was the first victory for Israel
under the leadership of Joshua

113
00:08:43,840 –> 00:08:48,280
as they took, as they, as they,
as they went into the land of

114
00:08:48,280 –> 00:08:52,120
promise.
So it’s telling us here that

115
00:08:52,280 –> 00:08:57,120
Jacob in chapter 32 is standing
on the threshold of the promised

116
00:08:57,120 –> 00:08:59,120
land.
This was where the first victory

117
00:08:59,120 –> 00:09:01,600
took place.
He’s on the threshold.

118
00:09:01,720 –> 00:09:03,200
He’s on the verge of the
promised land.

119
00:09:03,320 –> 00:09:06,440
This is where Jacob is.
It’s almost as if, as we begin

120
00:09:06,440 –> 00:09:10,560
this narrative now with Jacob
and the wrestling, that Jacob

121
00:09:10,560 –> 00:09:15,360
needs a push, a push.
He’s on the threshold.

122
00:09:15,680 –> 00:09:21,560
He needs a push to enter the
land, to enter God’s Kingdom.

123
00:09:22,160 –> 00:09:24,760
And isn’t that the case for all
of us brothers and sisters?

124
00:09:24,760 –> 00:09:26,840
We’re very needful of pushes,
aren’t we?

125
00:09:26,880 –> 00:09:35,080
From time to time it says there
that they wrestled.

126
00:09:35,120 –> 00:09:39,360
I want you to notice that word.
It’s the Hebrew word aback, and

127
00:09:39,360 –> 00:09:42,240
it means to grapple, to get
dusty.

128
00:09:43,800 –> 00:09:47,200
So, so the image here is that
they that the two of them fought

129
00:09:47,200 –> 00:09:50,680
so hard that they created a a
cloud of dust.

130
00:09:50,920 –> 00:09:56,520
It was hard if you were a a
bystander, if you witnessed this

131
00:09:56,520 –> 00:10:00,600
moment, it would be very
difficult to identify who was

132
00:10:00,600 –> 00:10:02,320
who.
That’s the whole idea.

133
00:10:02,440 –> 00:10:06,160
It created a Dust Bowl as they
fought.

134
00:10:06,520 –> 00:10:11,560
This was a a terrific battle, a
terrific battle.

135
00:10:12,520 –> 00:10:14,760
And notice here that there’s a
play on words.

136
00:10:14,800 –> 00:10:25,280
Jacob, Jabok, Abak to wrestle.
They all share the same Hebrew

137
00:10:25,640 –> 00:10:34,080
root.
Jacob, Jabok, Abak to wrestle.

138
00:10:34,120 –> 00:10:37,680
It’s almost as if when we’re
reading the scriptures now, that

139
00:10:37,680 –> 00:10:42,960
the whole scene is wrestling.
The whole world was shaking,

140
00:10:43,160 –> 00:10:46,920
trembling violently from the
unfolding drama.

141
00:10:47,120 –> 00:10:50,120
It’s as if we’re seeing a
rebirth.

142
00:10:52,240 –> 00:10:56,280
A rebirth.
There was a tremendous shaking

143
00:10:56,440 –> 00:11:00,160
so under the dim moonlighter, a
fierce struggle between two

144
00:11:00,160 –> 00:11:02,640
silhouettes.
And it was an even match, an

145
00:11:02,640 –> 00:11:05,360
encounter between the
terrestrial and the celestial,

146
00:11:05,440 –> 00:11:08,400
the human, the divine, the
temporal and the eternal.

147
00:11:08,560 –> 00:11:10,920
And this wasn’t just a a
physical battle, it was a

148
00:11:10,920 –> 00:11:14,080
spiritual battle too.
And upon Jacob’s face would have

149
00:11:14,080 –> 00:11:18,040
been a face of intense
concentration as he embarked

150
00:11:18,080 –> 00:11:22,120
upon this wrestling match with
this unidentified man.

151
00:11:27,240 –> 00:11:35,400
It tells us, doesn’t it, that he
wrestled with a man not named.

152
00:11:37,800 –> 00:11:39,680
The identity’s not disclosed
there.

153
00:11:41,720 –> 00:11:53,840
And we have to wait 1000 years.
We have to wait one 1000 years

154
00:11:54,280 –> 00:11:58,200
to find out who this man was.
Come with me now to the book of

155
00:11:58,200 –> 00:12:00,800
Hosea.
I’d like you to put a marker in

156
00:12:00,800 –> 00:12:06,480
Hosea, Hosea chapter 12.
If we are to interpret just as

157
00:12:06,480 –> 00:12:10,000
we’ve interpreted Esau through
Hebrews 11:00 and 12:00, we have

158
00:12:10,000 –> 00:12:15,720
to use Hosea to interpret what’s
taking place here in the battle

159
00:12:15,880 –> 00:12:19,680
between Jacob and this
unidentified man, this wrestling

160
00:12:19,680 –> 00:12:26,320
match, and we have to wait 1000
years for the identity to be

161
00:12:26,320 –> 00:12:29,000
revealed.
That’s incredible, isn’t it?

162
00:12:29,000 –> 00:12:33,240
That’s absolutely amazing.
So here then, Hosea, chapter 12,

163
00:12:33,240 –> 00:12:36,400
verse four, we read these words
from this minor prophet with a

164
00:12:36,400 –> 00:12:41,240
major message.
Yeah, Jacob noticed there had

165
00:12:41,240 –> 00:12:46,080
power over the Angel.
That’s the disclosure.

166
00:12:47,240 –> 00:12:51,320
Now Jacob eventually knew he was
wrestling with an Angel, but the

167
00:12:51,320 –> 00:12:54,960
Scriptures do not reveal the
fact until 1000 years later.

168
00:12:55,480 –> 00:12:57,560
Yeah, he had power of the Angel
and prevailed.

169
00:12:57,560 –> 00:12:59,480
He wept and made supplication
unto him.

170
00:12:59,720 –> 00:13:05,240
He found him in Bethel and there
he spake with us.

171
00:13:05,720 –> 00:13:15,120
So it’s not confirmed until now.
An Angel, remember at Bethel an

172
00:13:15,120 –> 00:13:17,360
Angel stood by him.
Remember that when we were

173
00:13:17,360 –> 00:13:22,320
talking about the staircase and
how the Angel stood by him, you

174
00:13:22,320 –> 00:13:27,560
can put in your margin.
Genesis 28, verse 12, I believe

175
00:13:27,560 –> 00:13:32,000
it’s the same Angel, the same
Angel that told him I am with

176
00:13:32,000 –> 00:13:34,480
you and I will not leave you in
verse 15.

177
00:13:35,120 –> 00:13:37,800
And that Angel had followed him
into Laban’s house.

178
00:13:38,840 –> 00:13:44,360
He had followed him like a twin
and still now, 20 years later,

179
00:13:44,480 –> 00:13:48,120
Jacob didn’t know that he was
being divinely protected by his

180
00:13:48,120 –> 00:13:50,040
God.
And so suddenly now that Angel

181
00:13:50,040 –> 00:13:54,680
appears to him and wrestles with
him.

182
00:13:56,480 –> 00:14:00,760
I believe that Angel was
Michael, the Angel in Daniel 12

183
00:14:00,760 –> 00:14:03,160
verse one that standeth for the
children of thy people.

184
00:14:03,160 –> 00:14:07,320
And that journey and that
adventure was going to begin

185
00:14:07,320 –> 00:14:11,880
with this man, Jacob.
Perhaps Michael was the guardian

186
00:14:11,880 –> 00:14:17,720
Angel of Jacob who was made
Israel.

187
00:14:19,360 –> 00:14:24,200
And there this man who carries
the name of Yahweh himself stood

188
00:14:24,200 –> 00:14:27,080
there.
Now it’s interesting, isn’t it,

189
00:14:27,080 –> 00:14:30,120
that there was there was Jacob
20 years early, and he’d seen

190
00:14:30,120 –> 00:14:32,440
the staircase and the angels
descending and descending.

191
00:14:32,440 –> 00:14:37,480
And there was perhaps Michael,
the great Archangel of God, who

192
00:14:37,480 –> 00:14:40,560
told him, I’m with you, I’m with
you, Jacob.

193
00:14:41,040 –> 00:14:44,560
And he goes into Laban’s house
and all the affairs that

194
00:14:44,680 –> 00:14:47,760
transpired there.
And now, 20 years later, he

195
00:14:47,760 –> 00:14:50,440
still doubts.
As we reflect upon our own

196
00:14:50,440 –> 00:14:53,640
lives, the moment where God has
has clearly intervened,

197
00:14:53,680 –> 00:14:55,840
intervened in our own lives.
And we still doubt, don’t we,

198
00:14:55,840 –> 00:14:57,720
brothers and sisters?
Of course we still doubt.

199
00:14:58,000 –> 00:15:02,520
And now this Angel wants to make
certain that Jacob understands

200
00:15:02,520 –> 00:15:05,240
and believes.
And so then this Angel holds on

201
00:15:05,240 –> 00:15:09,120
to him and grips him and says,
I’m with you, Jacob.

202
00:15:10,960 –> 00:15:18,200
Make no doubt about it.
I am with you, Jacob.

203
00:15:22,000 –> 00:15:25,880
Now, if this Angel had been with
Jacob for 20 years, this Angel

204
00:15:26,640 –> 00:15:28,520
would know everything about
Jacob, wouldn’t he?

205
00:15:29,760 –> 00:15:33,920
It’s in every day of Jacob, his
ups and downs, his crests and

206
00:15:33,920 –> 00:15:39,040
his, his valleys, his tears and
his triumphs.

207
00:15:40,480 –> 00:15:42,760
He would know everything about
Jacob.

208
00:15:43,880 –> 00:15:47,160
He would know all his
weaknesses.

209
00:15:47,920 –> 00:15:53,920
This Angel had an advantage over
Jacob as they wrestled.

210
00:15:55,440 –> 00:16:00,120
This Angel knew everything about
Jacob, yet what does Hosea 12

211
00:16:00,120 –> 00:16:02,840
tell us?
Verse four?

212
00:16:02,920 –> 00:16:10,200
Yeah, Jacob had power over the
Angel and prevailed.

213
00:16:11,840 –> 00:16:13,920
How is that so brothers and
sisters?

214
00:16:14,400 –> 00:16:21,000
How does a man who is 100 years
of age prevail perhaps over

215
00:16:21,320 –> 00:16:26,920
Michael, an Angel of God?
And we read these words.

216
00:16:27,040 –> 00:16:29,200
You can just flip back to
Genesis chapter 32.

217
00:16:29,200 –> 00:16:32,280
We’ll come back to Hosea
immediately, but just look at

218
00:16:32,280 –> 00:16:36,360
these words here in Genesis
chapter 32 just to confirm this

219
00:16:36,360 –> 00:16:41,760
message that that Hosea here is
accurately interpreting Genesis

220
00:16:41,760 –> 00:16:43,200
chapter 32.
Of course he would.

221
00:16:43,200 –> 00:16:46,720
But just let’s just see the
details in Genesis 32 here.

222
00:16:46,960 –> 00:16:51,360
Look at verse 25.
It says there very clearly the

223
00:16:51,440 –> 00:16:56,520
Angel saw that he prevailed not
against Jacob.

224
00:16:59,240 –> 00:17:01,800
I want you to reflect upon that.
Brothers and sisters, come back

225
00:17:01,800 –> 00:17:06,960
to Hosea 12.
How was that possible?

226
00:17:07,200 –> 00:17:14,160
How does a mortal man who was
fearful of Esau, who was 100

227
00:17:14,160 –> 00:17:19,359
years of age, how does he
overcome an Angel?

228
00:17:20,200 –> 00:17:23,079
Well, we’re told the answer in
Hosea chapter 12.

229
00:17:24,040 –> 00:17:30,200
You see there he had power over
the Angel and prevailed.

230
00:17:30,200 –> 00:17:34,680
So you can put in your margin
Genesis 32, verse 25.

231
00:17:35,400 –> 00:17:41,160
And then we see how He did it.
He wept and made supplication

232
00:17:41,720 –> 00:17:46,560
unto him.
He wept and made supplication.

233
00:17:47,040 –> 00:17:50,200
Jacob fought with prayers and
tears.

234
00:17:50,480 –> 00:17:54,440
These were his big and powerful
weapons.

235
00:17:54,960 –> 00:17:58,760
And so imagine picture as this
man is wrestling.

236
00:17:58,960 –> 00:18:07,360
He’s he’s praying, he’s crying,
he’s pleading, he’s in utter

237
00:18:07,360 –> 00:18:11,120
pain.
This was a, a spiritual warfare

238
00:18:11,120 –> 00:18:14,280
that that that resulted in a, a
physical battle.

239
00:18:15,520 –> 00:18:23,520
But this was a a wrestling with
his mind as he prayed, as he

240
00:18:23,520 –> 00:18:27,440
cried, as he pleaded with his
God.

241
00:18:29,120 –> 00:18:31,720
Want us just to reflect upon our
own battles, brothers and

242
00:18:31,720 –> 00:18:33,480
sisters?
And is that the way that we

243
00:18:33,480 –> 00:18:43,360
approach our own battles, that
we pray, that we cry, that we

244
00:18:43,360 –> 00:18:47,800
plead?
If we ought to be a Jacob to be

245
00:18:47,800 –> 00:18:53,880
transformed to Israel, these are
the steps that we need to take.

246
00:18:56,080 –> 00:18:58,520
I want you to notice something
else here.

247
00:18:58,520 –> 00:19:04,160
Notice it says there in verse 3,
Hebrews, Hosea 12, verse three.

248
00:19:05,440 –> 00:19:08,880
He took his brother Jacob.
He took his brother Esau by the

249
00:19:08,880 –> 00:19:11,120
heel in the womb.
So that’s the meaning of the

250
00:19:11,120 –> 00:19:14,440
name Jacob, the heel catcher.
And then we read.

251
00:19:14,440 –> 00:19:20,320
And by his strength he had power
with God.

252
00:19:20,560 –> 00:19:23,440
I want you to notice that now.
Now look in your margin, please.

253
00:19:23,880 –> 00:19:26,960
By that phrase, by His strength,
He had power with God.

254
00:19:26,960 –> 00:19:29,280
What do you see?
This is a really important

255
00:19:29,280 –> 00:19:30,280
detail.
What do you see?

256
00:19:30,560 –> 00:19:33,960
By that phrase, By his strength,
He had power with God.

257
00:19:34,160 –> 00:19:37,560
If you look carefully in your
margin, you should see in his

258
00:19:38,200 –> 00:19:39,720
manhood.
Have you got that?

259
00:19:40,960 –> 00:19:47,520
Yes, in his manhood.
So the battle, the wrestling

260
00:19:48,800 –> 00:19:53,680
Jacob reaches adulthood.
Something is now changing in

261
00:19:53,760 –> 00:19:56,640
Jacob.
He has hit maturity as he

262
00:19:56,640 –> 00:20:02,880
wrestles with the Angel.
And so as he grows, he becomes

263
00:20:02,880 –> 00:20:07,360
more and more powerful.
He becomes stronger and stronger

264
00:20:07,360 –> 00:20:09,400
in God’s strength.
Now this is really interesting,

265
00:20:09,400 –> 00:20:11,040
isn’t it?
Because look at the contrast

266
00:20:11,040 –> 00:20:13,200
now.
It says there at the beginning

267
00:20:13,200 –> 00:20:15,880
of verse three, he took his
brother by the heel in the womb.

268
00:20:16,320 –> 00:20:21,520
He’s an infant.
He’s a child, and by his

269
00:20:21,520 –> 00:20:24,320
strength in his adulthood, can
you see that We’ve got this

270
00:20:24,520 –> 00:20:26,880
progressive step of maturity
here.

271
00:20:27,000 –> 00:20:30,720
He had power with God.
So he starts off as a child, an

272
00:20:30,720 –> 00:20:34,160
infant, and as an infant he’s
holding on to the heel of Jacob.

273
00:20:35,480 –> 00:20:38,920
And then something happens to
him that he reaches adulthood.

274
00:20:39,640 –> 00:20:43,080
And in this adulthood, he has
power with God, and he applies

275
00:20:43,080 –> 00:20:48,680
that power with God against the
Angel there in verse four.

276
00:20:48,680 –> 00:20:49,880
And he prevailed.
Can you see that?

277
00:20:50,360 –> 00:20:52,280
So he starts off holding the
heel.

278
00:20:52,720 –> 00:20:55,840
He hits this point of maturity.
He has power with God, and he

279
00:20:55,840 –> 00:20:57,720
directs that power over the
Angel.

280
00:20:57,960 –> 00:21:02,720
And in that wrestling, he
prevails against the Angel.

281
00:21:06,000 –> 00:21:09,200
So in his immaturity, he’s a
heel catcher.

282
00:21:10,240 –> 00:21:14,520
And in this wrestling here in
Hosea chapter 12, he becomes a

283
00:21:14,520 –> 00:21:24,000
man because he realizes the
power, the power only comes from

284
00:21:24,000 –> 00:21:26,800
God.
That’s an important lesson,

285
00:21:26,800 –> 00:21:31,000
brothers and sisters, in our own
challenges in life, the strength

286
00:21:31,760 –> 00:21:38,800
only comes from God.
So the question is then, why

287
00:21:38,800 –> 00:21:43,000
couldn’t the Angel overcome
Jacob?

288
00:21:45,040 –> 00:21:48,000
Well, think what we’re seeing
here in Hosea chapter 12.

289
00:21:48,000 –> 00:21:52,080
Jacob was locked in prayer.
The effectual fervent prayer of

290
00:21:52,080 –> 00:21:55,120
a righteous man availeth much
James 5 verse 17.

291
00:21:55,560 –> 00:22:00,560
Faith and prayer has the power
to move mountains.

292
00:22:00,720 –> 00:22:03,360
And you can imagine now as Jacob
is wrestling with this Angel,

293
00:22:03,600 –> 00:22:07,360
Jacob is praying to Almighty God
that he overcomes this Angel

294
00:22:07,360 –> 00:22:11,520
because he wants a blessing.
And although the Angel is is

295
00:22:11,520 –> 00:22:15,560
strengthened and empowered by
Almighty God himself, God was

296
00:22:15,640 –> 00:22:22,240
answering the prayer of Jacob.
The Angel was powerless,

297
00:22:22,480 –> 00:22:27,680
helpless, incapable of defeating
Jacob in this moment.

298
00:22:27,680 –> 00:22:31,400
It is an extraordinary moment,
brothers and sisters, an

299
00:22:31,400 –> 00:22:38,720
extraordinary moment in time.
Come back to Genesis chapter 32.

300
00:22:40,000 –> 00:22:46,400
You might be thinking, well,
perhaps the Angel allowed Jacob

301
00:22:46,960 –> 00:22:51,640
to prevail.
Or look what Scripture says.

302
00:22:51,640 –> 00:22:56,160
Brothers and sisters, let’s not
use our own imaginations.

303
00:22:57,200 –> 00:23:00,360
Let’s keep close to Scripture.
It doesn’t say that, does it?

304
00:23:01,800 –> 00:23:06,360
Genesis 32, verse 55.
We’ll read it again and when the

305
00:23:06,360 –> 00:23:09,440
Angel you can put there instead
of he the Angel, because

306
00:23:09,440 –> 00:23:13,440
sometimes we get confused there.
And when the Angel saw that he

307
00:23:13,440 –> 00:23:21,400
prevailed not against Jacob, he
touched the hollow of his thigh.

308
00:23:21,840 –> 00:23:24,120
If you have a look at other
translations, you’ve got the new

309
00:23:24,120 –> 00:23:27,880
living translation.
When the Angel saw that all he

310
00:23:27,880 –> 00:23:31,480
would not win the match by when
the Angel saw that he prevailed

311
00:23:31,480 –> 00:23:35,240
not the New Living Translation,
he would not win the match the

312
00:23:35,400 –> 00:23:38,920
ESV, he did not prevail against
him the net Bible.

313
00:23:39,160 –> 00:23:46,960
He could not defeat Jacob.
This was not the Angel letting

314
00:23:46,960 –> 00:23:53,280
Jacob win.
So here we have after a close

315
00:23:53,280 –> 00:23:58,800
match, the Angel was forced to
do something to make a move, to

316
00:23:58,800 –> 00:24:04,040
create an advantage for himself.
We, we, we can see in a way that

317
00:24:04,040 –> 00:24:09,480
the Angel here needed some help
as he wrestled against Jacob.

318
00:24:10,360 –> 00:24:16,640
And so he touched Jacob’s thigh.
It’s literally the socket of his

319
00:24:16,640 –> 00:24:18,480
hip.
Now think about that.

320
00:24:18,480 –> 00:24:22,080
The, the hip is where you get
your mobility and your strength.

321
00:24:22,360 –> 00:24:25,000
It’s in a wrestling match.
It’s the it’s the joint where

322
00:24:25,000 –> 00:24:27,640
you exert pressure on the
opponent.

323
00:24:32,280 –> 00:24:36,240
And so by touching the hollow of
his thigh, it would have been

324
00:24:36,240 –> 00:24:41,400
excruciating for Jacob.
He would have been writhing in

325
00:24:41,400 –> 00:24:44,920
pain.
And instantly for the Angel, the

326
00:24:44,920 –> 00:24:49,440
tables now are turned.
Jacob was prevailing against the

327
00:24:49,440 –> 00:24:51,840
Angel.
And so then the Angel needs to

328
00:24:51,840 –> 00:24:55,320
touch the hollow of his thigh to
give an advantage to the Angel.

329
00:24:55,720 –> 00:24:57,440
It’s what’s taking place,
brothers and sisters.

330
00:24:57,520 –> 00:25:00,560
It’s amazing, it’s astonishing,
it’s unbelievable, but it’s

331
00:25:00,560 –> 00:25:10,080
true.
And Jacob now was no match.

332
00:25:12,840 –> 00:25:20,960
The fight was now over.
But this is Jacob, and now Jacob

333
00:25:20,960 –> 00:25:24,040
shows on parallel to
determination.

334
00:25:24,600 –> 00:25:28,800
Jacob now can’t overcome the
Angel, but he’s going to hold

335
00:25:28,800 –> 00:25:32,240
on.
He’s going to hold on until the

336
00:25:32,280 –> 00:25:37,640
Angel blesses him.
Now, brothers and sisters, have

337
00:25:37,640 –> 00:25:41,160
you in your own life, when
you’ve been going through life

338
00:25:41,400 –> 00:25:44,880
happily, comfortably, and then
suddenly in your own personal

339
00:25:45,360 –> 00:25:51,080
circumstances, all your strength
has been taken away, that you’ve

340
00:25:51,080 –> 00:25:54,360
been broken, that you’ve been
literally reduced to nothing

341
00:25:54,360 –> 00:25:56,280
unexpectedly.
Has that ever happened to you?

342
00:25:56,320 –> 00:25:58,640
I’m sure it has.
I’m sure it has.

343
00:25:58,640 –> 00:26:02,600
And, and when we reflect upon
those moments in our own lives,

344
00:26:02,880 –> 00:26:06,920
it’s in those moments, isn’t it,
that our true selves are

345
00:26:06,920 –> 00:26:09,600
revealed.
It’s when our true character

346
00:26:09,600 –> 00:26:13,680
shines through.
And the lesson in all of these

347
00:26:13,680 –> 00:26:16,960
brothers and sisters, Jacob
couldn’t overcome the Angel.

348
00:26:17,080 –> 00:26:19,480
The the the battle, the
wrestling match was over,

349
00:26:20,240 –> 00:26:23,880
naturally speaking, but not in
Jacob’s mind.

350
00:26:25,360 –> 00:26:29,360
He was in excruciating pain.
Everything was stacked against

351
00:26:29,360 –> 00:26:33,480
this man.
But he’s holding on now for dear

352
00:26:33,480 –> 00:26:37,600
life until he gets the blessing.
That must be the lesson for you

353
00:26:37,600 –> 00:26:39,040
and for me.
Brothers and sisters, we’re

354
00:26:39,040 –> 00:26:40,440
never going to overcome an
Angel.

355
00:26:40,640 –> 00:26:46,960
But what we can do is hold on
tight until we’re blessed by

356
00:26:46,960 –> 00:26:50,440
God.
That surely must be the lesson

357
00:26:50,640 –> 00:26:52,880
for us all.
And, and in all of this and in

358
00:26:52,880 –> 00:26:56,480
all our challenges in life and
whatever life throws at us, we

359
00:26:56,480 –> 00:27:05,760
need to appreciate all times
that we only have strength and

360
00:27:05,800 –> 00:27:13,360
power with God.
We only have strength and power

361
00:27:14,400 –> 00:27:21,400
with God now.
This is such a momentous moment

362
00:27:21,840 –> 00:27:24,280
that the psalmist now picks this
up.

363
00:27:25,600 –> 00:27:28,280
I just want you to notice a
phrase before we go there.

364
00:27:28,640 –> 00:27:34,080
Verse 25, that Jacob’s thigh, I
want you to remember was the

365
00:27:34,080 –> 00:27:42,680
little phrase out of joint, out
of joint.

366
00:27:43,800 –> 00:27:45,520
Let’s have a look now at Psalm
22.

367
00:27:49,520 –> 00:27:54,760
The psalmist here inspired,
guided by the Spirit, picks up,

368
00:27:54,760 –> 00:27:59,800
I believe the wrestling match of
Jacob with the Angel and now

369
00:28:00,000 –> 00:28:04,080
applies it to the Lord Jesus
Christ.

370
00:28:04,440 –> 00:28:08,600
Look at these words here.
Psalm 22, the Messianic Psalm

371
00:28:09,680 –> 00:28:12,720
begin there in verse one.
My God, my God, why hast thou

372
00:28:12,720 –> 00:28:15,840
forsaken me?
The whole Psalm is is littered

373
00:28:15,840 –> 00:28:19,880
with with messianic references,
but where I’d like to look at is

374
00:28:19,880 –> 00:28:27,400
verse 14 personal pronoun.
Here I am poured out like water

375
00:28:27,480 –> 00:28:33,680
and all my bones are out of
joint.

376
00:28:34,600 –> 00:28:39,840
My heart is like wax.
It is melted in the midst of my

377
00:28:39,840 –> 00:28:42,240
bowels.
So we’ve got the same phrase

378
00:28:42,240 –> 00:28:48,600
here, out of joint.
But there’s something incredibly

379
00:28:49,080 –> 00:28:53,560
significant about this because
out of joint with the Angel and

380
00:28:53,560 –> 00:28:58,600
Jacob, the out of joint in the
Hebrew simply means to be

381
00:28:58,600 –> 00:29:03,320
dislocated.
So his thigh was dislocated,

382
00:29:03,760 –> 00:29:08,960
excruciating, painful, but it
was dislocated.

383
00:29:09,720 –> 00:29:13,360
But brothers and sisters, when
the psalmist picks up, I believe

384
00:29:13,480 –> 00:29:16,880
the wrestling of Jacob, he
applies now guided by the

385
00:29:16,880 –> 00:29:23,000
Spirit, a much stronger Hebrew
word to describe the wrestling

386
00:29:23,000 –> 00:29:27,360
of our Lord.
Because out of joint here in

387
00:29:27,360 –> 00:29:31,560
Psalm 22 is to separate and to
divide.

388
00:29:31,880 –> 00:29:39,240
Not, not at all to be
dislocated, but to separate, to

389
00:29:39,240 –> 00:29:48,280
break away.
So for our Lord it wasn’t out of

390
00:29:48,280 –> 00:29:52,040
joint.
It’s as if although we know that

391
00:29:52,040 –> 00:29:57,800
not a bone was broken to fulfil
the Passover lamb, the pain for

392
00:29:57,800 –> 00:30:05,160
our Lord was if every single
bone was broken.

393
00:30:08,320 –> 00:30:12,000
That was the feeling of our Lord
as he wrestled.

394
00:30:12,840 –> 00:30:17,440
He gave everything.
The whole idea is that every

395
00:30:17,440 –> 00:30:21,880
bone was broken from another.
Think of that, brothers and

396
00:30:21,880 –> 00:30:24,440
sisters.
And there’s a real play here

397
00:30:24,440 –> 00:30:29,800
because it says there I am
poured out, and the meaning of

398
00:30:29,800 –> 00:30:37,480
the name Jabok is to pour here
in this moment in verse 14 was

399
00:30:37,480 –> 00:30:43,000
our Lord’s Jabok moment.
Now look at this.

400
00:30:45,200 –> 00:30:47,400
Come with me to Hebrews chapter
5 now.

401
00:30:48,680 –> 00:30:54,680
And suddenly these words that we
know familiar, we can see how

402
00:30:54,680 –> 00:30:57,280
they are rooted in the life of
Jacob.

403
00:30:58,080 –> 00:31:04,840
Hebrews 5 verse 7, concerning
the Lord, who in the days of His

404
00:31:04,840 –> 00:31:08,840
flesh, when He had offered up
prayers and supplications, with

405
00:31:08,840 –> 00:31:12,480
strong crying and tears unto
Him, that was able to save him

406
00:31:12,480 –> 00:31:14,520
from death, and was heard in
that He feared.

407
00:31:14,640 –> 00:31:18,600
And you can put right by there
verse 7, Hosea 12, verse 4,

408
00:31:18,600 –> 00:31:23,040
where it says He prevailed
Jacob, He prevailed, He wept and

409
00:31:23,040 –> 00:31:26,400
made supplication unto him.
Can you see that the writers of

410
00:31:26,400 –> 00:31:28,720
the Hebrews now picks up the
Jacob moment?

411
00:31:28,960 –> 00:31:32,400
And the way that Jacob contended
with the Angel with prayers and

412
00:31:32,400 –> 00:31:35,960
supplication and tears is
exactly the experience of our

413
00:31:35,960 –> 00:31:42,360
Lord throughout his life,
throughout his life.

414
00:31:42,840 –> 00:31:47,080
So that when he died, the
feeling within him was that

415
00:31:47,080 –> 00:31:53,160
every bone had been broken, the
sacrifice was complete.

416
00:31:53,840 –> 00:31:57,320
He had given all for you and for
me.

417
00:31:57,360 –> 00:31:59,360
Isn’t that amazing, brothers and
sisters?

418
00:31:59,800 –> 00:32:01,680
Isn’t that absolutely
astonishing?

419
00:32:03,560 –> 00:32:08,400
And so the words then that we
hear each Sunday, take, eat,

420
00:32:08,880 –> 00:32:11,800
this is my body which is broken
for you.

421
00:32:12,280 –> 00:32:14,080
Suddenly, I believe that makes
sense, isn’t it?

422
00:32:14,080 –> 00:32:16,960
Which was broken for you?
And we think the Lord’s body

423
00:32:16,960 –> 00:32:24,680
wasn’t broken, but it was.
It was in terms of how the Lord

424
00:32:24,680 –> 00:32:31,560
felt that every bone he felt had
been broken in that Jacob

425
00:32:31,640 –> 00:32:34,560
experience.
Brothers and sisters, isn’t this

426
00:32:34,560 –> 00:32:41,800
so moving and so humbling that
our Lord did this for you and

427
00:32:41,800 –> 00:32:45,640
for me?
Come back then to Genesis

428
00:32:45,640 –> 00:32:50,960
chapter 32.
So we left Jacob here, wrestling

429
00:32:50,960 –> 00:32:53,640
with an Angel, his hip, his
outer joint.

430
00:32:53,640 –> 00:32:57,280
He’s in excruciating pain, but
he’s holding on his Jacob.

431
00:32:57,440 –> 00:33:01,840
He’s not letting go.
Verse 26 So now the Angel,

432
00:33:02,560 –> 00:33:06,720
although the Angel has an
advantage, he now can’t let go

433
00:33:06,720 –> 00:33:11,120
of Jacob.
Verse 26 the Angel said, let me

434
00:33:11,120 –> 00:33:13,760
go.
Can you see this, that there’s a

435
00:33:13,760 –> 00:33:17,040
feeling here, there’s a sense of
anxiety with the Angel that the

436
00:33:17,040 –> 00:33:20,720
day was breaking.
This battle was over as far as

437
00:33:20,720 –> 00:33:24,200
the Angel was concerned, but
Jacob was holding on and the

438
00:33:24,200 –> 00:33:25,800
Angel couldn’t do anything about
it.

439
00:33:26,800 –> 00:33:28,600
That was the determination of
this man.

440
00:33:28,800 –> 00:33:31,560
Let me go, says the Angel for
the daybreaker.

441
00:33:31,760 –> 00:33:33,960
Can you see this?
This is not this is not the

442
00:33:33,960 –> 00:33:35,800
words of an Angel that we would
expect.

443
00:33:35,800 –> 00:33:41,800
But it was true.
And Jacob said, I will not let

444
00:33:41,800 –> 00:33:48,920
thee go except thou bless me.
So even with a dislocated hip,

445
00:33:49,760 –> 00:33:55,520
Jacob wasn’t letting go.
The Angel wasn’t getting his own

446
00:33:55,520 –> 00:33:59,720
way, was he?
Brothers and sisters, the Angel

447
00:33:59,720 –> 00:34:03,280
wanted to stop.
And why did the Angel want to

448
00:34:03,280 –> 00:34:06,880
stop?
Because Hosea Chapter 12 tells

449
00:34:06,880 –> 00:34:12,520
us that when the Angel looked at
Jacob, the wrestling had changed

450
00:34:12,520 –> 00:34:17,400
him.
He’d gone from an an infant to

451
00:34:17,400 –> 00:34:22,440
an adult in the wrestling.
During that night he had reached

452
00:34:22,600 –> 00:34:28,800
manhood and for the Angel his
work was over, but for Jacob

453
00:34:30,320 –> 00:34:34,040
there was more to go.
Now when you reflect upon that

454
00:34:34,040 –> 00:34:37,159
and you you see now that the
Angel wanted to stop and and

455
00:34:37,159 –> 00:34:41,560
Jacob wanted to continue.
You can see here that in one

456
00:34:41,560 –> 00:34:46,000
contest during a long night,
there’s 2 battles that are going

457
00:34:46,000 –> 00:34:47,400
on.
Have you ever reflected upon

458
00:34:47,400 –> 00:34:48,639
this?
There’s actually 2 battles that

459
00:34:48,639 –> 00:34:53,840
are going on that the Angel is
wrestling with Jacob so that the

460
00:34:53,880 –> 00:34:59,120
Angel can change the character
of Jacob.

461
00:34:59,960 –> 00:35:02,920
And when the Angel sees that he
reaches adulthood, that he’s

462
00:35:02,920 –> 00:35:06,400
fully mature, that no longer is
he holding onto the heel of

463
00:35:06,440 –> 00:35:10,120
Esau, the Angel wants to stop.
His mission is complete.

464
00:35:10,120 –> 00:35:14,640
Can you see that?
But there was another battle

465
00:35:14,640 –> 00:35:19,120
going on.
Jacob was wrestling with an

466
00:35:19,120 –> 00:35:22,160
Angel.
And why was Jacob wrestling?

467
00:35:22,160 –> 00:35:24,640
Because he wanted to receive the
blessing.

468
00:35:24,840 –> 00:35:27,080
Now, brothers and sisters,
that’s a very important lesson

469
00:35:27,080 –> 00:35:33,360
for you and for me.
God works with us in our lives,

470
00:35:33,360 –> 00:35:38,080
in our challenges and in our
problems to change our character

471
00:35:39,080 –> 00:35:43,720
and we ought to hold on in that
experience, hold on for dear

472
00:35:43,720 –> 00:35:48,840
life, however hard that
experience is in order to

473
00:35:48,840 –> 00:35:50,400
receive the blessing.
Can you see that?

474
00:35:50,520 –> 00:35:55,000
It’s a two way thing.
When our characters are being

475
00:35:55,000 –> 00:35:59,120
changed, it’s painful.
And the lesson in all of this is

476
00:35:59,120 –> 00:36:02,880
to hold on, to look past the
pain.

477
00:36:08,700 –> 00:36:12,860
A little surprising.
Then in verse 27 you read these

478
00:36:12,860 –> 00:36:17,340
words.
And he said unto him, the Angel,

479
00:36:17,980 –> 00:36:21,800
what is thy name?
And he said Jacob.

480
00:36:21,800 –> 00:36:25,160
Now just imagine that in in the
mid middle of the the wrestling

481
00:36:25,160 –> 00:36:29,240
match, Jacob’s adversary here,
the the Angel, this mighty Angel

482
00:36:29,240 –> 00:36:34,840
said something really odd.
He asks a Jacob, what is your

483
00:36:34,840 –> 00:36:37,400
name now?
Now the Angel knew Jacob, didn’t

484
00:36:37,400 –> 00:36:38,920
he?
He’d been with Jacob for 20

485
00:36:38,920 –> 00:36:42,400
years.
It was most unconventional,

486
00:36:42,400 –> 00:36:43,720
wasn’t it?
He’d fought all night.

487
00:36:43,720 –> 00:36:48,880
And now Jacob, his hips out of
out of joint, his heart is, is

488
00:36:48,880 –> 00:36:50,920
bursting, his legs are
unbearable.

489
00:36:50,920 –> 00:36:53,960
He’s his arms are numb.
He’s been wrestling with an

490
00:36:53,960 –> 00:36:58,120
Angel all night long.
And then out of that moment, the

491
00:36:58,120 –> 00:37:05,800
Angel has the audacity to ask
Jacob politely, Excuse me, what

492
00:37:05,800 –> 00:37:13,920
is your name?
Why, brothers and sisters, this

493
00:37:14,200 –> 00:37:19,560
is where it happens.
It’s not an unusual moment.

494
00:37:19,560 –> 00:37:23,080
It’s a development of a
storyboard.

495
00:37:23,320 –> 00:37:25,480
Can we have a look back to
chapter 27?

496
00:37:25,680 –> 00:37:28,800
Chapter 27, as I, I mentioned
yesterday, was going to cast a

497
00:37:28,800 –> 00:37:34,000
long shadow over Jacob’s life
when he stole, he robbed Esau of

498
00:37:34,080 –> 00:37:36,720
the blessing.
And remember, and I emphasized

499
00:37:36,880 –> 00:37:40,880
and I told you to take note of
it yesterday, that Jacob lied

500
00:37:41,120 –> 00:37:47,280
twice, didn’t he?
Verse 19 when when Isaac, when

501
00:37:47,280 –> 00:37:55,320
his curiosity was aroused, he
was asked, Verse 18, Who art

502
00:37:55,320 –> 00:37:59,080
thou, my son?
What is your name?

503
00:38:00,960 –> 00:38:11,280
Verse 19 I am Esau.
Verse 24 Art thou my very son

504
00:38:11,400 –> 00:38:17,280
Esau, what is your name?
And he said I am.

505
00:38:19,640 –> 00:38:24,520
Can you see what’s happening?
The very same question is being

506
00:38:24,520 –> 00:38:28,080
asked of Jacob in the middle of
the wrestling match.

507
00:38:29,040 –> 00:38:35,080
What is your name?
And when that question was asked

508
00:38:35,080 –> 00:38:44,440
before Jacob received the
blessing of his father, and he

509
00:38:44,440 –> 00:38:51,200
deceived his father, and in
order to receive the blessing of

510
00:38:51,200 –> 00:38:56,600
God, how is he going to answer
now?

511
00:38:58,560 –> 00:39:03,360
And he has to answer, he has to
reveal his name in order to

512
00:39:03,360 –> 00:39:10,960
receive the blessing.
And he says I am.

513
00:39:15,560 –> 00:39:20,680
I’m a heel catcher.
I have held onto my brother’s

514
00:39:20,680 –> 00:39:27,960
heel all my life and now I’m a
man.

515
00:39:30,160 –> 00:39:34,360
I have maturity.
I have power.

516
00:39:34,360 –> 00:39:41,160
With God I’m a cripple.
I can no longer run from the

517
00:39:41,160 –> 00:39:45,480
face of Esau.
I am Jacob.

518
00:39:45,600 –> 00:39:49,600
Can you see that in order for
him to receive the blessing, he

519
00:39:49,600 –> 00:39:53,440
has to renounce Esau?
Remember, he was the twin.

520
00:39:53,520 –> 00:39:57,120
He had Esau within him.
And then when he he deceives his

521
00:39:57,120 –> 00:40:03,680
father, he says I am Esau.
But now after the wrestling, I’m

522
00:40:03,680 –> 00:40:07,080
no longer Esau.
I’ve let go of the heel.

523
00:40:08,160 –> 00:40:12,880
I am Jacob.
I am the heel catcher.

524
00:40:14,640 –> 00:40:18,160
I am the one who is not fully
made like my brother.

525
00:40:18,880 –> 00:40:23,480
I am the one who is made in your
strength.

526
00:40:25,520 –> 00:40:27,120
Isn’t that wonderful, brothers
and sisters?

527
00:40:27,120 –> 00:40:29,000
So moving.
It caught me just a moment

528
00:40:29,000 –> 00:40:31,760
there.
Just so incredibly moving.

529
00:40:31,760 –> 00:40:35,080
It was a, it was an open
confession, wasn’t it?

530
00:40:35,520 –> 00:40:38,560
I’m Jacob.
I’m a mast.

531
00:40:39,720 –> 00:40:43,680
I’ve always been Jacob.
I’ve always been a heel catcher.

532
00:40:43,880 –> 00:40:46,240
I’ve always been running from
the face of easel.

533
00:40:48,320 –> 00:40:55,120
That’s who I am.
I am nothing, he was saying.

534
00:40:56,520 –> 00:40:59,160
Now.
It’s in that moment that

535
00:40:59,160 –> 00:41:04,080
everything happens to Jacob.
Notice this as soon as he

536
00:41:04,080 –> 00:41:07,400
confesses who he is, what is
your name?

537
00:41:09,320 –> 00:41:14,080
Verse 28 And he said, can you
see that?

538
00:41:14,080 –> 00:41:20,480
Suddenly as soon as he confesses
who he is, God now can work with

539
00:41:20,480 –> 00:41:24,760
him.
Thy name shall be called no

540
00:41:24,760 –> 00:41:27,640
more, Jacob.
I am a heel catcher.

541
00:41:27,640 –> 00:41:31,680
He’s just acclaimed.
No, no, no, no, says the Angel.

542
00:41:32,800 –> 00:41:35,960
Thy name now shall be called no
more, Jacob.

543
00:41:37,760 –> 00:41:41,160
You’ve hit maturity, says Hosea,
chapter 12.

544
00:41:42,360 –> 00:41:47,480
You now have power with God.
The work of the wrestling Angel

545
00:41:48,400 –> 00:41:52,400
was complete.
For as a Prince hast thou power

546
00:41:52,400 –> 00:42:00,720
with God and with men hast
prevailed, so he now bears the

547
00:42:00,720 –> 00:42:02,720
name of Israel.
So important, brothers and

548
00:42:02,720 –> 00:42:05,600
sisters, this is the first
mention of the name Israel in

549
00:42:05,600 –> 00:42:09,280
Scripture.
The first mention of the name

550
00:42:09,400 –> 00:42:12,440
Israel in Scripture.
And it’s after this wrestling

551
00:42:12,440 –> 00:42:17,120
match with the Angel.
Now given that we believe in the

552
00:42:17,120 –> 00:42:21,400
hope of Israel, I think
sometimes we get confused with

553
00:42:21,400 –> 00:42:24,640
the meaning of the name Israel.
And it’s not surprising, is it,

554
00:42:24,800 –> 00:42:27,000
that we’re a little confused
with the meaning of the name

555
00:42:27,000 –> 00:42:30,840
Israel, because verse 20, 28 is
not entirely clear, is it?

556
00:42:32,040 –> 00:42:35,280
So just look at different
translations on the screen here.

557
00:42:36,680 –> 00:42:40,160
So the new King James Version
says your name shall no longer

558
00:42:40,160 –> 00:42:43,000
be called Jacob, but Israel.
Why?

559
00:42:43,240 –> 00:42:46,480
For you have struggled with God
and with men and have prevailed.

560
00:42:48,520 –> 00:42:51,640
And then the the new living
translation has these words.

561
00:42:51,640 –> 00:42:55,400
From now on you will be called
Israel because you have fought

562
00:42:55,400 –> 00:42:58,800
with God and with men and have
one.

563
00:43:00,000 –> 00:43:04,440
OK, just just think about those
different renderings there.

564
00:43:06,600 –> 00:43:11,600
Look in your margin in chapter
32 and verse 28 by the name

565
00:43:11,720 –> 00:43:13,440
Israel.
As I mentioned, that’s the first

566
00:43:13,440 –> 00:43:17,280
time and you can see in your
margin, and perhaps this is the

567
00:43:17,280 –> 00:43:19,240
reason why it triggers some
confusion.

568
00:43:19,240 –> 00:43:21,080
You’ve got, you’ve got two
meanings there, haven’t you?

569
00:43:21,240 –> 00:43:25,600
By the name Israel, you’ve got a
Prince with God or a a striver

570
00:43:25,600 –> 00:43:27,440
with God.
And they feel very different

571
00:43:27,440 –> 00:43:30,640
things, don’t they?
A Prince with God and a striver

572
00:43:30,760 –> 00:43:32,640
with God.
But perhaps we can think of this

573
00:43:32,640 –> 00:43:39,600
in a dual way, that the lesson
in Jacob’s life was that if you

574
00:43:39,600 –> 00:43:48,240
strive with God in faith, then
you will become a Prince with

575
00:43:48,240 –> 00:43:52,000
God.
So if we in the present strive

576
00:43:52,000 –> 00:43:56,200
with God, then we will be a
Prince with God.

577
00:43:56,200 –> 00:44:00,880
So in fact, rather than two
separate meanings, it’s a

578
00:44:00,880 –> 00:44:05,760
development, it’s a progression,
it’s a narrative of our lives.

579
00:44:05,960 –> 00:44:10,000
If we strive, then we will
become a Prince.

580
00:44:11,480 –> 00:44:13,960
But I think there’s something
even more beautiful than that.

581
00:44:13,960 –> 00:44:17,600
As you, as I said, if you look
in your margin there, Israel’s

582
00:44:17,600 –> 00:44:20,640
name means striver with God.
Just just see that in your

583
00:44:20,640 –> 00:44:25,600
margin striver with God, and the
explanation is given in the

584
00:44:25,600 –> 00:44:28,320
verse there.
You have fought with God and

585
00:44:28,320 –> 00:44:33,960
with men and have prevailed.
You have fought with God and

586
00:44:33,960 –> 00:44:43,930
with men and have prevailed.
Think about what we’ve just seen

587
00:44:43,930 –> 00:44:49,250
in Jacob, and I believe this is
the meaning of the name Israel.

588
00:44:50,730 –> 00:44:57,760
If you wrestle with God in
faith, you will prevail against

589
00:44:58,080 –> 00:45:01,600
worldly foes.
I’m going to repeat that because

590
00:45:01,600 –> 00:45:04,360
I believe this is the meaning of
the name Israel, something so

591
00:45:04,360 –> 00:45:07,360
fundamental to us as followers
of the Lord Jesus Christ.

592
00:45:07,720 –> 00:45:13,360
If you wrestle with God in
faith, then you will prevail

593
00:45:13,400 –> 00:45:17,600
against the enemies and the foes
of God.

594
00:45:19,760 –> 00:45:21,680
Now, if that’s the case, and I
believe that is the case, I

595
00:45:21,680 –> 00:45:24,960
believe that is at the heart the
meaning of the name Israel.

596
00:45:25,280 –> 00:45:27,280
Think about that.
What’s taking place if you

597
00:45:27,280 –> 00:45:31,080
wrestle with God and then you
prevail against the enemies.

598
00:45:31,080 –> 00:45:34,920
But what’s going on?
How can you wrestle with God and

599
00:45:34,920 –> 00:45:36,320
then prevail against the
enemies?

600
00:45:36,320 –> 00:45:38,640
What’s the picture, Brothers and
sisters, have you ever thought

601
00:45:38,640 –> 00:45:41,480
about this?
What’s the picture here of the

602
00:45:41,480 –> 00:45:47,440
meaning of the name Israel?
It is a picture of a father and

603
00:45:47,440 –> 00:45:52,200
son.
We’ve all seen how a father can

604
00:45:52,200 –> 00:45:55,160
toughen up a son or a daughter
with a little bit of wrestling.

605
00:45:55,840 –> 00:45:59,440
That’s the whole picture here.
It’s this really beautiful,

606
00:45:59,560 –> 00:46:05,080
intimate picture of a father
wrestling not to, not to defeat

607
00:46:05,080 –> 00:46:11,360
the child, not to hurt the
child, but to strengthen the

608
00:46:11,360 –> 00:46:15,760
child for the real battles
against the enemies.

609
00:46:15,760 –> 00:46:17,120
Can you see that?
They’re lovely.

610
00:46:18,040 –> 00:46:20,080
That’s the meaning of the name
Israel.

611
00:46:20,880 –> 00:46:25,880
Our experiences in life with
God, our wrestling with the

612
00:46:25,920 –> 00:46:31,200
Angel, is to strengthen us in
faith in order that we can

613
00:46:31,200 –> 00:46:34,600
really battle against the
enemies of God.

614
00:46:34,760 –> 00:46:39,000
And so then Israel at the heart,
at the center, is all about

615
00:46:39,000 –> 00:46:47,120
being a child of God, being a
child of God, and how God

616
00:46:47,880 –> 00:46:55,400
wrestles with us in order that
we will win, in order that we

617
00:46:55,400 –> 00:46:58,960
will win.
We might not feel like that at

618
00:46:58,960 –> 00:47:04,880
the time, but God has got the
true perspective of our lives.

619
00:47:05,280 –> 00:47:10,880
And winning is all about being
granted God’s coming Kingdom.

620
00:47:11,560 –> 00:47:15,240
Now the theme of this week is
all about the faces, all about

621
00:47:15,240 –> 00:47:18,120
the faces.
And so then verse 30, at the end

622
00:47:18,120 –> 00:47:24,960
of this wrestling and receiving
this blessing, Jacob called the

623
00:47:24,960 –> 00:47:30,920
name of the place Peniel.
For I have seen God face to face

624
00:47:30,920 –> 00:47:34,720
and my life is preserved.
Now look again in your margin,

625
00:47:34,720 –> 00:47:37,680
please, by the name Peniel,
you’ll see the face of God.

626
00:47:37,680 –> 00:47:39,600
And that’s part of our theme,
the face of God.

627
00:47:39,920 –> 00:47:48,280
And so in that wrestling, in
that wrestling, Jacob saw the

628
00:47:48,280 –> 00:47:52,600
face of God.
But it goes a step further

629
00:47:52,600 –> 00:47:55,200
because that’s not entirely
accurate.

630
00:47:55,200 –> 00:48:00,960
Your margin hasn’t got it
entirely right because Penny L

631
00:48:02,080 –> 00:48:10,840
is 2 root words.
Pen is to turn and L God.

632
00:48:13,280 –> 00:48:23,880
Pen is to turn and L is God.
So the wrestling caused Jacob to

633
00:48:23,920 –> 00:48:30,760
turn his head.
See that he went there seeing

634
00:48:31,160 –> 00:48:40,640
the face of Esau and the
wrestling turned his head to

635
00:48:40,640 –> 00:48:43,600
face God.
And so Peniel means the face of

636
00:48:43,600 –> 00:48:46,080
God because at the end of the
process, when you turn your head

637
00:48:46,080 –> 00:48:47,680
to face God, that’s what you’re
doing.

638
00:48:47,680 –> 00:48:49,480
You’re facing God.
Isn’t that lovely, brothers and

639
00:48:49,480 –> 00:48:50,680
sisters?
That’s what it’s all about,

640
00:48:50,680 –> 00:48:52,960
isn’t it?
That’s what our wrestling is, so

641
00:48:52,960 –> 00:48:56,200
that we can see our Maker and we
can see the Lord Jesus Christ in

642
00:48:56,200 –> 00:48:59,240
our lives.
That’s what it’s all about for

643
00:48:59,240 –> 00:49:05,520
you and for me, so that we too
can find Peniel, that we can

644
00:49:05,520 –> 00:49:08,960
turn our faces from our
adversaries and all the things

645
00:49:08,960 –> 00:49:14,320
that are causing us trouble, and
we can see God working in our

646
00:49:14,320 –> 00:49:25,000
lives.
That morning, Jacob found

647
00:49:25,000 –> 00:49:27,840
himself to be a cripple for
life.

648
00:49:28,880 –> 00:49:33,520
He was always going to limp.
And brothers and sisters, our

649
00:49:33,520 –> 00:49:39,400
crises are real.
Our suffering and the deep cuts,

650
00:49:39,840 –> 00:49:47,080
they hurt and they are painful,
and when the sun rises it bears

651
00:49:48,160 –> 00:49:53,720
our scars.
But for Jacob that morning they

652
00:49:53,720 –> 00:50:00,320
were honourable scars because
Jacob that night had fought

653
00:50:00,320 –> 00:50:05,240
bravely, hadn’t he?
He had fought bravely and won in

654
00:50:05,240 –> 00:50:08,720
God’s strength.
And so, brothers and sisters,

655
00:50:08,720 –> 00:50:12,560
then at the end of this talk
today, what is the big lesson

656
00:50:12,840 –> 00:50:16,640
for you and for me?
It’s only when we admit to our

657
00:50:16,680 –> 00:50:24,800
God that we are heel catchers,
that we are nothing, that we are

658
00:50:24,800 –> 00:50:29,160
in need of God’s salvation.
It’s only then, brothers and

659
00:50:29,160 –> 00:50:34,440
sisters, when we are reduced to
nothing, that we are broken,

660
00:50:35,120 –> 00:50:39,040
that we are on a state of
despair and we are just hanging

661
00:50:39,040 –> 00:50:43,960
on for dear life.
It’s then and then only, that

662
00:50:43,960 –> 00:50:47,280
God can work wonders and
miracles in you and me.

663
00:50:48,920 –> 00:50:54,640
When we confess to Him who we
are and that we need His help,

664
00:50:55,720 –> 00:51:02,160
then God can change us.
And so then I leave you with

665
00:51:02,160 –> 00:51:07,280
this question.
Have you, brothers and sisters,

666
00:51:07,280 –> 00:51:11,680
as we sit here comfortably at
our Bible school today, have

667
00:51:11,680 –> 00:51:16,320
you, have you taken your mask
off?

668
00:51:18,440 –> 00:51:24,440
Have you taken your mask off and
confessed to God who you really

669
00:51:24,440 –> 00:51:29,200
are?
And if not, why not?