Angel Wrestling

Scripture: Genesis 32:22-31 (NRSVue)

Jacob’s all-night wrestling match with the mysterious man is one of the most unusual and fascinating scenes in all of Scripture. Who was this stranger that appears at night and leaves at daybreak? He can be apparently overcome by the very strong Jacob, yet with a mere tap gives Jacob the need of hip replacement surgery. This divine figure doesn’t seem to be using all of his strength—like he’s purposely limiting himself to make things interesting. He refuses to share his name with Jacob. Was he Esau? A vampire? An angel? God? We have more of a clue at the end of the story. Despite all the uncertainty and the exhaustion, Jacob is wiped out, worn down, and on his last leg from going to the mat with his nocturnal opponent. Still grabbing ahold of him Jacob defiantly choaks out the words, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” Blessings are a matter of life and death to Jacob. Jacob’s internal and external struggle in his dark night of the soul taught him unforgettable lessons on how to: Forge his own identity. Survive a crisis. And face God and his relationships in new ways. Like Jacob and the people of Israel, this is our spiritual identity too—we are strugglers who wrestle with God and others, and overcome. We come out of the match not only transformed, but with a limp that reminds us God is God, and we are not.

August 6, 2023 — Worship Service Bulletin (click)

• Sermon Art: “Jacob Wrestling with the Angel,” Marc Chagall, 1967
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BIBLE STUDY QUESTIONS for Genesis 32:22-31 (NRSVue)

“Angel Wrestling”

1. Have you ever been through a wrestling match with God? Yourself?
2. Why is Jacob so fearful in this passage? (the beginning of Chapter 32 provides further background)
3. Who do you think this mysterious stranger is that appears in the night and disappears before daybreak?
4. Before wrestling with this divine being, Jacob’s identity seemed to be more in his brother Esau than himself. After wrestling with the angel, Jacob had a new identity and greater self-understanding. How can internal and external struggle help us grow into who we truly are?
5. The divine being touched Jacob’s hip and gave him a limp. What does his bad hip signify about what happens in human encounters with God?
6. Jacob’s face to face encounter with God in Peniel helps Jacob face his brother Esau in a new light. How might a closer relationship with God help deepen our relationships with those created in God’s image?
7. Israel’s very name teaches Jacob and God’s people who they are: those who struggle with God and humans and prevail. Why does God choose this to be his people’s identity?
8. How can we see our figurative or literal thorns, nail scares, or bum hips redemptively?

Other Sermons In This Series

Family History Repeats Itself

July 30, 2023

Sibling Rivalry

July 16, 2023

A Son Saved: Part 2

July 02, 2023