Jacob Rolled with God?!

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Jan 24, 2012
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#1
So I hear that the "man" in Genesis 32:22-32 is actually God?? Why did they wrestle? What was the point of this? Did God just feel like having a quick roll?

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. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 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. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.

30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.
 
Dec 19, 2009
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#2
So I hear that the "man" in Genesis 32:22-32 is actually God?? Why did they wrestle? What was the point of this? Did God just feel like having a quick roll?

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. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 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. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.

30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.
Don't believe everything you hear.
 
C

CBM82

Guest
#4
Gen 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

It seems it was the angel of the Lord
 
Dec 19, 2009
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#5
I don't thats why I'm bringing it up here haha. Whats YOUR take on it? It most certainly sounds like SOMETHING involving God happened here.
The fact that Jacob had striven with God didn’t mean the man Jacob wrestled with was God. It would seem likely to me the wrestling match was symbolic of what had previously happened in Jacob’s life.
 
C

CBM82

Guest
#6
Gen 32:25 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.
Gen 32:31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.

It sounds like a literal injury to me. So I believe an actual wrestling match took place.
 
Feb 9, 2010
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#7
God appeared to Abraham as a man,and Abraham talked to Him.

If God were to appear to Jacob as a man,and did not enhance that man to be stronger than any other human,but as a normal man,then Jacob could prevail against that man,seeing God wrestled with him only according to the strength of the flesh,and not the Spirit,or God did not want to prevail against Jacob,but was wanting to find out how much Jacob wanted to be blessed.

It could be that God wanted to find out how determined Jacob wanted to be blessed,and for the fact that Jacob wrestled with the man for so long,and asked the man to bless him,Jacob knew it was a spiritual matter going on,and not a man born in the world that he wrestled with.

Some say it was an angel,but if it were then it would not identify him as a man.

Manoah and his wife,the parents of Samson,seen an angel of the Lord,in which they said they have seen God,and they asked the angel his name in which the angel said,why ask about my name seeing it is secret.

Jacob wrestled with a man,and said,I have seen God face to face,and asked the man's name,which the man replied,why do you ask about my name,and did not give his name.

The angel of the LORD that Manoah and his wife seen,and the man that Jacob wrestled with,could be a visible manifestation of God in angelic form,and human form,for Manoah and his wife,and Jacob,said they seen God,and they asked the name of the angel,and the man,but they did not reveal their name,which both incidents could be in reference to the coming of Jesus,but not Jesus Himself,who is God manifest in the flesh,and whose name had to kept secret until the New Testament.

If the man that Jacob wrestled with was a visible manifestation of God,it would seem like God was testing Jacob to find out how determined Jacob was to be blessed,which Jacob would have to know that it is a spiritual matter from God,and not an ordinary man that passed by and then started wrestling with Jacob.

And since Jacob perceived it was a spiritual matter,because he asked the man to bless him while he was still wrestling with the man,it could of not been an ordinary man born in to the world.
 
T

Trax

Guest
#8
So I hear that the "man" in Genesis 32:22-32 is actually God?? Why did they wrestle? What was the point of this? Did God just feel like having a quick roll?

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. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 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. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.

30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.
You have to put this scene in the context of jacob's life. He was a man who didn't give someone
a fair deal. He tricked his brother into selling his birth right for food. He tricked his dad to get
the blessing. When he got into trouble, because of his actions, he ran. He relied on his wits
to survive, rather than have faith in God. He trusted God when it looked like the thing that
would benefit himself.

At this point in the story, he hears that his brother, is coming to meet him with 400 men. Jacob
is scared, to put it mildly. He is shaking in his shoes. So Jacob sends the women, children, and
flocks, ahead to meet his brother. Jacob stayed back. Jacob is the head of his family. His place
and responsibilty was to be at the lead, but he stay back. Jacob is planning his escape if things
go badly. This is when the Lord shows up and is basicly telling Jacob, "you aren't running
anymore." He wrestled with the Lord all night. Jacob had been a man living in darkness and
wrestling with God and man, his whole life. When day was about to come, the Lord ends the
fight. The Lord was bringing Jacob from the dark, into the light, to be a man walking with God.
But like a lot of people, Jacob did not want to submit to the Lord, so the Lord touched Jacob's
hip and knocked it out of socket. The Lord showed Jacob that at any time of Jacob's life, the
Lord could have struck him down, for his sinful life, but didn't. Knocking Jacob's hip out of joint,
was what the Lord had to do, so Jacob couldn't run, but from then on, had to rely and trust
in the Lord. Jacob had to submit at that point. He grabbed hold of the Lord and didn't want to
let go. The Lord had then taken Jacob into the light.

This whole scene has played out to many people. The Lord allows their life to get to a point,
where there is no where to go but up. This is when they seem to say, "Ok, I'm listening Lord."
With a lot of head strong people, like Jacob, this is the only way to get their undivided attention.
 
Dec 19, 2009
27,513
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#9
Gen 32:25 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.
Gen 32:31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.

It sounds like a literal injury to me. So I believe an actual wrestling match took place.
I believe the wrestling match occurred, but it might have symbolized previous events in Jacob's life
 

Grandpa

Senior Member
Jun 24, 2011
11,551
3,188
113
#10
You have to put this scene in the context of jacob's life. He was a man who didn't give someone
a fair deal. He tricked his brother into selling his birth right for food. He tricked his dad to get
the blessing. When he got into trouble, because of his actions, he ran. He relied on his wits
to survive, rather than have faith in God. He trusted God when it looked like the thing that
would benefit himself.

At this point in the story, he hears that his brother, is coming to meet him with 400 men. Jacob
is scared, to put it mildly. He is shaking in his shoes. So Jacob sends the women, children, and
flocks, ahead to meet his brother. Jacob stayed back. Jacob is the head of his family. His place
and responsibilty was to be at the lead, but he stay back. Jacob is planning his escape if things
go badly. This is when the Lord shows up and is basicly telling Jacob, "you aren't running
anymore." He wrestled with the Lord all night. Jacob had been a man living in darkness and
wrestling with God and man, his whole life. When day was about to come, the Lord ends the
fight. The Lord was bringing Jacob from the dark, into the light, to be a man walking with God.
But like a lot of people, Jacob did not want to submit to the Lord, so the Lord touched Jacob's
hip and knocked it out of socket. The Lord showed Jacob that at any time of Jacob's life, the
Lord could have struck him down, for his sinful life, but didn't. Knocking Jacob's hip out of joint,
was what the Lord had to do, so Jacob couldn't run, but from then on, had to rely and trust
in the Lord. Jacob had to submit at that point. He grabbed hold of the Lord and didn't want to
let go. The Lord had then taken Jacob into the light.

This whole scene has played out to many people. The Lord allows their life to get to a point,
where there is no where to go but up. This is when they seem to say, "Ok, I'm listening Lord."
With a lot of head strong people, like Jacob, this is the only way to get their undivided attention.

That is beautiful. I've never looked at it that way before.