Broken for blessings

Genesis 32:22-32

Genesis 32:22-32 Like sweets after the meal.

We like a God who is sweet to our mouth. Thinking of God as sweet doesn’t give full portrait of God. We serve a God who is mystery, and we will never ever fully understand. God who answers a resounding NO! God who doesn’t let you sleep in night until get things right.

God is not respecter of a person. God who ordained some to be rich, but some are trying to meet their end meet. God who ordained some to have children, but others don’t. God who doesn’t promise that everyone of us here will live for 90 years without sickness and then die peacefully.

You cannot choose to accept when to have the providence and help from God. A person who smokes, drinks, and lives a horrible life lives longer and whereas a son who dies in an accident tragically in his 20. As we see the snow this week nice but the same God orders you to go through storms in your life.

God who can make you smile leaves you confused with cry and tears. God who makes promises that you can stand on build your life upon leads you to through some ways which you can’t understand at all! When we study our bible every now and then we come across some portion of the scripture reveals about the other side of God which we will not understand.

God doesn’t send the courier of blessings as soon as you say Amen! We got to deal with such God so that we will be able to face our life.

I myself can say that I don’t understand why God does that and I also don’t like that. If you think you know everything about God and you are fine and don’t want to be challenged and changed then you may take your phone and play some games without disturbing others!

This message and following few other passages may not give you the answers. It may raise up lot of questions and make you think. My job as pastor is not to make you think the same way I think but make you think!

Genesis 32:22-32, And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. 23 He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. 24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” 27 So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” 28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you

have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” 31 Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the muscle that shrank.

Background

Isaac and Rebecca. Rebecca conceived with twins. Esau and Jacob. Esau was born first but then his brother came holding his leg. They both are so different as night and day. Esau loved by his father Isaac. Jacob was momma boy.

Jacob bought Esau brit right for bowl of cereal. Isaac was in his death bed and he wanted to bless his first- born Esau with his blessings so he ask for his favourite meal.

Esau is the hunter, and he goes for hunting and brings the cooked meal. Meanwhile Rebecca takes the meat from the freezer microwaves it and fixes a nice meal which her husband likes. Jacob was scared but then her mother says don’t worry go ahead.

Jacob pretends to be Esau and then gets the blessings from his father. Isaac realises that he blessed the wrong person only when Esau comes with his meal. Esau gets very angry, and he vow to kill his younger brother. Both Rebecca and Isaac understood his threat is real, so they send him to Laban the fig fraud.

Genesis 28 where Jacob was feeling from his brother Esau to Laban God meets with him in Bethel and blesses him. Jacob goes and lives there for 14 years with Laban and he married to both his daughters Rachel and Leah. Now Jacob on his way back and he came to know that Esau was coming with 400 men to meet.

Jacob divides his company into 2. Sends lot of gifts to Esau so that his life can be spared. Now in the night Jacob alone this takes place. A Man shows up in the night to fight with Jacob. Let me read the verses 24 and 25 in English so that you understand.

24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.

God comes in a human form and wrestle with Jacob. God disguise Himself and fights with Jacob. Very disturbing about things about God. God comes and wrestle, a fight.

• There is no reason,
• There is no disobedience,
• There is no punishment,
• There is no warning,
• There is no explanation.

God is not upset with Jacob. God just shows up and fights. We like a God who comes to you and says that I love you, I never leave you nor forsake you, Come to me those who are heavy laden, I will comfort you like a mother comforts her children, I am the one who never forsake you, Even you mother forgets you I will not.

This God shows up and just fights. No warning! No explanation! Starts a fight!

Who wants that God? God shows up as a Man disguised in darkness. He did not say I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt. God didn’t say that I am the God of your father Abraham and Isaac.

Jacob would have confused who is this man? Season of Uncertainty! When you are absolutely uncertain about what He is doing! Uncertain about your future!

Uncertain about things happening! God does not make His will crystal clear at times! V 25, Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.

Capital M- God could not prevail against small h- Jacob. When He saw that He had not prevailed against him, (NASB) When the Man saw that He could not overpower him, (NIV) When the Man saw that He couldn’t get the best of Jacob (MSG) When the Man saw that He would not win the match, (NLT) This is not the God we came to know and grow up with!

God speaks the mountain moves. God speaks the sea stills. Any disease can be healed by word or touch. Here God could not prevail against Jacob. God breaks Jacob hip. It is clear penalty on the football!

God breaks hip just because He can’t win a fight! We are disturbing God we encounter. Why does God make Jacob to limp for rest of his life? I am not comfortable with the God breaks hips.

Why?

1. Submit and Surrender

God who broke the hip of Jacob sometimes breaks us so that we will submit and surrender.

Ask yourself this question? What kind of God that He can start a fight that He can’t win? What kind of fight that divinity is being defeated by humanity? What kind of fight you can be with God toe-toe? There is only one fight we will be having face to face with God is to submit and surrender our will to God.

We are made and gifted with Free will and choice! We all can be like Adam. We can choose to disobey God like Adam.

We can choose to go left when God wants you to go right. We can completely disregard what God wants in our life. Staying away from the will of God will bring distress in life. Disobedience to the will of God will bring destruction in this life and the life to come for eternity!

God desire for you is that He does not want to you stay outside of His will. He loves you so much so He doesn’t want you to stay away from Him. God will do everything in His Omnipotence to bring you to submit and surrender to His Sovereign will of God.

So why does God break Jacob’s hip? Because He is God! When God blesses you and you don’t hear and surrender then God is His grace and mercy will do everything to break you to submit and surrender to His will. Do you know what happened when God broke Jacob’s hip?

Jacob is no longer fighting but he is holding on to God.

Jacob is saying that God that I have been hanging on to you don’t let go of me now! My brothers and sisters when you stay away from God that God now and then must break you. So that you will be able to lift up your hands and kneel down and say God have your way in me!

There are many saints were broken! Now all you need to do is cling to God. We don’t surrender when we the light. We surrender when we struggle. We surrender when we see hopelessness. We are only ready to give up when every avenue of our lives is broken.

God sits on the side line to witness of every brokenness! God loves you so much that He send His Son to die on the cross then surely He will break you to submit and surrender to Him. 2. Deepen the desire for God.

God showed up as Man. Imagine if God showed up an Angel Jacob would have fought? No! It is late at night. Jacob all alone. Esau was on his way with 400 men. Man jumped on him.

Now who would Jacob be thinking it is? Esau! God don’t show up like Esau!

Why did God show up as a Man? Jacob has difficulty to discern God when He was with God. Genesis 28 Jacob encounters with God and names that place as Bethel!

Genesis 28:16-17, When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

Jacob was with God, yet he didn’t know. When did Jacob realise that it is God not man? When his hip was broken!

How did God break Jacob hip? V 25, Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. God touched it! A touch and his hip was broken.

When he was fighting his hip was fine. Only a touch! Now that touch he can discern it is God. If there is a breaking then there must be a blessing. V 26, And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”

Whenever God touches, Whenever God breaks, There must be a blessing from God.

What is the blessing Jacob wants? Jacob has everything.

• Esau birth right,
• Isaac inheritance,
• Racheal hand in marriage,
• Possession from Laban,
• Two entourage of things.

Jacob asks What is your name? V 29, Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. He asks like Moses.

Exodus 3:13-14, Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” Here Jacob was not asking for any material blessing. Jacob wanted know God in a new way! He wanted to know His name and Him.

Jacob wanted to experience God in new way than ever before. End of breaking makes you to have new hunger for God and His presence more than ever before! Every breaking God awakens a new hunger for God! We have lot of Christian saying but they are not right with the scriptures.

God will not burden you more than you can carry! Wrong! Because God will put a burden on you more and more. Load you more until you can’t carry on your own. You try and carry with your strength and then come to know that you can’t carry any more.

Come to God and say sorry Lord I can’t with my strength. 3. Change your character. V 27-28, So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” 28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

Jacob means conman, trickster, and deceiver. God says I don’t like it. You were like that. God gives Jacob a new name, new identity. Israel is the new name. God has to break in order to birth Israel! Breaking gives a new identity which is greater than your old.

Let me give you warning! Don’t be too quick to judge the people who are going through breaking seasons in their life. God is breaking me now and the new me is going to come out so don’t be quick to judge before seeing the new blessings God is bringing in my life!

God is breaking you so that you would be new greater blessings. A trickster come to face to face with God and changes him completely.

God says I am going to call you Israel because you have wrested against God and prevailed! V 25, Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, V 28, And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

God says Jacob prevailed. Jacob says that he did not.

What happened? Jacob did not but Israel did! Israel prevails over Jacob. Who you will be greater than who you are! What you are going through breaking will make you stronger on the other side. What you are going to do tomorrow is greater than yesterday.

Your Israel is greater than Jacob. God changing the name of Jacob is unique in the Bible. God never calls the person when He changes the name of that person.

Abram to Abraham Sarai to Sarah. Saul to Paul. But Jacob is very unique. Though Jacob name is changed to Israel still there are moments he is been identified as Jacob.

Do you know why? Every Israel here has got some Jacob in them. Some of us have some Jacob tendencies.

What is comforting? Still God identifies Himself as God.

• God of Abraham,
• God of Isaac, and
• God of Jacob!

Even though you are not Israel still I am your God. When slide back to your old ways still I am your God. We all have got some Jacob in you!

4. Thank God you are alive!

V 26, And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” God says let Me go the day is breaking. Remember the encounter between God and Moses.

Exodus 33:20, But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” I am so holy if you see My Face and My holiness will kill you. If you hold on to Me and if the sun comes up, you will die. Jacob is in direct disobedience. Jacob is adamant saying unless you bless me, I will not let go off you. So, God blesses Jacob even though he was disobedient to God.

God bless him. We can see the grace and mercy of God acts together. Can you agree with me. You have not what you are supposed to be. You have not what the Lord has told you to do. Yet the Lord has blessed you!

Be grateful! Jacob lives to see another day. V 29-30, So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” 31 Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip.

Jacob decides to name that place as Peniel because he has seen God face to face yet he lives! Jacob was saying that I should have been killed but I am alive. I am grateful with this limp because I am alive. I have lost everything BUT GOD!

Some praise God when they have nothing. People don’t need to praise God for the sake of prosperity! Thank God you are broken. Thank God you are limping.