Learning To Lean

by Dr. Rob Debelak

Returning from his lengthy stay abroad, Jacob prepares to face his elder twin, Esau. Arrangements are deliberate, tension mounts, prayer is restless—he anticipates conflict. Only scant hours remain, and a dramatic night struggle pits a sleepless Jacob against an unnamed opponent (Genesis 32:22-32). Discerning his sparring partner’s identity is an exciting challenge as this twilight contest illuminates salient details of personal transformation. The scene transpires on a dark stage (32:22). Shadowed by a death threat, Jacob left two decades prior under less-than-optimal circumstances. He had no way of knowing if Esau still held a grudge (Genesis 27-28). Jacob seemingly follows cordial protocol by announcing his arrival (32:3-5), yet this herald also makes him a target. Jacob was vulnerable, and messengers report Esau will confront his brother in force (32:6). Jacob left home a single man without possessions. He returns married, with maidservants, children, livestock, and material goods (32:22-23). On the eve of their meeting, Jacob employs a survival strategy. Fearfully facing an uncertain future (32:7), he divides the company in two, calculating if one group suffers an attack, the other might escape. He deploys his household under cover of darkness (32:22). Divestment of belongings complete, his bareness revisits how his self-imposed exile began: alone, with nothing but his staff (32:10). The narrative portrait is of a man at the end of himself, but a picture of liminal poise set for the dawn of a new beginning. In his solitude, a nameless wrestler contends with him through the night. The anonymous fighter lands a successful blow against Jacob’s hip, requiring Jacob to release him. The phrasing suggests Jacob had a hold on the warrior, subtly reflecting on Jacob’s name: “one who grasps.” Jacob, though, wants something in return (32:26): he wants to be blessed! Years ago, in a tent of darkness, Jacob deceived his blind father for a blessing—one intended for his brother. Now he desires favor without the interference of his family history baggage. Exhausted and in pain, the singular longing he ardently clings to is all he has left: he fervently desires God’s approval. As in the case of Isaac rendering a verbal blessing, words matter. The question is, “What is your name?” Casual readings assume this is a mere revelation of identity. Instead, it is an “altar call”—a moment of truth, an admission of who one is. Jacob spent his life grasping at what God would give. At birth, he clutched his brother’s heel (Genesis 25:24-28) and again took matters into his own hands to obtain the blessing (Genesis 27). He replies, “Jacob,” conceding, “I am the supplanter (heel grabber)”: the one who deceived. With honest admission, blessing comes in the form of a name change. Jacob will now be “Israel” “…because you have struggled with God and with man and have overcome” (v. 29).

Jacob models an encounter with the Almighty. He no longer grasps but receives; like Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 17:5, 19), God chose his name. Spiritually, this man would never be the same. Physically, he would never be the same either. His life journey began with only his staff (32:9-12), and now his transformational pivot point is characterized by a limp (v. 32): he would need to lean on something for support. A temporary injury? The only other mention of his staff occurs at the end of his life. The New Testament Book of Hebrews (11:21) comments on Genesis 48: “By faith, Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.”

Surrender, sincerity, seeking God’s unhindered favor: these may be essential factors integral to our walk of faith. Jacob’s transparency and vulnerability result in a change of character and reconciliation with others. If we take our relationship with God seriously, perhaps these are instructive features of encounter for the modern-day believer.

The Author

Dr. Rob Debelak is associate professor of Bible in Lee University’s Online Program. He has taught at Lee University for 25 years, and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He and his family reside in Cleveland, TN.

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