Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the day is breaking.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go, unless you bless me.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, September 22, 2019
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: Sometimes it’s ok to fight with God, and sometimes we may prevail.
Jacob is still one more story that proves God works with people who are neither wholly good nor wholly bad. Jacob is clearly a man of faith—he attributes his wealth and happiness to God, even asking God to preserve them for him. At the same time, this is the man who tricked his brother out of his birthright and tricked his father for his brother’s blessing (Genesis 25:29-34; 27:18-29).
On this night, Jacob was intending to return home to face his brother. He had been gone for decades—would Esau forgive him or kill him? He set out to be alone in preparation for the events of tomorrow. There he encountered a man (angel?) who he wrestled with ‘til daybreak. We don’t know exactly who this is or how Jacob knows it’s a messenger from God. We do know Jacob believed that a blessing from this man would help protect him from Esau, or at worst, grant him favor in God’s eyes. He prevailed, and the man/angel blessed him, giving him a new name, “Israel.”
Israel’s new name suggests that striving “with God and with humans” is something we all will face, probably many times in our lives. We might feel guilty for being angry with God sometimes, but Jacob was not cursed for fighting with God, he was rewarded for his persistence with a blessing. Maybe God’s ok with us fighting with God. Maybe that’s how we get through the tough times. Maybe it’s how we grow to become new people with new blessings and new perspectives. We might get bruised along the way, but life is going to bruise us anyway. Maybe fighting with God is just another way we can communicate with God—perhaps God would prefer fighting to silence. Go ahead, have it out with God—God can take it, and so can you.
Do you take time to yell, laugh, or wrestle with God?
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