Men by the river

Many think Jacob wrestling the angel of God by the river is a story of blessing. Jacob has won the angel and received a blessing of God. I always found this story strange. Why do people think this is a beautiful story about Jacob being blessed? That we should follow his example of wrestling God for what we want until the dawn breaks, to show our determination to receive that blessing because that's what God wants. Hmm.. really? God dislocated his leg, how can that be a good thing! Surely God did this to show Jacob a lesson. I began searching for answers, in prayer and meditation. I found another man that was by the river praying and met the angel of God. Daniel. Jacob and Daniel, both men of God, both by the river, both during a time of great danger.

So I will tell you the real story of the two men praying by the river.

Jacob was running from his bother Esau, fearing Esau will kill him and his family Jacob, being the ever-so clever man he was, comes up with a plan. Bible doesn't say he asked God for guidance. Jacob had a plan of his own. He organized the big band of his family and household into careful groups, sending the least important (in his opinion) to the very first of the band, then the next, and at last the most important ones positioned at the very end, furthest from the possible danger. Bible says Jacob was by the river and the man appeared. Jacob was not praying, not meditating, just sitting there, maybe feeling a little smug with the brilliant plan he had come up with. Then the mystery man appeared. As the bible says, the wrestling began, no explanation, they just started wrestling all of a sudden. God usually uses the word 'wrestling' with 'flesh.' So this fleshy man Jacob was wrestling with a holy angel of God, flesh against spirit. The angel saw that he couldn't win Jacob. Is that a good thing? NO. God is a loving God, he gave us Jesus so we can be set free. God knows the value of free will, He will never dishonor Himself or His children by taking that free will away and forcing us to do something. Angel of course could physically destroy Jacob but didn't. God will not overtake us beyond our strength. Jacob didn't yield to the angel. Jacob didn't yield his flesh to the spirit. So the physical punishment comes. If you sin with flesh, you get punished in flesh. Jacob limped his leg until he died as we can see when he meets the pharaoh. Jacob after this affliction realizes this man is not an ordinary man but a divine being. Only after affliction Jacob yields to the man (what else can he do with a dislocated leg?) and asks for a blessing.

This is important. Hebrews 7:1~7 tells us blessing is given by the superior to the inferior. Jacob is finally humbled and is acknowledging his weakness to the angel by begging for a blessing. Then the angel does something unexpected. 'What is your name.' A question with an obvious answer, surely the angel knows who Jacob is! After all, it was the angel that found and appeared before him! There is a mystery behind this scene. Jacob has a definition of 'lying man.' Angel is guiding Jacob to confess his true evil nature. Jacob answers ' I am Jacob ( I am a liar).' After this confession, revealing and confessing of true self, angel blesses him.

Proverbs 28:13 (KJV)

"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy."

God shows mercy to those that confess their sins. That is a promise from God.

So the story of Jacob is a story of an evil man, going about in his fleshy desires, wrestling the will of God, then humbled with chastisement, guiding him to confessing of his sins so that finally he can be blessed. Maybe this is a story for everyday normal christians like us. Spiritually weak man wrestling the will of God against his own flesh. Isn't that what we do all the time? God is showing us, even in our evil ignorance, there is a way to receive that blessing. To repent and be restored!

Now, lets move unto Daniel. He was a holy man, no doubt. When he was by the river, he was in a fasting state, deep in prayer. He didn't have a smart plan he himself conjured up. He was waiting on God. Not for a selfish desire, but for the noble cause of salvation for the nation of Israel. When the angel appeared Daniel felt very weak in flesh, the bible says the beauty of this man's body has withered and was as if dead. His flesh was literally dead in the presence of this holy being. This is how we should all be. Kill our flesh and step into that holiness. When we forsake our own flesh strength God gives us His strength.

Daniel 10:18 (KJV)

"Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me,"

Angel tells Daniel, when Daniel decided to humble himself before God the prayer was answered.

Two men, by the river, seeing the same angel of God, but with a whole different story. Man of flesh, and a man of spirit.

All christians should aspire to be like Daniel, but let's face it, we are almost always a Jacob. That's why this story gives me such joy and peace. I myself; a person of sin, always coming up with a plan of my own, repaying evil with evil, never turning the other cheek to the enemy, always up for a fight, can have hope for a blessing and mercy from God. God is showing me the way. God is telling me even now, to yield to His gentleness, to confess and walk away from my sins, and be blessed.