Intermediate Level, Block 3—Good Land to Egypt
Week 23
Jacob—Wrestling with God
Point to Emphasize: We can be those who learn to accept defeat and learn humility.
Reference Reading: Genesis 32
Memory Verse: God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6)
Story Sample
After Jacob had tricked his twin brother Esau into giving up his birthright, Jacob most have felt like a winner. Although in the end he did receive the birthright, he caused himself a lot of trouble and had to flee to his uncle Laban’s house. He spent many years with his uncle; he got married and had children there. While he was with his uncle, Jacob also tricked him in order to win many things for himself. Years later his relationship with his brother had not yet been restored, and his father Isaac was getting very old. It was time for him to go back home. Today we want to talk about something that happened to Jacob while he was returning to his home with the hope of restoring his relationship with his brother. God had promised that he would be with him as he went.
One night, as Jacob was returning home, something unusual happened. That night he was alone and God came as a man and wrestled with him! God was with him all night, but not in the way Jacob thought He would be! They wrestled all night long—for six hours! And early in the morning, when they were done wrestling, Jacob was different. God had dislocated his hip and Jacob became crippled. God had to wrestle with Jacob because Jacob was too strong. Jacob always wanted to trick others in order to be first and win, and he needed to learn a lesson.
What do you think the lesson Jacob had to learn was? Was it, “Don’t ever fight with God?” Well, though this is true, I don’t think it was all he had to learn. Jacob needed to learn to accept defeat. He had been so proud up to that time, but now he needed to learn to be humble. He always wanted to win, but now he needed to learn to accept defeat.
I’m sure you all prefer to win, right? Maybe you want to be the star of your soccer team, or be the best student, or your teacher’s favorite or the favorite among your group of friends. But that is not always going to happen. One day someone will be a better player, or smarter than you, or even more popular than you. The question is, how will you respond? Will you be bitter and resentful, or will you be humble and realize that you are not the strongest, the smartest or the most likeable?
When I was in school, I was really proud because I was a pretty good student. I got all A’s in elementary school and in high school; I was one of the top 10 in my class. I thought I was so smart. But then, I went to college. There were a lot more students there than in my little high school, and they were all REALLY smart. Do you think I blamed them that I wasn’t as smart as they were, or said “That’s not fair—the professor likes them more than he likes me?” No, I needed to learn a lesson, just like Jacob. I needed to learn to be more humble. [Use a personal example of how you were good at something, but later learned the lesson of being humble.]
Jacob learned a lesson that day, and he was changed in more than one way. Now he walked differently (with a limp), he learned to be humble, and even his name was changed! God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. The name Israel means “wrestler with God”. This may not seem like a positive thing, but Israel was now a person that God was working to change and was no longer called “supplanter/heel holder”. Throughout the rest of his life, God changed the man Israel little by little.