The night before Jacob’s reunion with Esau a man came and wrestled with Jacob. Jacob struggled with all his strength. He may at first have thought that the mysterious challenger was Esau.  Or someone sent by Esau to murder him under the cover of darkness. But Jacob eventually realized that the “man” was God himself and refused to stop wrestling until God had blessed him. Fortunately, God did bless him! As part of that blessing God changed Jacob’s name to Israel which means “he struggles with God”.  To this day the Jewish nation retains its name and interestingly enough the characteristic of struggling with God.

Jacob continued wrestling all night because he wanted to be blessed by the Lord. If we wrestle with God in our lives we should ask ourselves if we are willing to go as far as Jacob did.  And if we are, we should also be prepared to accept the consequences of our actions.  Typically, God uses this type of experience to reveal our weaknesses to us so that He can bring honor and glory to Himself.

Isaiah 27:5 says, “Or else let them come to me for refuge; let them make peace with me, yes, let them make peace with me.”

This verse suggests that God’s message to Israel and to us today is to seek Him because He is our refuge and strength.  Invariably, it doesn’t take long for us to run away from the shelter of God.  When we do this we tend to become rigid and ritualistic in our observance of God’s law. Rather than getting to know God, we turn His Word into a legalistic rule book. The basis then for facing life’s issues becomes adherence to an inflexible list of do’s and don’ts.  Rules in and of them-selves, however, are insecure and ultimately unsatisfying. God invites us to come and make peace with him.  We must remember that we will never find lasting peace in anything or anyone else.

WHEN THINGS SEEMS HOPELESS
We have no hope of understanding the Bible without looking at Jesus.  Many passages in the Old Testament pointed towards His coming and the New Testament revealed how He fulfilled the Old Testament’s predictions. One way to describe how both the Old and New Testament work together is the New Testament is concealed within the Old Testament and the Old is revealed in the New. It is important to note that central to both Testaments is Jesus Christ. This truth is revealed in the story where Jesus journeyed with the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus:

He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”  They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?” “What things?” he asked.  “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.  The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.  In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive.  Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”  He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!  Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”  And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.  As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther.  But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.  When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.  Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.  They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:17-32)