Weekly Readings: Genesis 32:3-36:43; Hosea 11:7-12:12 Obadiah 1:1-21; Hebrews 11:11-20; Matthew 26:36-46.

Did God really 'not prevail' in his fight against Jacob?

Genesis 32 tells of a strange watershed moment for Jacob. Journeying back to the land of his fathers on a directive from God, Jacob goes in faith - but not knowing what welcome will await him from his brother Esau.

As he receives word that Esau is coming to meet him with 400 men, Jacob panics and does everything he can to pacify his brother. Sending on ahead his flocks and herds, his servants and possessions - and finally his wives and children, in the hopes that these might somehow appease Esau's wrath, Jacob is left by himself in the night.

A Strange Fight

Alone and vulnerable, having let go of everything he ever owned or cherished: this would seem an ideal moment for the 'God of all comfort' to step in, to provide compassion and support. But rather bizarrely, God appears in human form and challenges Jacob to an all-night wrestling match. Why? Why choose to sap someone of the only strength they have left, especially someone who has lost everything and is facing the threat of imminent death?

Interestingly, a closer read of Genesis 32 shows that the point of the match was not to sap Jacob of his remaining strength – if it was, that would have been the outcome. Jacob would simply have given up. But the outcome was apparently a draw - the Bible actually says that God 'did not prevail' against Jacob.

Is God Weak?

Now, of course God had not 'met his match' in real strength terms, which must have meant that he chose not to win but to let the struggle continue. On the other side, Jacob could easily have given in – but in true Jacob style, his deep pride and drive to succeed would not allow it. In allowing the match to drag on, perhaps God was giving Jacob opportunity after opportunity to choose to surrender. But Jacob does not submit.

When God sees this, he touches Jacob's hip and dislocates it, ending the battle immediately. In one deft, easy move, Jacob is rendered powerless. He is suddenly shown that this exhausting struggle, with all of its demands on his physical strength and tactical prowess, had ultimately been pointless – God had always already won.

What Was the Point?

It seems that this match was not designed to force Jacob to a point of complete physical weakness (if it had been, it would have been a very short fight). Instead, it was to reveal to him in a very profound way that he was always already weak - that his lifelong struggle against God and others had been worth nothing.

It was to show that rebellion does not achieve anything; in the end we cannot possibly win – we can only choose to surrender. Scripture says that one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Rom 14:11; Phil 2:10; Isa 45:23) – and a well-known worship song appends this with: "still the greatest treasure remains for those who gladly choose You now".

Is God Domineering?

God knows our rebellious hearts and in his mercy allows us to struggle and strive with him, until we come to the point where we realise that we cannot win. If this seems rather domineering of God, just think that he did not have to struggle with Jacob. He could have forced his submission immediately, violently and without accounting for Jacob's free will. But he didn't. We have a wonderful, patient God who voluntarily goes through the struggle with us, who will break a sweat alongside us, who chooses to not 'prevail' over us but rather to encourage us to submit voluntarily.

He is with us in the dark and lonely places, where everything has been stripped away and we think we have nothing left to give – places where we are forced to confront our own pride or desire for control. And crucially, in those places (as always) he knows what is best for us. We have a loving Father who – when we have nothing left to take hold of – takes hold of us, even if it is not in the way we expect.

Author: Frances Rabbitts