Genesis 32: Finding Israel in an Unusual Place

(upbeat music) - Welcome to chapter by chapter. It's a four-year journey through the greatest book given to the human race, the Word of God, the Bible. And we get to go through a chapter by chapter. Seven minutes a day and seven days a week. Join us each day and share it with others so they can join this journey that will be life-changing. We're gonna stop at unexpected places on the journey and be challenged. Some verses will create awe and wonder. And we will even have chapters that will be instructive and others will find joy and comfort. We'll occasionally be convicted and need to change, but all in all, the journey will be worth it. Once in a while, we may take a detour on the journey and hear from some of God's greatest servants from their favorite passages from a chapter of scripture and let them give you their insight. Every journey needs a small detour occasionally. The best way to get the most from this podcast is read the chapter we were discussing before or after. It's his word that transforms. You will find more and see more than I could ever articulate. Welcome to chapter by chapter. And today's chapter is Genesis 32. In the late 15th century, the Florentine sculpturer, Agostino De Antonio began work on a huge block of marble with a view of producing a spectacular sculpture. After a few attempts to make something out of it, he gave it up as worthless. The block of marble, now badly disfigured, laid idle for 40 years, 40 years, then came along another one. His name was Michelangelo. He took an interest in that very block of marble. He saw beyond the ugly, disfigured block of marble to the magnificent artistic creation. He knew he could achieve with it. As a result, he began work. The final outcome was something we call David, which is widely recognized as one of the most outstanding artistic achievements of all time. Could I have seen David in the disfigured piece of stone? David was hidden and needed to be found by a master sculptor. Genesis 32 is the master sculptor finding his piece of unfinished rock, and he found Israel inside of Jacob. Jacob's story starts in Genesis 25 and goes to the end of the book of Genesis. Through the life of Jacob, every important relationship in his life, Jacob ruined or violated with his parents lying to his dad that he was Esau. With his brother, Esau stealing his birthright. With his wife, Rachel, she wanted a baby, so he slept with their maid. With his uncle, Laban, he lied to him and left secretly with his children. He gave Joseph the code of many colors. Jacob could not seemingly get any relationship right, and one of the things that God was going to do in Jacob's life is to get him to make things right with people. There are people that go from friend to friend, church to church, marriage to marriage, boss to boss, because they can't seem to get along with anybody. When a couple ask me one time, if I would perform their marriage ceremony, I proceeded to tell them that I like to give several sessions of premarital counseling before performing the weddings, to which they replied, we don't need counseling. We've both been married several times before. Just because you did it doesn't mean you did it right. This couple was like Jacob. They were proficient in ruining relationships. Let me tell you Jacob's story and how God got him right. Jacob is just left a 20 year train wreck of a job and is now heading towards a 20 year old problem that he is finally going to have to deal with, it's Esau. This is where our story starts. Some people try to move forward in life without fixing the problems they've caused. While Jacob is running from Laban, he's actually running towards Esau, the 20 year relationship that needs to be fixed. God has a way to help you run into things when you think you're running away from something. Genesis 32 starts out very interesting. Starts with an angel visiting Jacob. Jacob doesn't need to meet an angel. Jacob needs to meet God. Genesis 32 starting in verse one says this, Jacob also went on his way and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, this is the camp of God. So we named that place, Mahaniam. Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau, the land of Sarah, the country of Edom. He's instructed them and said this, this is what you were to say to my Lord Esau. Your servant Jacob says, I've been staying with Laban and I've remained there till now. I've cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats, male and female servants, and I'm sending this message to my Lord that I might find favor in your eyes. When the messengers return to Jacob, they said, we went to your brother Esau and now he is coming to meet you and 400 men are with him. In great fear and distress, Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups and the flocks and the herds and the camels as well. He thought if Esau comes and attacks one group, the group that is left may escape. Then Jacob prayed, oh God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, Lord you who said to me, go back to your country and your relatives and I will make you prosper. I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I've become two camps. Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau. For I am afraid he will come and attack me and also the mothers with their children. But you've said I will surely make you prosper and I will make you descendants like the stand of the sea, which cannot be counted. This is Jacob's first prayer that he initiated and he prayed it because he was in trouble. Every time God spoke to him, God initiated it. Unfinished people like that piece of rock, don't have a devotional prayer time, but an emergency prayer time. They will pray when things are bad. That is Jacob because Jacob is an unfinished piece of stone, but the sculptor is not far. Jacob is praying for the wrong deliverance. Jacob thinks that his problem is Esau, that God could remove Esau and it would never solve his relationship problems. The issue may not be you needing more money or a different job or a boss, maybe something deeper. Here it comes, you, it should not have been deliver me from the hand of my brother, but it should have been deliver me from me. Don't confuse your Esau issue with your Jacob problem. Jacob needed to meet God before he meets Esau. Jacob needed more than an angel. He needed God to start breaking the rock. And that's what happens at the end of chapter 32 in verses 21 through 32. They call it the night that Jacob wrestled with God and his loss was actually a win. He met the sculptor that night and his name was changed. Verse 24 says this, "In Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh. So the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated when he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go for the dawn is breaking, but he said, "I will not let you go and let until you bless me." So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." And he said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked him and said, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is that you ask me my name?" And he blessed them there. So Jacob named the place penile. For he said, "I have seen God face to face." That meeting will be the only way to prepare for the Eson counter and the next 70 years of his life. I remember a friend telling me the story of a senior citizen driving down the freeway when his wife called his cell phone and said, "Herman, I just heard on the news that there was a crazy man driving a car the wrong way on Interstate 80. Please be careful. Herman replied in a panic. It's not just one car, honey. It's hundreds of cars that are all going the wrong way." Herman was the crazy man. Jacob was Herman. We are all like Herman. Everybody else seems to be wrong except us. But the preachers are wrong. The church is wrong. And you were the one driving in the wrong direction. It's time to turn around and meet the sculptor. There are David's in blocks of marble. Thank you for joining chapter by chapter. Every chapter from the greatest book, "The Bible," the word of God. Seven minutes a day, seven days a week. We'll see you tomorrow.