10/9/2025
"Selective obedience isn't obedience at all;
it's only convenience."
It's not easy to have to backtrack when I'm writing. I always think I write good notes, but when I look at them in light of the next ones to be finalized, I find myself lost! Since my daily reading of the Bible has been altered somewhat this year, not as routine, it doesn't even help to go back over what I have been reading. In short, I've been all over the place, because God lead me in a different direction. The fun thing is that when He does this, that is, when He wants me to "see" something, He always confirms it in another way or through another person or message. I'm learning not to be surprised, just in awe of His ways that are definitely higher than mine.
Last night at the Harvest Ministries group study I host we discussed the subject of wrestling with God, using the life of Jacob as our example. As we study his life, we see that Jacob, whose name meant "supplanter" or "deceitful" or "one who grabs by the heel," contended with his brother, Esau, in the womb. Jacob's story begins in Genesis 25 when Abraham's son Isaac marries Rebekah who couldn't bear children. So Isaac prayed to God, and she conceived twins. When they were contending within her womb, she became greatly troubled, because this wasn't normal, so she inquired of the LORD, the scripture says.
"But the children struggled together within her; and she said, 'If all is well, why am I like this?' So she went to inquire of the LORD. And the LORD said to her: 'Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.'"
As the story continues and the boys grow up to manhood, there remains contention, as Esau, the older son, becomes the skillful hunter who loves the outdoors, and he is a favorite of his father, Isaac. Jacob is described as a mild man who dwells in tents, and he was favored by his mother, Rebekah. His story is familiar about how he stole Esau's birthright for a cup of stew (Genesis 25:29-34), and then he stole the blessing of the first born by pretending to be Esau, taking advantage of his blind father, the deception aided by his mother (Genesis 27). Jacob learns that Esau wants to kill him, so Rebekah instructs him to run to her brother, Laban's home for protection and to marry one of Laban's daughters (Genesis 28). Esau rebels against the family and marries one of Ishmael's daughters. Jacob's time in Padan Aram leads to many years of service and trickery at the hand of Laban who turns out to be a bigger schemer and manipulator than Jacob. But over the course of all these years as relayed in Genesis 28 - 32, Jacob becomes transformed, and his name is changed from Jacob to Israel which means "Prince with God."
"Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with Him. And He said, 'Let Me go, for the day breaks.' But he (Jacob) said, 'I will not let You go unless You bless me!' So He said to him, 'What is your name?' He said 'Jacob.' And He said, 'Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.'" (Genesis 32:24-28).
Jacob is reunited with his brother Esau, but the rift never really is mended, and in fact as prophesied, the two nations continue to contend with one another up to this day. Jacob's name becomes Israel, and the twelve tribes of Israel are his offspring. It's a fascinating story, but the history of the nation of Israel is written throughout these pages of scripture. So it's not "just" a story, it's truth, and if studied in the context of scripture as it should be taught, we would have less "wrestling" going on in the nation today, as antisemitism continues to grow and sweep around the world in vicious and wicked condescension and vile hatred.
I never felt as if I had wrestled with God, and I certainly never wanted to go against Him, yet I did. The obvious wrestling that resulted in my thirty-five years in the wilderness, on the back burner, so to speak, turned out to be my best training ground, and it prepared me for where I am today, and I know it has prepared me for what is ahead. If my life were not surrendered to Christ and my dependence solely on Him, I don't think I would have the strength to get up in the morning. But He makes it worth everything! I have survived the floods and the fires, the pruning, the pressing, and the sifting, and I've been alone most of the time. But I am grateful to God for the transformation He has done in my life.
Being a great fan of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" series, I often watch the movies, as well as "The Hobbit" series, when I want to relax, smiles, and glean a little wisdom. Frodo Baggins, Bilbo's cousin and little charge, is tasked with the disposal of the ring of power into the fires of Mount Doom. It's a journey no one wants to undertake, so the task is left to Frodo, along with companions who go with him, the fellowship of the ring, they are called. The wizard, Gandalf, is a wise and trusted friend to whom young Frodo admires and respects. Along the journey, when the success of the undertaking is threatened, Frodo says to Gandalf: "I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened." Gandalf responds by saying: "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."
Many a tangled web of deceit has been woven in our times, and there has always been those who persist in choosing to wrestle with God and contend with man. Evil is abounding in our times, just as it was in the story of Frodo and the ring, and yet Frodo does overcome in the end, and evil is opposed. Galadriel, the Lady of the Woods, an elf, tells Frodo "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future." And her words certainly prove true in this tale of good versus evil. May we find hope in that as we walk out our destiny, deciding what to do with the time that is given to each of us.
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