Tag: Jacob

The Limping 

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

Genesis 32:22-33 records a rather unusual event in the life of Jacob. While in exile, Jacob had grown into a great house filled with wives and children. However, after Jacob hears the new of Esau’s approaching, we read: וַיִּוָּתֵר יַעֲקֹב, לְבַדּוֹ, “And Jacob was left alone.”

While Jacob was with Laban, the blessing of choosiness began to take shape in his life, even though it manifest through the mess that was his family life (Ro. 8:28). Yet, he now stands alone. Why? וַיִּשְׁלַח יַעֲקֹב מַלְאָכִים לְפָנָיו, אֶל-עֵשָׂו אָחִיו, “And Jacob sent messengers/angels from before him to his brother Esau,” (Gen. 32:4) and what did these messengers report? Esau is approaching with 400 men, an army. Jacob becomes afraid and distressed (Gen. 32:8) and begins to divide his house in order that some might survive the attack. Then he prays to the Lord. 

Jacob’s error: he panics, then prays. 

It’s not just Jacob’s error, it’s an error many of us are guilty of. Jacob prays, but he does not wait for an answer. He executes his plan, sending his family forward.

וַיִּוָּתֵר יַעֲקֹב, לְבַדּוֹ; וַיֵּאָבֵק אִישׁ עִמּוֹ, עַד עֲלוֹת הַשָּׁחַר, “And Jacob was alone, and he struggled with a man, to the rising of the dawn.” This is one of the most unusual moments recorded in the Torah, and perhaps the most profound. Jacob wrestles/struggles, he has a “dust up,” the meaning of “wrestle” here, with an אִישׁ, a man. Where did this man come from when the Torah clearly states that Jacob was alone? 

When we meditate on this text, we often take note of Jacob’s strength as he was able to wrestle with the man until the dawn. Yet, the “man” was holding back. Why?

וַיִּגַּע, בְּכַף-יְרֵכוֹ; וַתֵּקַע כַּף-יֶרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב, “And he laid his hand in the power of his thigh, and dislocated the loins/thigh/hip of Jacob.” The man laid his hand on Jacob’s inner thigh, where the power of the loins, muscles and body’s foundation meet, and reset Jacob. He limped Jacob with only a touch. צָלַע, to limp, literally, He curved Jacob with a touch, He changed not just how Jacob walked, but how Jacob appeared with a touch. He demonstrated the power of His touch, as He touched the same place where Eliezer placed his hand when he promised Abraham that he would find Isaac a bride. In the pain, Jacob recognizes the power of this man to bless. He has wrestled everyone for blessing – Esau, Isaac, Laban, his wives – and he never received what he longed for – the blessing – and now he wouldn’t let go until he received it.  

 The Man has Jacob acknowledge who he has been by asking his name: Ya’akov, the supplanter. He then changes Jacob’s name to Israel. Why? With Abraham, the Lord added the Hebrew letter “ה” to breathe new life into him, from Abram to Abraham – for him to become a father. With Jacob, the Lord completely changed his name from supplanter (Ya’kov) to Israel – fighter for God. The Lord’s strength was exchanged for Jacob’s fear, anxiety, and weak character. Why? “My grace is sufficient for thee. My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

 Blessings are always spoken; but Moses does not record the blessing spoken to Jacob/Israel. Why?

Just like Leah felt unloved, while Jacob was loved by Rebecca, he felt unloved by Isaac (Gen. 25:28) his father. The man does not give His name. Why? The blessing revealed His name, and who He was, and it also revealed to Jacob/Israel that he was loved by his Father in Heaven – that was the blessing, as He had already promised to bless him in Genesis 28:13-15, and He did.

 Jacob acknowledges that he has seen “God face to face (פָּנִים אֶל-פָּנִים),” and he calls that place פְּנִיאֵל, “face of God.” Moses then calls the name of that place פְּנוּאֵל, “turn to God,” if you want to see God “face to face” you must “turn to Him.” 

 Who is this Man? In Genesis 28, in Jacob’s dream, the Lord was above standing upon the ladder in heaven. He promised to bless Jacob and be with him. In Genesis 32, the “Man” who stood above, was now below with him, just as in John 1:51 when Yeshua was with Nathaniel. Jacob then wrested, got into a dust up, with the Man for the blessing – the dust was flying/floating – the same dust that man was formed with. From vision/dream to physical reality. 

The wrestling is the reformation of Jacob, by the original Former – Yeshua/Jesus – Whose powerful hands formed Adam. The Hebrew word אִישׁ, is the clue. Not only does it mean “man,” but it also means “husband” and “steward.” This was the True Husband that Leah saw prophetically, and it was the Steward that visited Adam and Eve in the Garden in the Ruach HaYom (the spirit of the day). What was the Spirit of Jacob’s Day when Yeshua visited Jacob? Darkness and despair. Which is why Yeshua had to depart before the sun came up – Jacob needed to know the Lord was with him in the darkness, not just the blessing or the day.

 The Lord had promised to be with him – Emmanuel – and rather than turning to Him, Jacob wrestled with Him. How often do we struggle with the God who is with us when fear and anxiety find us?

 The Man had the power: to appear out of nowhere; to change Jacob with a touch; to bless; and to change his walk, nature, identity, and appearance.

What the Lord did to Jacob, He does to all of us. The Lord gives us a “laming” to remind us of our weakness before Him. Each of us have our own laming, a permanent reminder of His revelation to us, and our dependence on His grace. With Paul it was a “thorn in the flesh,” “a messenger of satan,” that kept him from exalting himself. And even though he prayed for it to be removed, the Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is perfected in weakness.”

Paul was not a weak man, and neither was Jacob, but they were made weak by His Presence, in order that they be strengthen by His Presence. It was not their weakness that His strength was perfected in, but the apparent weakness of the Cross, where the strength of God was manifest most profoundly. 

The Cross was the place where the terror that overcome Jacob, the terror that grips all humans, was defeated, death. The Cross is the place where every human will wrestle with the Bridegroom, the Steward, the Shepherd, the King. It is where every descendant of Jacob will wrestle with the אִישׁ/the Man that Jacob wrestled with, the place where we are all “limped” and we all begin to walk in His grace and strength that is sufficient for life. It’s only when we limp that we can truly “walk with the Lord. 

Maranatha. Shalom.   

Of Jacob and Nathaniel 

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

In the Torah reading for this week called Vayetze, meaning, “and he left,” Jacob flees the house of Isaac in fear of his brother. Leaving with little but the clothes on his back, he is making his way to Haran. After the sun sets, Jacob settles for the evening, taking of the stones in that place for a pillow. There in the wild, having left the opulence of his father’s house for fear of his brother Esau, Jacob has a dream. 

“And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!” (Gen. 28:12). Not only that, but the Lord Himself stood above it (Gen. 28:13)! What is happening in this dream? The Lord is speaking covenant to Jacob. It will be years before Jacob assumes the mantle of covenant from his father Isaac, but the Lord renews the promises of the covenant here with Jacob. 

In Genesis 28:13-15 the Lord speaks five promises: 1) The land of Canaan will belong to Jacob’s descendants, a promise of family, and at this moment survival. 2) Jacob’s family will be expansive in keeping with the promises given to Abraham (Gen. 12:3). 3) The Lord will go with Jacob on this journey to Haran. 4) The Lord will bring Jacob back to the land of Canaan. 5) The Lord will not leave Jacob until He has completed what He has promised. 

There, in that place renamed Bethel, the Lord appeared to Jacob; or as Jacob understood it, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it” (Gen. 28:16). Jacob had been pampered in the house of his father, as he lacked nothing. He was even, we might say, a bit spoiled. Therefore, under the guidance of his mother, he executed a plan to steal the blessing belonging to his brother Esau. 

In the midst of all the comfort and wealth, Jacob had not recognized the presence of God in his father’s house. As a son of the house, but the second born, he failed to understand that he was chosen before his birth (Ro. 9:10-13). Everything needed to be stripped away before Jacob could be in a position for heaven to be revealed in this dream. There, with a stone beneath his head, with a ladder reaching to heaven, the exhausted and fearful Jacob received the assurance of heaven’s promise wrapped up in being chosen by God. 

Of course Messiah Yeshua/Jesus references this vision in John 1:51 with the calling of Nathaniel. As Messiah said, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you” (Jn. 1:48). Before his calling in the natural, Yeshua saw Nathaniel. Just as the Lord saw Jacob before Jacob saw the Lord, Yeshua saw Nathaniel, knew him, calls him into Kingdom promise. This Nathaniel is the disciple/apostle referred to as Bartholomew. The name Nathaniel means “gift of God.” Bartholomew means “son of furrows” suggesting a wealthy farming family. It is likely that his name was actually נתנאל בר תלמי, or Nathaniel bar Talmey. Here is another son of a prosperous house. This one is sitting beneath a fig tree, a place to escape the heat of the day, a place to pray, think or meditate. It was there, beneath the fig tree that Yeshua saw Nathaniel. This time He would not wait until sleep had overtaken this wealthy son, He would speak as this son approached Him, speaking to his faithful heart, but then connecting him to the promises of heaven by identifying Himself as the ladder/סֻלָּם, or the One in Whom not only the angels ascend and descend, but also the only way to heaven for humanity. 

The very promises covenanted to Jacob are wrapped up in Messiah: the land, the family, the leading, the rapture, and the promise of enduring presence even in the midst of crisis. Jacob had to leave the opulence of his father’s house to behold the One who stood upon the ladder. Nathaniel bar Talmey had to leave the wealth of his father’s fields to be still enough to behold the One who is the ladder. Both had to leave it all behind. They may not have done so for the same reason, but there is a sense of departing who they were in order to be drawn into who they will be as the Lord changes and conforms them, just as it is for us today. 

Dear friends, it may seem far fetched, but when we are in our place of greatest fear, loss, or even thought, He is there. No matter the circumstance in this life, every promise of God is wrapped up in Messiah Yeshua/Jesus. And He may just confirm that to you when the rush of life seems to be pressing in the most. What then shall we do? “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10).

Maranatha. Shalom. 

The Limping Prophet

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

Jacob has lived in Egypt for seventeen years, and the Lord was with him. As his days become few, he begins to speak into the lives of his sons. The Torah says:

וַיִּקְרָא יַעֲקֹב אֶל־בָּנָיו וַיֹּאמֶר הֵאָסְפוּ וְאַגִּידָה לָכֶם אֵת אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָא אֶתְכֶם בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים

“Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come” (Gen. 49:1).

The words translated above, “in days to come,” means, “in the last days.” There is a rabbinic teaching that says the Lord showed Jacob all that would befall his sons, and how He would fulfill His covenant with Israel. Jacob desired to share this, but was restrained. He shared what he could see in part, but not in full (1 Cor. 13.9-10).

What did Jacob, this limping prophet, accomplish by sharing in part? In Genesis 48 we find Jacob blessing Joseph by demonstrating the “spirit of adoption” (Ro. 8:15). Manasseh and Ephraim were not sons of Jacob, but through the spirit of adoption, they became as his sons, equal to Joseph’s brothers. And by this adoption, Jacob set the fruitfulness (Ephraim) over the forgetfulness (Manasseh). Granting them rights of inheritance in the Promised Land.

But what of Jacob’s sons? The words found in Genesis 49 are prophetic, they are part of the whole. Jacob knew the deep valleys his family would traverse, but to share the fullness of that may leave them hopeless. So the Lord, by His grace, spoke through Jacob in part. And what was the end result?

They have a future.

At times we become so caught up in finding the meaning of a prophetic text, that we miss the obvious: there is a future.

While they are away from the Promised Land, under the protective covering of Joseph, it may seem that Israel’s end is in Egypt. No. As Jacob saw, Israel’s end is with God, but not lost among the nations, but with the nations before the Throne and the Lamb (Rev. 7:9).

Jacob’s words, as opaque as they are, relay life, hope, and covenant fulfillment. As Jacob prepares to rest, he prepares his sons for life without him, while safely in the care of the covenant Lord.

How deep and dark the valleys of life can be (Ps. 23:4)? But what is the promise attached to Psalm 23:4? “I will fear no evil. For You, the Lord, are with me.” You, Lord are with us: Emmanuel.

At times it can see that we are lingering in Egypt, a foreign land, separated from the promises of God. But in those times, we need to remember that, as with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we, as they, may graduate “in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth” (Heb. 11:13). If this be our end, is He unfaithful? Heaven forbid! We are caught up in a greater promise, and a greater end.

This limping prophet, Jacob, died in a foreign land, but rested in the promise as he spoke God’s promises into his son’s lives. And as Joseph himself would prophesy at the end of His life, “Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here” (Gen. 50:25).

“God will surely visit you,” and take you from this land, as He promised Abraham (Gen. 15), and when He does, take me with you. Did they? Yes: “As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money. It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph” (Josh. 24:32).

This limping prophet spoke life when life was far from perfect. All of us who have done some God wrestling limp after He touches us. What do we do with the limp? We rely on Him, and speak life into others. The slowness of the walk and the reliance on His Word causes us to see life, past, present and future, differently. We see it in light of Him. The finish is yet ahead, but we speak life to those along the way to it.

Being a limping prophet isn’t disqualifying, as a matter of biblical fact: it is the sign of qualification in living relationship with Him. How then do we walk? Leaning on the everlasting arms of the Yeshua/Jesus, Who is with us “even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20), even as He was in Egypt with Jacob as he spoke of: “the last days.”

Be well. Shalom.