BROKENNESS OF GOD WHILE WRESTLING . The two names, which he got, were all given to him as an award for winning combats. . 1. The First Name he got was ‘Jacob.’ That was the name he got for winning the combat with his brother, by holding his brother’s heel while coming out of the womb (Genesis 25:26). Even his brother confirmed that he was rightly named ‘Jacob’ because he had cheated him twice: He took both his birthright and his blessing (Genesis 27:36). . 2. The Second Name he got was ‘Israel.’ That was the name he got for winning the combat with the angel. Actually, this name came to replace the first name Jacob; for He was elevated from Jacob to Israel. As it is written, “And he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’ And he said, “Your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince you have power with God and with men, and have prevailed.” (Genesis 32:27-28). . 3. Perhaps we should also include the fact that Rachel also prevailed over her sister, and a name was given to her adopted son. As it is written, “And Rachel said, ‘With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali” (Genesis 30:8) . Thus, he made name by conquering in the wrestling combat. That wrestling in which he got the name, ‘Israel,’ was the best wrestling he fought and won so far. It was both spiritual and physical; and he had power with God and became a prince, for he was inducted into the divine hall of fame. Therefore, we are going to look at this particular wrestling combat. . Obviously he won the combat over the angel meaning he had power over the angel (Hosea 12:4). However, he got stricken or wounded by the angel. Thus the one who got the victory was same one who got wounded; for he got dislocation at the joint of his thigh bones. . The nature of the wound that the angel gave to him was the type that burns more under the sun, than during the night. The angel knew what he had done, and part of the reason he was in a haste to leave while the day was breaking was because the angel knew that the moment the sun rises fully, the impart of that wound which he inflicted on him would be fully revealed. Thus, Jacob prevailed over the angel in the night, but felt the impact of the angel within his bones during the day under the heat of the sun (Genesis 32:31-32). . In the battle, there is room for the righteous to strike His own people and inflict wound on them just to correct them. As it is written, “Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head” (Psalms 141:5) . When the righteous wounds a man, He intends to keep him as friend or to correct him. Again as it is written, “Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” (Proverbs 27:5-6) . The blueness of a wound cleanses away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly (Proverbs 20:30). . Here is understanding: Every wound is a brokenness. Either the body was broken, the bone was broken, the teeth was broken, the heart was broken, the emotion was broken, the pride was broken, voice was broken or there was brokenness in the system - where there is wound there is brokenness. . We all shall experience brokenness one day as we approach the Lord. If we fall on the stone (Jesus Christ) we shall be broken: We must fall on the Stone or else the Stone shall fall on us ( Matthew 21:44). Thus, there must be a fall and there must be brokenness (wounds). Falling on the Stone (Jesus) is different falling to the devil (the enemy), in this wrestling combat. . Jacob was wounded by angel (friend) in the wrestling, so that Esau (enemy) would not touch him to hurt anymore. David fell into the hands of the Lord so that he will not fall into the hands of his enemies: It was better for the angel of the Lord to have wounded Davids kingdom, than to allow his enemy to wound the kingdom (1 Chronicles 21:10-13). . It was of the mercy of the LORD that Saul (Paul) was struck blind by the revelation of the LORD the first time Paul had the revelation of Jesus; considering he persecuted the Christians. That revelation struck him blind for three days, and it took the laying of hands by Ananias to help Paul recover his sight – and a scale fell out of his eyes in the day he recovered his sight (Acts 9:4-18). . Even though Paul recovered his sight, there was still the mark on his eyes which were not totally healed. Thus, Paul from that day on, had eye problem; and his eye problem was like a reproach or weakness, which he had whenever he stood preaching the gospel. We know that because he said the Galatians would have plucked out their eyes and given to him if it were possible, for they loved and sympathized with Paul for that physical deformity which he had (Galatians 4:15). As it is written, “You know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel to you at the first. And my temptation which was in my flesh you did not despise, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Jesus Christ. Where is then the blessedness you spoke of? For I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me. Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” (Galatians 4:13-16) . Since the day the angel dislocated the bone of Jacob, Jacob never wrestled physically with any man again for the rest of his life. Since the day the revelation of Jesus Christ struck Paul blind, Paul never again used physical force to fight against Christians or force them to convert back into his own religion or to renounce the Son of God, Jesus Christ. They all stopped relying on the arm of flesh, they were humbled and went on bearing the marks of physical deformities on their bodies, which helped to keep them humble; though it was a reproach before people who saw them. . Soon, you will meet ministers of God who have one form of physical deformity or another; yet wonders and power proceeds out of them. They are princes and princesses of the Most High, though they appear physically deformed or disfigured or disabled. . In those days, one of the marks of the prophets of God were the wounds or deformity they carry (Zechariah 13:4-6). Jeremiah even complained of his wounds (Jeremiah 10:19, 15:18). I do not want to speak about the stammering voice of Moses, which was brokenness and reproach he had as a minister of God. . However, the wound or brokenness must not necessarily be physical on the body, but must be in the body as humility. The best way to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God; is by keeping a broken and contrite heart within that body unto the Lord. As it is written, The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Psalms 51:17). . “From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Galatians 6:17)
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 13:15:45 +0000
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