Title: Genesis 32:30-31 The morning of Peniel
Contents
Peniel's morning (Gen 32:30-31)
Let's have the 'Traces of God'
When you wake up with a desperate heart, what should you do to overcome the crisis in the morning of glory?
We are now meeting with a person who is returning to his hometown after over 20 years of immigration. His name is Jacob, which means 'holding the heel, a liar'. After a lot of hard work, he is returning to his hometown. He is a man who has worked hard for over 20 years and has lived through difficult times. He had a dream. Worked hard. Handy was also good. I was proud of my success. But when he thinks of his brother Esau, Jacob is dismayed. The anxiety that weighed on my heart as I approached my hometown now turns into fear.
As Jacob was meticulous in everything he did, he sent an advance squad to understand the situation. According to the information received today, my brother Esau is coming here with 400 men. I prepared a surprise gift for my brother. I prepared it to give my brother a gift that cannot be compared to a bowl of red bean porridge in the past, and that he can't prepare it even if he earns a lifetime. Having sent someone ahead of him with words and kindness that would touch his heart, his wife, children, and himself stood last. But even this was not enough to put my mind at ease. I prepared so thoroughly, but I can't help but feel anxious. When I left my hometown 20 years ago, I remember what my brother said. The image of him grinding his teeth and hitting the ground in anger keeps haunting me. His brother Esau approaches like a messenger from hell. Jacob is now crumbling with anxiety and fear that he will kill all his family members and take all of his possessions.
Why did Jacob want to go back to his hometown by doing this? Because it is the promised land and the house of God. Because it's my father's house. Jacob had not been able to lead a proper life of faith. It was not the life I had lived rightly by faith while living abroad for 20 years. I couldn't live a decent life. So it's even more disturbing.
No one like you!
In a moment of absolute solitude in darkness, Jacob is about to cross the Jabbok Ferry, but a dark shadow blocks his way. He is a messenger of God. God, who was keeping the covenant land, blocked the path of Jacob. "A thief like you can't enter this land!", "A sly bastard like you can't get in here!"
Jacob struggled with the problem of reconciliation with his older brother, but God came out with the problem of Jacob's sin. God, who keeps only the righteous and holy who can cross the borders of this earth, blocked Jacob's entrance through his angel. This is the land that God recommends, because it is the land where God's eyes always remain on it from the beginning of the year to the end of the year (Deut. 11:12). Jacob seizes the angel of God and weeps and begs him (Hos 12:4). The messenger of God urges, “Release me.” Jacob holds the messenger of God and does not let go. “I will not let you go unless you bless me. Do not leave me in this dark land. I want to live in the promised land,” he pleads.
Then, the angel of God breaks the bone of Hwando that was holding Jacob. Breaking Hwando's bones is an event in which Jacob's self-defense skills, his own wisdom, and the life experiences he had built up while escaping the crisis, and his kingdom, which he had built up like a stone wall, collapsed. The ego is completely broken. The many tricks and experiences I've learned in 20 years of living abroad will all fall apart. Jacob could no longer rely on him.
An angel of God speaks to Jacob. “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,” he declares. You changed your name. What blessing is there in the name of a deceiver? That's what you did. To change your name means to be reborn as a new being. God has given you a new name. This is the name of blessing.
After seeing God face to face
God left a mark on Jacob. He also made him a man who had to live with lameness for the rest of his life by smashing the bone. He made him become a person who lives with ‘the marks of God’ in his body. That sign means that the magnet is completely broken and crumbling. It means that your kingdom has collapsed. Jacob named the place Peniel. Because there he saw God. Peniel is a place name meaning “face of God”. Only those who have the traces of God can meet the morning of Peniel's glory. The ‘marks of God’ mentioned here are the traces of chastisement received for our sins. It is a sign of repentance. A sign of prayer. It is a sign of mercy and a sign of forgiveness.
The surprising thing is that Jacob crossed the Jabbok Naru with the traces of God and met his brother, but rather, the older brother ran first and embraced Jacob. A beautiful reconciliation has been achieved, and the brothers warmly embrace each other for the first time in more than 20 years and celebrate their reconciliation. At this point, Jacob said, "I see your face, it's like seeing the face of God." How amazing is this change? When I change, the whole world changes, and people who are like enemies feel like God. An ugly person is seen as a kind person. May this grace be with all of us. A relationship with man is a relationship with God, and a relationship with God is expressed as a relationship between people. So are we. Sermon notes
I pondered the words of Jacob's life and Yabbok Naru in these frameworks, such as entering a developed country, advancing to a country of hope, and realizing our vision. I think that the church should be like the church just as the chosen people should be like the chosen people. I have given you many events and signs, but you still have not returned to me. (Amos 4:6, 8, 9, 10, 11) I reflect on the words with a painful heart.