Title: The Story of Jacob
Contents
Wednesday worship service
Jacob's Story Genesis 32:22-31 49
He got up at night and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons across the Jabbok Ferry, and led them across the brook and his possessions. Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with Jacob until daybreak. And when he saw that he could not overcome Jacob, he struck Jacob's thigh, and Jacob's thigh was dislocated when he wrestled with the man. And he said, "Let the day come. Let me go." The man said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” He said, “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel. Give me your name, and the man said to him, "Why are you asking my name?" And he blessed Jacob there. So Jacob named the place Peniel, and he said, "I have seen God face to face, but my life has been spared." The sun rose as he passed by Peniel, and he was limp on his thigh.
Today's text is the story of Jacob. After great success, Jacob, the main character of the text, proudly goes to his hometown. He is afraid of retaliation from his brother, so he wants to give some of his possessions to his brother as a gift. Looking at the list of gifts from 32:14-15, “Two hundred female goats. Twenty male goats, two hundred ewes, twenty rams, thirty milking camels and their cubs, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten donkeys.”
We can see Jacob relying on what he has (worldly means and methods) and trying to solve it with what he thinks will be good if he gives a gift.
What we who live today should know is that while these possessions seem to be beneficial to our lives, they actually hinder our dependence on God. You can bring convenience and benefit to your life and enjoy it, but it is very difficult to depend on God as long as you depend on the possessions that you claim to be mine.
Even among the saints who have become children of God, you can see many people who have faith in ups and downs.
Faith in ups and downs is faith in ups and downs that blindly asks for blessings without even the least effort and will to believe and obey the Word of God, who has become life, without repenting.
The belief in ups and downs is the belief that idol worshipers have, that is, those who fall into shamanism. When you see those who believe in superstitions, they have no repentance at all. We can see that we live a wicked life and do all kinds of terrible things, but do our best to receive blessings. God's blessings never come without repentance and without effort and hard work to live according to God's will.
True blessings come to those who obey the word of God.
There is absolutely no blessing in the lives of those who want to use God cleverly to gain their own benefit or to achieve their goals and plans through greed.
Not all of them are like that these days, but if you look at some of the church members, you can see them being pathetic and pitiful, longing for blessings while not worshiping God properly on Sunday. In addition to that, you can see what you want without making any basic effort (reading the Word and praying), let alone the mission, service and devotion entrusted to you.
You can never receive God's blessings through faith in ups and downs.
Everyone who came out today! How was Jacob blessed?
Verse 24 says, “Jacob was left alone,” and Jacob was left alone.
There are many ways to change a person, but one of them is to remain alone. People change when they have nothing to depend on.
Let's read verses 24, 25, 26 together.
“Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with Jacob all day long, and when he saw that he could not overcome him, he struck Jacob's thigh, and Jacob's thigh was dislocated as he wrestled with him. Let me go.” Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
God struck Jacob's thigh joint. After wrestling with God at the Yabbok River, I suddenly lost my leg and became a pitiful life. This is the result after meeting with God.
This is from verses 26 to 31.
“The day is dawning, and let me go.” Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” He said, “Your name will be Jacob again. You shall not call it Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed. And Jacob begged and said, “Tell me your name.” The man said, “Why are you asking my name?” So he blessed Jacob there. I called his name Peniel, and he said, “I have seen God face to face, but my life has been spared.” As he passed by Peniel, the sun rose and he was limp on his thigh.”
But how does Jacob, who was lame, confess in verse 30?
Jacob is thrilled to see the face of God.
Verse 31 says, “As Jacob passed by Peniel, the sun rose.”
The Bible expresses the joy and thanksgiving of Jacob after he met God.
In the eyes of the world, Jacob met God and became disabled.
Where in the world could there be such a tragedy?
But Jacob, who became disabled, calls that place Peniel in verse 30.
Verse 31 says, “As Jacob passed by Peniel, the sun rose.”
Peniel means face of God.
The words given through the worship service tonight on Wednesday, the words that you and I, who are part of Saehan's family in Jacob's life, must keep in mind, no matter what crises and hardships there are in life, the path with God is a blessing and grace. It must be engraved deeply in your heart. If our relationship with God is broken and we say we are going alone, that road is destruction. As we go through life, complaints, dissatisfaction, resentment, and irritability often arise. But it is because there is still something that I depend on. If I am, my thigh joint must be dislocated so that I can rely on God properly. But everyone! It seems like a tragedy, but please believe that when it happens, you can live a blessed life with the thrill and joy of life.
Dear Saehan Church members,
Like Jacob, the protagonist of this verse today, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will become disabled by God's grace and that you will have eternal life filled with the blessings of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.