Genesis 32

Who are you?

Previous post: Genesis 31

On Jacob's journey back to his homeland, he passes through his brother's land. Though he had been away for over 20 years, he is still worried about Esau's desire to kill him; so, he approaches with extreme caution. He stays on one side of a stream and first sends a procession of gifts. Eventually, he sends everything and everyone across the stream ahead of him, procrastinating his meeting with his brother, Esau. Jacob is left completely alone. Then, alone with his thoughts, fears, etc., he wrestles with God all night.

It’s important to jump back to Genesis 27. In Genesis 27, Jacob is asked the same question by his earthly father that he is asked by his heavenly father here in Genesis 32.

“Who are you, my son?” Isaac asks in verse 18. Jacob’s response: “I am Esau your firstborn.” (verse 19). Jacob doubles down on the lie in verse 24.

“Are you really my son Esau?” he asked.

“I am,” he replied. (Genesis 27:24, NIV)

I bet Jacob is thinking about this moment when he is again asked who he is in 32:27.

²⁷ The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered. (Genesis 32:27, NIV)

This time, he answers honestly. There is no more hiding. He is owning up to who he is—I think literally and symbolically. Jacob means supplanter, heal grabber, deceiver, over-reacher. He is owning up to being all of those things.

It seems that Jacob has been wrestling with God and himself…who he was as a person…his identity. In that moment of admission comes blessing. One moment, he admits who he is. The next moment—the next verse—God tells him who he will be.

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” (Genesis 32:28, NIV)

In the Bible, blessing often follows confession or humility.

Here’s takeaway #1 this week: even if you put on a brave face for the rest of the world, it’s important to be honest with God about who you are…especially in those moments where you’re wrestling with something or someone. God has a habit of stepping into those moments of humble vulnerability and using them as pivot points for his glory. Whether it’s Jacob in the darkness, Peter on the beach, Saul on the road to Damascus, a Samaritan at a well, Jonah in a fish, Zacchaeus in a tree, or Job in agony. Who are you? I’m Josh. I’m a prideful sinner too often focused on my own glory. I’m in need of mercy, grace, forgiveness, and guidance.

As for takeaway #2, it comes from verses 25 and 31.

When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.

The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. (Genesis 32:25 and 31, NIV)

A friend told me a story of a time he was riding mountain bikes in the canyon with a friend of his. At one point during the ride, he was really struggling to pedal. They stopped for a minute on the side of the trail. He was sweating like crazy and struggling for breath. Oddly, his friend didn’t appear tired or struggling for breath at all. That’s when he looked down at his bike tire and noticed something. His brake was stuck against the wheel. He had been pedaling with his brake on. No wonder he was exhausted.

That’s a good analogy for my life. For the past 6 years, I feel as though the brake has been stuck against the wheel of my life. Sleep evades us. I can count on one hand the number of times we left the house together as a family from 2022 until 2024. Every single task of our lives is 10x more challenging mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually than it was prior to 2021. We can’t quite get the brake off of the wheel. We walk with a limp.

The longer I limp through this life, the more I realize that everyone has a limp. Everyone is dealing with some sort of pain, tragedy, setback, or battle. Everyone. It’s just that some people are better at disguising it than others.

Jacob walked with a literal limp. Paul walked with a spiritual thorn in his flesh. I walk with emotional trauma few understand. I bet you walk with some challenge, too. In fact, I bet if your harshest critics knew about the particular challenge you’re walking with, they’d applaud you instead of criticize you.

My encouragement today: God shows up and shows off in our weakness—whether he chooses to take away our weakness or chooses to strengthen us and others by it. He used Israel with a limp. Paul with a thorn. Moses with a speech impediment. Peter with impulse control. Rahab with poor occupational life choices. Joseph with a prison sentence. A Samaritan woman with all kinds of issues. David with a lust issue. Gideon with weakness of lineage. Sarah and Rebekah and Rachel and Hannah and Mary with barren wombs. And, in one of my favorite turn of events, God uses a ragamuffin band of 12 politically and socioeconomically diverse people—each with all kinds of issues—to change the world.

Here’s this week’s AI rap summary:

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™