I wonder if any of you remember what happened on January 23, 1984? It was a cataclysmic event that changed American pop culture forever—it was the night Hulk Hogan defeated the Iron Sheik for the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship! I was only six years old, but I remember it like it was yesterday!
Hulk Hogan entered the ring to his signature song “Eye of the Tiger”, he ripped off his red tank top bearing the words “American Made” and exposed his 24-inch pythons. The bout went back and forth until the Sheik caught Hogan in his patented submission hold “The Camel Clutch” where he knocked Hogan to the mat, mounted his back, clasped his hands under his chin, and pulled up until Hogan surrendered in pain. This move spelled sure doom for all of the Sheik’s previous opponents, but Hulk Hogan was no ordinary opponent. With incredible stamina and strength, Hogan became the first wrestler in history to overcome the Camel Clutch. When he finally got back on his feet, he whipped the Sheik into the ropes, clotheslined him to the mat, dropped his massive leg across his neck, and pinned the Iron Sheik 1-2-3 for the win.
As mayhem shot through Madison Square Garden, pandemonium broke out in countless living rooms across the country. Like millions of other adolescent boys and desperate housewives, I was jumping up and down and cheering when commentator Gorilla Monsoon shouted, “Hulkamania is here!” The adrenaline was so palpable in my Hulkamaniac veins that I could have pinned any of the other six-year-olds in my first-grade class that night.
Hulk Hogan thrust the World Wrestling Federation into public stardom and sealed my fate as a wrestling fanatic. In addition to the Hulkster, I was enthralled with wrestling stars like Andre the Giant, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, and Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka. It was all wonderful—that was, until someone burst my bubble by telling me that professional wrestling was fake. When I finally came to grips with the fact that the whole thing was scripted, I became disillusioned and lost interest!
Even though I gave up on professional wresting fandom once I found out it was fictitious, I was just beginning to realize that life is actually filled with many wrestling matches. Sometimes we endure long difficulties and emerge victorious; other times life body slams us and leaves us lying flat on our backs. Life is full of unexpected twists and turns, reversals and escapes. Sometimes life gets the upper hand and pins us to the mat.
Like many things in life, our relationship with God can be like a wrestling match. So often, our will battles against God’s will in a struggle for supremacy. Think about this: We usually know what God wants us to do in most situations, but the question is, will we do it? We don’t need more information! We don’t need an angel to visit us! We don’t even need to pray about it! We just need to do it! But do we?
There is always a battle royal raging deep in our souls. But rather than simply submitting ourselves to God’s will, we often resist by relying on our own strength, experience, and ingenuity. And even though we know we can’t overcome God; it doesn’t stop us from trying! Have you ever grappled with God?
Grappling with God throughout Life (22-24a)
Jacob was a man who grappled with God throughout his whole life. Even though God predestined him to receive the covenant promises of his grandfather Abraham before he was even born, it took Jacob a long time before he got serious about his relationship God. When he first emerged from his mother’s womb, he was already clenching his brother’s heel, which was an omen that he would lead a life of deception and conflict. As a young man, he fought to win his father’s approval by bamboozling his brother out of his birthright and patriarchal blessing. Later on, after battling back and forth with Laban, he eventually outwitted his uncle and emerged from Haran with two wives, two mistresses, twelve children, and a massive herd of livestock.
By human standards, Jacob had become quite successful. Through his clever intellect and strong work ethic, he manipulated and maneuvered his way to the top of the company ladder and achieved great wealth. But he had largely ignored his relationship with God. Even though he appeared successful on the outside, his soul was rotting on the inside. His self-sufficiency and drive for worldly success took him further and further away from God.
But now that Jacob was about to cross the Jabbok and reenter the Promised Land, he knew that his brother Esau was coming for him. Deep down, he knew that there was no amount of personal possessions that could protect him from his brother’s wrath. So, after he sent his family and belongings across the stream, he stood on the banks of the Jabbok all alone, wrestling with his thoughts.
Why do so many people attempt to gain God’s blessing by their own efforts? Faced with a great opportunity or challenging task, they take matters into their own hands and use whatever means are at their disposal. In such situations, they may even dabble with dubious and deceptive practices—especially when life becomes desperate.
Some people put all of their efforts into either outworking or outwitting the system to get ahead in life. They say “If I just work hard enough…” or “If I just work smart enough…” or “If I can manipulate the system to work for me rather than against me…then I’ll get ahead! Then I’ll get the life I really want!”
But like Jacob, self-made men and women often end up alone and empty! How many people do you know who have sacrificed their family on the altar of success? How many people do you know who have lost sight of God because their eyes were fixed on gaining wealth and maintaining wealth? What about you? As you look back over your life, have you ever grappled with God?
Grappling with God Face to Face (24b-30)
As Jacob watched the sun dim over the gentle waters of the Jabbok and darkness fell upon the lonely land, a shadowy figure appeared in the moonlight and challenged Jacob to a wrestling match. Jacob neither knew the contenders identity nor the reason for the contest, but they grappled through the night—shoots and takedowns, throws and tosses, clenches and locks. The hours passed and both contenders wrestled to an exhausted stale mate. Jacob finally caught his opponent in a headlock and tried to choke him out. When the shadowy figure couldn’t escape Jacob’s powerful grip, he grabbed Jacob’s thigh and twisted his hip until it popped out of its socket. Jacob shrieked in pain, but he squeezed his opponent’s head even tighter because he knew that he would lose the bout if his opponent regained his feet.
As Jacob held onto his opponent, the morning sun appeared over the horizon and illumined the banks beside him. When Jacob looked upon his opponent’s glowing face, he realized that this was no ordinary man—this was a messenger from God Almighty. The mystery messenger finally surrendered by exclaiming, “Let me go, for the day has broken!” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Then the messenger asked, “What is your name? And when Jacob revealed his name, the angel of the Lord blessed him with a new name and a new identity. He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob (deceiver), but Israel (he strives with God) for you have striven with God and men and have prevailed.”
Jacob still didn’t fully understand the significance of this encounter until the angel refused to reveal his name. All of the sudden, it all made sense—the unnamed contender submitted to Jacob so that Jacob would finally submit God. When Jacob realized that he had come face to face with God and survived, he named the place Peniel.
Jacob’s life was transformed at this very moment! As he was about to reenter the Promised Land, the Lord appeared to him in dramatic fashion and changed him forever. Armed with the blessing of a new name and a new identity, Jacob renounced his old deceptive ways. Now that he had grappled with God and had seen him face to face, he was ready to embrace his divine destiny and follow God’s will instead of his own.
Now most of us will never grapple with God in the same way that Jacob did, but God does come to us from time to time. Sometimes its in dramatic fashion, but mostly its more mundane. But either way, God wants us to see him for who he really is—he wants us to feel his power—he wants us to surrender to his sovereignty.
As with Jacob, sometimes God has to inflict some pain on us before we are ready to submit to his will. If we continue to fight against him and try to go our own way, he may impose some form of physical, emotional, or relational pain to get through us. His purpose is not to harm us, but to help us! His motivation is love—he wants what is best for us!
So, let me just ask you: Have you been grappling with God in some area of your life? Have you been resisting his will? Have you been trying to live your life according to your own desires? Have you been trying to live by your own strength and resourcefulness?
Based on this biblical story, let me offer you a piece of advice: If you have been grappling with God, give up! You can’t contend with the Almighty! Stop resisting! Stop striving! Stop manipulating! Surrender your life to God—your whole life! Submit yourself to his will!
Grappling with a Limp (31-32)
Notice that when the sun fully rose, Jacob passed by Penuel with a limp—his hip was still dislocated. God certainly had the power to put his hip right then and there. After such a dramatic encounter, we might even expect God to restore his hip to its socket, but he didn’t. The text doesn’t tell us if Jacob’s hip ever healed, but I suspect Jacob struggled with a limp for the rest of his life. Why? Just as God gave the Apostle Paul a thorn in his flesh to keep him humble after his surpassingly great revelations, I think God left Jacob a lingering limp as a constant reminder of this incredible encounter. The purpose of the limp was to help him continue to rely on God rather than return to his old deceptive and self-sufficient ways.
The story ends with an odd comment that to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket because the Lord’s messenger touched the socket of Jacob’s hip on the sinew of the thigh. Like Jacob’s limp, this dietary restriction served as a perpetual reminder that when Jacob surrendered to God, Israel emerged victorious!
Some people may struggle to understand why God would allow a person to limp through life. Some people even use suffering as an excuse to not believe in God. They say things like, “If God really loved people, he wouldn’t allow them to experience pain! If God was really all-powerful, he would prevent all accidents and cure everyone’s diseases!”
But even if we don’t fully understand it in the moment, God always has a good purpose for giving us pain. After the incredible transformation Jacob experienced by the Jabbok, I wonder if he resented his limp? I doubt it! After the incredible transformation Paul experienced on the Damascus road, I wonder if he resented the thorn in his flesh? I seriously doubt it! After the incredible transformation that we have experienced through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, should we resent the pain that God allows us to endure? No! Whatever pain we endure in this life is meant to keep us humble by reminding us of the pain that Jesus endured for us!
If we must walk through life with a limp, let’s remember that Jesus limped all the way to the cross for us! If we must go through life with a thorn in our flesh, let’s remember that Jesus endured a crown of thorns for us! If we must be denied some earthly pleasures, let’s remember that Jesus gave up all the splendors of heaven to come and die for sinners like us! May our pain always point us to our great redeemer!
I can’t remember if I’ve ever asked you this: Are you grappling with God? If you are, give up!