Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Sunday's Message - The Patriarchs: Encountering the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph (Jacob Becomes Israel)

We're going to spend the summer of 2023 with the Patriarchs. During eleven worship services, beginning on Father's Day, we'll use passages from the book of Genesis to look at Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, focusing on how the Lord was consistently and actively involved in their lives. And by the end of the summer, we should have a better understanding of the one whom they followed and on how that same God can lead us. During this series, we'll look at the stories and passages below:

On Sunday, the message focused on what we can learn from the story of how Jacob became Israel, Genesis 32:22-31. A recording and copy of the sermon are below. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m.


If you remember, last week, I started the sermon by saying that Debbie and Maggie weren’t here in Sligo; they were spending some time visiting friends and family in Indianapolis. Well, as the little girl said in the movie Poltergeist 2... 


But I’ve got to tell you, unlike the family in the movie, this actually makes Coco and I really happy. And you know, if I’m completely honest, (and understand, I say this because she’s not here)even though I certainly miss Debbie when she’s gone, it’s particularly nice to have Maggie home, because it doesn’t happen all that often since she’s gone to college. But I guess that’s what makes the time she’s around really special.

Of course, whenever she’s with us, I find myself remembering things from the past, you know, when she was growing up, and I’m talking about both the good and the bad. I mean, I end up thinking about all those wonderful times we had playing Wendy Woo: Homecoming Warrior and listing both the presidents and vice presidents in order. But I also remember the not so good, like when I got a call after she fell on the concrete stairs outside the school and broke her nose or when she had her first fender bender as she was leaving Weir High and didn’t look both ways. Now those are some of the things I remember. And even though they’re always around, when she’s here, those memories sort of move from the back to the front. And it’s at those times, I realize how profoundly I’ve been changed by just having her in my life for these twenty-one years. 

And I’m mentioning this, because we’re going to be talking about that same kind of change this morning, you know, as we look at the story of how Jacob became Israel. Of course, as most of y’all know, this is the ninth message in this series I entitled The Patriarchs: Encountering the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. And to this point we’ve looked at a bunch of stories about God and Abraham and then a couple about God and Isaac. And this morning, we’re going to look at the last story dealing with God and Jacob, one in which he encounters the Lord in a way that’s extremely up close and personal and then leaves this encounter a changed man in two very important ways. Now that’s the story. And as we’ve done before, we’re going to look at what happened and then we’re going to apply it to ourselves. And hopefully, by the end, we’ll have a better idea about how we might encounter God and how that encounter can also change us. 

Of course, to reach that point, we really need to get a handle on the story itself. And to do that we need a little background. I mean, picking up where we left off last week, you know, when Jacob married the sisters, Leah and Rachel, Jacob’s family had now grown to eleven strapping boys (number twelve will come a little later). And in keeping with what we already know about Jacob and his father-in-law, when Jacob decided to take his brood back to the land promised to his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac, of course, Laban and Jacob tried to cheat one another as he was about to leave northern Syria. But this time, Jacob came out on top and got the best of Laban. Some Jacobs never change. But you know, as soon as this mess sort of resolved itself and things were looking up, Jacob received some very disturbing news. You see, as he and his family were heading back to his homeland, he got word that his brother Esau was coming to meet him. And since he knew that he’d already cheated his brother out of his birthright and his father’s blessing, Jacob assumed that Esau was looking to settle the score, something that caused him to head off to Laban in the first place. And after failing to slow Esau down by sending him a mess of goats and camels, cows and donkeys, Jacob sort of braced for the worst.

And I’ll tell you, it was at this point, Jacob encountered God in a special way. Just listen to what it says in Genesis:

Jacob got up in the middle of the night and took his wives, his eleven children, and everything he owned across to the other side of the Jabbok River for safety. Afterwards, Jacob went back and spent the rest of the night alone.

A man came and fought with Jacob until just before daybreak. When the man saw that he could not win, he struck Jacob on the hip and threw it out of joint. They kept on wrestling until the man said, "Let go of me! It's almost daylight."

"You can't go until you bless me," Jacob replied. [Genesis 32:22-26, CEV]

Now, that’s what happened. And you know, even though in the story, his opponent was only called “a man,” I feel pretty comfortable saying that we’re dealing with something divine here, whether an angel or maybe God himself. And I’ll tell you, so did Jacob. I mean, a little later in this same story, Jacob said, “I have seen God face to face, and I am still alive.” So he named the place Peniel (which means in Hebrew, “Face of God”). [Genesis 32:30, CEV]

You see, Jacob believed he’d encountered God on the other side of the Jabbok River. 

And as a result of that encounter, well, Jacob was changed. I mean, after demanding that “the man” bless him, just listen to what happened:

Then the man asked, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

The man said, “From now on, your name will no longer be Jacob. You will be called Israel, because you have wrestled with God and with men, and you have won.”

Jacob said, “Now tell me your name.”

“Don't you know who I am?” he asked. And he blessed Jacob.

Jacob said, “I have seen God face to face, and I am still alive.” So he named the place Peniel. The sun was coming up as Jacob was leaving Peniel. He was limping because he had been struck on the hip... [Genesis 32:27-31, CEV]

Now that’s what it says in Genesis. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s really important. 

You see, as a result of his encounter, Jacob was changed, wasn’t he? In other words, he just wasn’t the same person he used to be, you know, when he “...got up in the middle of the night and took his wives, his eleven children, and everything he owned across to the other side of the Jabbok River for safety.” [Genesis 32-22-23, CEV] In fact, I think he was changed in two very profound ways. I mean, first he left the encounter with a new name, a new identity. Remember, after hearing that his name was Jacob, “the man said, ‘From now on, your name will no longer be Jacob. You will be called Israel, because you have wrestled with God and with men, and you have won.’” [Genesis 32:28, CEV] You see, from that time on, he was no longer going to be Jacob, you know, “The Heel,” “The Schemer,” “The Cheat.” Instead, he was now Israel, the one who wrestled with God. And I’ll tell you, that new name, that new identity would shape the rest of his life. You see, he would become the father to twelve sons who would become twelve tribes. And they would be known as the children of Israel, not the children of Jacob. And through that family not only would God display his power, through him the savior of humanity would be born. You see, right along with Moses and David and Samuel, Jesus would be one of Israel’s children. I’m telling you, first, Jacob received a new identity. 

But second, as a result of his wrestling match with God, Jacob also faced a new reality. I mean, remember that, in his encounter, “when the man saw that he could not win, he struck Jacob on the hip and threw it out of joint.” [Genesis 32:25, CEV] Well, as a result, when “the sun was coming up as Jacob was leaving Peniel, he was limping because he had been struck on the hip...” In other words, because of the encounter, Jacob now had to deal with a new reality. I mean, before this, Jacob could really do whatever he pleased, and as we know, what pleased Jacob usually didn’t make the people around him feel all warm and fuzzy. My gosh, he stole from Esau, his brother. And he lied to Isaac, his father. And he cheated Laban, his father-in-law. And when things got hot and he needed to get the heck out of Dodge, he could always make a run for the border. But after this encounter, that changed. Now, Israel was hobbled; his running days were over. And he’d have to start living a life befitting his new name. You see, his self-centered, self-serving, self-absorbed days were done. Now he’d have to rely on God, the one who’s control Israel remembered every time he looked at his driver’s license and felt joint pain in his hip. I think I’m safe in saying that, as a result of this encounter, Jacob’s identity and reality changed, and he knew it as he limped away.

And I’ll tell you, I think the same thing can be said about us. You see, like Jacob, we also encounter God. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think God is close to us all the time. But having said that, I also believe that there are times when we might experience God in a special and a powerful way. Of course, it can happen in all kinds of situations. For example, it could be at a summer camp or in a hospital room. It could happen during a “Sight and Sound” experience in Lancaster or after seeing a movie that really touches our hearts at the AMC in Clarion. Man, it might even happen during a sermon some Sunday during worship or a Bible study on Wednesday morning or Thursday evening. But you know, the where and the how aren’t that important. Like miracles, I believe encounters with God are more than possible, and I’m talking about those special times when God feels incredibly close. They happen. They happened to Jacob and they can happen to us. But if you don’t think this kind of thing has ever happened to you, don’t worry. They don’t need to be sought. God’s always close. In fact, if you want to encounter God, just relax, lower your defenses and feel his presence. But file this away, the fact that y’all are here this morning, I believe that shows that you’ve experienced God whether you realize it or not. We encounter God.

But you know, again having said this, I think it’s important to understand that, just like Jacob, when that happens, when this encounter occurs, man, we are changed. And like him, I believe we’re changed in two ways. You see, because we’ve been touched and called by God, first, we’ve been given a new identity, something that we celebrated when Corbin was baptized a little while ago. You see, that’s what the sacrament is all about. In baptism, our identity is changed. And just think about what this identity change actually means. You see, it means that we’re no longer people left to figure out who we are or where we’re supposed to be or what we’re expected to do. That’s changed. Now, we know that we’re the children of God, the heirs of the promise, the brothers and sisters of Christ and to one another. And now we know that we have a place, a family in which we’re now members, a body in which we’ve been given a special function. And now we know that we have a purpose, a focus, a reason to live. And I really think that purpose is two-fold. I mean, on one hand, we’re certainly called to love. Remember, when asked which law was most important,

Jesus answered, “The most important one says: ‘People of Israel, you have only one Lord and God. You must love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.’ The second most important commandment says: ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is more important than these.” [Mark 12:29-31, CEV]

You see, on one hand, we’re called to love. But on the other hand, we’re also called to share. Again, just listen to the last words Jesus spoke to his disciples, according to Matthew: 

Jesus came to them and said:

I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world. [Matthew 28:18-20, CEV]

I’m telling you, just like it was for Jacob when he became Israel, when we encounter God, our identity changes. That’s one.
 
And second, because of that, like Jacob, we also face a new reality. In other words, when we accept the encounter and answer the call, I’m telling you, whether we like it or not, we’re now forced to face a different kind of world. You see, even though it may not involve a limp, after we come face-to-face with God, everything changes. All of sudden some of those things in which we took so much pleasure, well, they’re not nearly as fun anymore. And I’m not just talking stuff that the world labels unethical or immoral. Good night nurse, some of those things that used to enhance our popularity and feed our ego, man, we may have to give them up and let them go. Simply put, we’re not going to be able to put ourselves in the center of the universe any more, because we’re going to recognize that’s not where we belong. That place belongs to God. It’s like James wrote in his letter “to the twelve tribes scattered all over the world:” [James 1:1b, CEV]

Surrender to God! Resist the devil, and he will run from you. Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you people who can't make up your mind. Be sad and sorry and weep. Stop laughing and start crying. Be gloomy instead of glad. Be humble in the Lord's presence, and he will honor you. [James 4:7-10, CEV]

You see, the bottom line is this; when we recognize that we were loved before the foundation of the earth and that we were redeemed almost two thousand years before we were born and that those two things only have meaning because the God pried open our eyes and minds and heart, you see, when we realize all that, it’s hard not to feel humble. I guess you could say that meeting God hobbles our egos, and it’s difficult to be cocky with a limp. I’ll tell you, when we encounter God, our reality also changes and that’s two.

Right now, even as we speak, Debbie and Maggie are heading back to Morgantown,  and I’ll be following right after the service. And outside of some phone calls and the miracle of FaceTime, I don’t know whether I’ll see her again until Thanksgiving. But even if she’s not here, I know that I’m a different person now than I was twenty-one years ago. Because she’s been a part of my life, I’ve changed. But of course, I think every parent knows what I’m talking about.

And I’ll tell you, I think this was something Jacob learned, when he encountered God and found that both his identity and reality changed. And you know, I think the same can be said of us. You see, in a variety of ways, we’ve also encountered God. And through that encounter, our identity and our reality have also been changed. And this is something we can better understand because on the far side of the Jabbok River, after wrestling with God, Jacob becomes Israel.
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