But none of that really is the point, is it? Esau did, in a sense, sign over his right to receive the blessing from Isaac, but he still tried to get it in the end. If not for Jacob deceiving everyone, Esau’s sentiments about that moment were that he wanted to kill his brother. Then to ensure her son’s safety, because of this incident, Rebecca asked Isaac to send Jacob back to her brother’s house, her excuse being that she hated the Hittite women Esau has married.
Now comes the moment of truth. Jacob was about to see his brother again after all of these years. This brother Jacob hasn’t seen in 20 years is ahead of him and coming in Jacob’s direction with 400 men. Can you hear the way maybe his servant delivered the message to Jacob about his brother? “How’s your ulcer, sir?” “It still hurts, but I have been taking some of these chalky pills, and it seems to be a little better. So what is happening?” “Well, we did what you said.” “And my brother, any word about him.” “No, not much, except that he has 400 men with him.” I can actually hear Jacob reach for more of those pills at the sound of that report. Maybe time doesn’t heal old wounds. So Jacob devised a plan in case his brother attacked him and he can help at least some of his people and family escape.
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Then in Genesis 32:9 Jacob began to pray – his first prayer in this chapter. He knew God had spoken to him and told him to leave Laban and return to his home country, but he was afraid. He wanted God to deliver him from the hand of his brother because as he said in verse 11, “For I fear him.”
Then Jacob began to look over his flock and decided to give some of his sheep to his brother as a gift, and he told his servants what they were to say to Esau when he enquired about them.
Now we find Jacob all alone, just him and his thoughts, or so he thinks. Then seemingly out of nowhere a man appeared before him. For some reason – the Bible doesn’t tell us why – they begin to wrestle. Now you have to understand something here.
At the very least Jacob is 70 years old, not a young man anymore. Some scholars believe Jacob could be 90 when he began this wrestling match.
I don’t know how many of you know much about high school or collegiate wrestling, but there is one thing you have to be in order to wrestle and that is in good shape. Wrestling someone isn’t really a sprint as much as it is a marathon.
I remember when I wrestled during high school, and my coach would start off practice with the phrase, “Okay guys, start running.” For the first hour of practice we would run up and down the hall of our high school. After that, we would spend time conditioning, and then grappling with one another.