Walking with a Limp

 I am indebted in this sermon to two books by Frederick Buechner, Peculiar Treasures and The Magnificent Defeat.

       He was named “Jacob” which means “the one who takes by the heel” or the “one who takes the place of.”  This described Jacob’s character from the very start.  He induced his brother Esau to sell his rights of being first born in exchange for a good meal.  He deceived his father Isaac into giving him the blessing intended for Esau.  Jacob was a scoundrel, a liar and a thief.

       In Genesis 29-30 we read of Jacob’s life in Haran where he works for his Uncle Laban.  We looked at part of the story on August 6.

       Laban is the one person who can match Jacob dirty trick for dirty trick.  He tricks Jacob into marrying his unwanted older daughter Leah.  He then requires him to labor seven more years for the privilege also marrying Rachel.  This sister-act creates a whole host of problems.  But Laban set it up so it had to happen.  Rachel is the first person outside himself that Jacob seems to have cared about.  Laban tries to cheat Jacob out of his wages.  But Jacob opens his own bag of tricks and ends up rich at Laban’s expense.

       Finally, Jacob has had enough of Laban.  He suspects that Laban has also had enough of him.  He gathers up his complex family and his property – and some of Laban’s property as well – and heads back for Canaan .

       When Laban discovers that Jacob is gone, he goes after him with an armed posse.  He intends to have it out with Jacob once and for all.  But God takes Jacob’s side.  He appears to Laban in a dream and warns him to back off.  So at this point Jacob and Laban make a covenant.  They call upon God to “watch between them” while they are absent one from another.  This isn’t a tender moment.  They are saying, “I don’t trust you with my back turned.  God, you keep this guy honest.”

       As Jacob leaves Laban he sees an army of angels in the sky.  He realizes that it was God who has protected him.

       But Jacob had escaped one danger only to face another.  Everyone wants a piece of Jacob.  His scout brings alarming news – “Your brother Esau is headed this way with 400 armed men.”

       Jacob finally takes God seriously.  For the first time he admits his need.  He asks God to protect him for the sake of the promise he had made to him at Bethel twenty years before.  But then, of course, Jacob goes back to his own plans – just in case God doesn’t follow through.  Jacob is still Jacob – even at prayer.

        Jacob reaches the brook Jabbock which is all that stands between him and the Promised Land.  He sends his family and servants across ahead of him.  But he remains alone to spend the night on the east bank.  Maybe it is to protect himself in case Esau attacks the camp.  Maybe it is to savor his return to the land God promised him and his descendants.

       Jacob is left alone.  And Jacob like many others throughout history finds himself along to struggle with God.  Be careful if you are away from other people, away from the radio, away from the computer, away from distractions.  God just might chose that moment to pay you a visit.

       Author Frederick Buechner describes the action this way: “Out of the deep of the night a stranger leaps. He hurls himself at Jacob, and they fall to the ground, their bodies lashing through the darkness.  It is terrible enough not to see the attacker’s face, and his strength is more terrible still – the strength of more than a man.  All the night through they struggle in silence until just before morning when it looks as though a miracle might happen.  Jacob is winning.  The stranger cries out to be set free before the sun rises.  Then, suddenly, all is reversed.

       “He merely touches the hollow of Jacob’s thigh, and in a moment Jacob is lying there, crippled and helpless.  The sense we have, which Jacob must have had was that the whole battle was from the beginning fated to end this way.  The stranger had simply held-back until now, letting Jacob exert all his strength so that when he was defeated, he would know that he was truly defeated; so that he would know that not all of the shrewdness, will, brute force that he could muster were enough to win.  Jacob holds on to this opponent, only now it is a grip not of violence but of need, like the grip of a drowning man.”

       What is the meaning of this strange scene?

       The meaning seems to be this – that the only effort that succeeds when we wrestle with God is the expression of a surrendered life.  The only way to win with God is to say “uncle”.

       Jacob wrestled with people.  He matched wits with Esau and came away with the birthright, with Isaac and ended up with the blessing, with Laban and emerged with much of Laban’s wealth in his own hands.   But the one whose blessing he now must have is God.  At last Jacob realizes his absolute helplessness.  Then, and only then, does he learn how to succeed with God.  He holds on and pleads for the blessing he cannot win by his own wits or his own strength.

       God responds with an extraordinary challenge to Jacob: “What is your name?”

       This is an incredible question from an all-knowing God!  Why would God ask Jacob for his name?  Think of all that God could have said by way of reprimand.  Instead he merely asks for Jacob’s name.

       This is because Jacob is compelled by God’s question to relive the last time he had asked for a blessing – the one he had stolen from his brother.  The last time Jacob was asked his name, the question had come from his earthly father, Isaac.  Jacob had lied and said, “I am Esau,” and stole the blessing.  Now he finds himself, after many wasted years of running through life looking over his shoulder, before an all-knowing, all-seeing heavenly Father, once more seeking a blessing.

       Remember that Jacob is returning to the promised land and that, unless something very drastic happened, he is going to go back as the same old schemer he was when he left, twenty years before.  God needs to cause Jacob to face up to himself so that he can be fit to face up to his destiny.

       One of the strange statements in this story is verse 25.  What does it mean that the Lord “couldn’t overpower Jacob”?  He could have annihilated him just by speaking the word.

      But the verse makes sense.  Besides grappling with God, Jacob is also wrestling with his own sinfulness.  The Lord didn’t pin Jacob because he never forces us to surrender.  He leaves our free will intact.  God is dealing here with a son, not a slave and he wants Jacob to face ip to his sin by crossing over the river to face his brother – not dragged there against his will but walking freely.

       Freely – but with a limp.  His limp is a reminder for the rest of his life of the night he wrestled and when God changed his name.  Jacob had fled from his cheated brother Esau and escaped from his father in law Laban.  But the pain in his hip will keep him from running away any more.  Whenever his actions cause him problems, his limp reminds him, “no use trying to escape.  Face your responsibilities the way you had to face Esau.”

       I believe Jacob fully understands the reason and the indictment behind God’s question about the name.  He answers, “My name is Jacob.”  “You have spoken the truth,” God said, “and you know what your name means.  You have been a deceitful man, playing fast and loose with everyone everywhere you went.  But now that you acknowledge the real you I can change you, and I will make a great nation out of you.”

       The mysterious wrestler tells him that his name will no longer be Jacob – the one who takes the place of – but Israel – the one who has wrestled with God and won!

       How has Jacob won?  Not by fighting but by holding on and pleading.  The change of name reflects a change in Jacob’s – now Israel ’s character.

       You see, to this point Jacob/Israel has trusted only himself.  But now he recognizes his dependence on God and gives himself to prayer – prayer that accepts God’s will for his life rather than trying to bend God’s will to his own.  He sees how vain it is to try to do a snow job on people or God to secure the best things in life when God has already given the best in life as a free gift.  He is shown that there are some things that not all of the dishonesty in the world will get him – and, apparently, that not all the dishonesty in the world will keep him from having. That is a place in the plan of God.  For some reason God has chosen Jacob and, as scripture says, “The callings of God are irrevocable.”

       Isn’t that what this Lord’s Table is all about?  We are not here because we’ve earned it. We aren’t barred from being here because we’ve blown it. We are here because God has decided in Christ that we should be here by His own free choice – just as He chose Jacob as a free choice.  Like Jacob, we limp up here.  The Lord calls us in our need – renews us – and renames us after Himself..  We aren’t to look for reasons because they can’t be found in ourselves.  Like Jacob we are simply to wrestle, surrender and receive God’s blessing.