Steps to Christ WINNING BY LOSING
And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. Gen. 32:26.
It is interesting to learn that salvation by faith is taught just as strongly in the Old Testament as in the New. This is not just a New Testament teaching. We have noticed that one of the stories that teaches some of he deepest lessons is the story of Jacob found in Genesis 32. In the previous chapter we find that Jacob has stolen away from his uncle, in the dark of night, taking his two wives and his flocks and herds, and is headed for home.
The closer he gets to home, the more nervous he gets. He hears that there are four hundred soldiers coming. The enemy is coming. Esau is on the warpath. And Jacob gets scared. So he comes up with some clever strategy. He divides his company into two groups, thinking that if one group gets attacked, the other group can escape. He does everything he can think of to secure his own safety, to do his own thing. He thinks God helps those who help themselves. Finally, in desperation, he goes by himself in the darkness of night by the brook Jabbok, to pray. Genesis 32:24-28: "Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed."
From this story we learn two major things. First, conversion and absolute or constant surrender do not necessarily come at the same time in one's experience. In fact, they seldom do. The second point is that the end of self-effort requires a struggle that none of us are going to get by without recognizing we've been through it. Jacob came forth from his experience crippled. And we understand that he was crippled the rest of his life. We will know when such an experience happens. You may not know when you were converted. But you are going to know when you go through the kind on crisis that Jacob did at Jabbok.
And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. Gen. 32:26.
It is interesting to learn that salvation by faith is taught just as strongly in the Old Testament as in the New. This is not just a New Testament teaching. We have noticed that one of the stories that teaches some of he deepest lessons is the story of Jacob found in Genesis 32. In the previous chapter we find that Jacob has stolen away from his uncle, in the dark of night, taking his two wives and his flocks and herds, and is headed for home.
The closer he gets to home, the more nervous he gets. He hears that there are four hundred soldiers coming. The enemy is coming. Esau is on the warpath. And Jacob gets scared. So he comes up with some clever strategy. He divides his company into two groups, thinking that if one group gets attacked, the other group can escape. He does everything he can think of to secure his own safety, to do his own thing. He thinks God helps those who help themselves. Finally, in desperation, he goes by himself in the darkness of night by the brook Jabbok, to pray. Genesis 32:24-28: "Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed."
From this story we learn two major things. First, conversion and absolute or constant surrender do not necessarily come at the same time in one's experience. In fact, they seldom do. The second point is that the end of self-effort requires a struggle that none of us are going to get by without recognizing we've been through it. Jacob came forth from his experience crippled. And we understand that he was crippled the rest of his life. We will know when such an experience happens. You may not know when you were converted. But you are going to know when you go through the kind on crisis that Jacob did at Jabbok.
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