Love God And Love People
In Genesis 32, Jacob has an encounter with God that changes everything for him. This story is a great example of how important it is to have an encounter with God. Most people seek God when things get difficult and expect God to answer their prayer with some kind of miracle that deals with a temporal situation that they are in. When in fact, God loves to show up and deal with the real heart issue. We think we know best and ask God for a specific prayer to be answered and God says, “There are way bigger things that I want to deal with in you.” God is a master at not just fixing your situation, but fixing you in the process too.
Jacob spent his entire life living a lie. He even went as far as stealing the first born birth right from his older brother Esau. Jacob then runs from home, marries multiple women, and is tricked into spending 14 years of his life working for a deceiver like himself. Finally Jacob yearns for home and decides its time to face his past. On his way home he rests for the night in preparation to meet his brother Esau. He sends his wives and children away and then starts to seek an encounter with God. Jacob goes to God with one request, “bless me” so this situation with my brother can be fixed. This prayer may sound similar to most people because humans love to pray “God fix this mess that I got myself into.” When the angel shows up (spoiler alert: the angel is actually Jesus) they wrestle, which is a symbol of the struggle Jacob has had with God his entire life. By the end of the night Jacob is still crying out to God for a blessing, and God responds with “I want to fix your situation, but more importantly I want to fix your heart.”
God touches Jacob’s hip and dislocates it, causing him to walk with a limp for the rest of his life. However God also changes his name, He says, “You shall now be called Israel.” Jesus is still doing this today. When He took the cup of wrath with your name on it and was hung and killed on a cross, anyone who accepts the gift of salvation is touched by Jesus and their walk will never be the same. You are given a new name (2 Cor 5:17) and, you become a completely new creature.
The amazing part doesn’t stop there. Jacob realizes through this encounter that is was always God’s desire to bless him. Jacob didn’t need to steal the birth right from Esau, God chose him before that ever happened. In Genesis 25:23 the prophecy clearly states that, “The elder shall serve the younger.” This was before they were born and God had the intention of great things to come through Jacob.
The next morning when Jacob finally meets Esau he says, “Accept my present from my hand, for truly to see your face is like seeing the face of God” (Gen 33:10). Through this statement we see all that God has done for Israel with the encounter. Israel was changed into a new man who made God his Lord. Israel was a man who finally understood that he didn’t have to lie and steal to get ahead, God already favored him. Finally, Israel learned that when looking into the face of your brother, or sister, or neighbor its like looking into the face of God. Loving your neighbor is like loving God himself. This truth is very much linked to the understanding of how Israel saw the blessing of God.
This is the same message that Jesus brings when He speaks to the religious folks. The two greatest commandments are love God and love people (Matt 22:37-40). Having an encounter with God means everything changes. You change, your situation changes, and how you see people changes.
