Lesson_60_Jacob_Wrestles

This is one of the most mysterious and pivotal nights in the entire Bible. Jacob sends his family across the

Jabbok River and is left entirely alone in the dark, terrified of meeting Esau the next day. Suddenly, a 'man'

attacks him, and they wrestle intensely until daybreak. When the man sees that Jacob will not give up, he

simply touches Jacob's hip, instantly dislocating it. Even with a crippled leg, Jacob clings to the man, shouting,

'I will not let you go unless you bless me!' The man changes Jacob's name to Israel ('Strives with God'). Jacob

realizes he was wrestling with God Himself and names the place Peniel ('Face of God'). Today, we explore the

anatomy of the hip, the grueling nature of wrestling with our faith, and how God breaks our self-reliance to

give us a new identity.