We are in chapter 32 of Genesis with our word which will be actually two words because of their connection to each other. Our first word is used for the first time in the Bible. יֵּאָבֵ֥ק the root word is אָבַק wrestle. It is used 2 times in the Old Testament, both occurrences are in our chapter. Genesis 32:24-25 And Jacob was left alone. And a man יֵּאָבֵ֥ק wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he הֵֽאָבְק֖ wrestled with him. Now this is interesting in and of itself because at this point we don’t know who this wresting opponent of Jacob’s is because he is only identified as a man. Then it gets even more interesting. Genesis 32:26-28 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but יִשְׂרָאֵל Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
Our second word is יִשְׂרָאֵל Israel. It is used 2,503 times in the Old Testament. It is a compound word made up of two root words אֵל God and שׂרה to strive, to contend. So, this is why Jacob is named Israel because of the meaning of these two words put together. Even though our first word אָבַק wrestle is not the same word as שׂרה to strive, to contend the concepts are definitely related. One day when I was reading the Bible through in a year. I got to this passage when it hit me. I think God is calling Jacob Israel because God’s people are like that little kid that is trying to kick you and you have to hold him back away from you so he can’t hurt you. Then I laughed to myself because it is so true. God as our parent gets hurt a lot because he loves us so much he is close enough to us to feel the effects of our struggling against Him and His will for our lives. I don’t know for sure but it could be that God is painting a picture of what His people would be like throughout all time. One thing is for sure the Israelites definitely wrestled with God throughout the Bible as we will see in the days to come. At the conclusion of Stephen’s speech, he says this about the Israelites Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. And we as Christians do the same thing. I can relate to Paul’s honesty in trying to do God’s will and become more like Christ. Romans 7:15-19 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate...For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing… For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? But that is a part of all relationships on this earth we struggle and wrestle. This is not bad what is bad is when we give up on the struggle and just give into sin because it will destroy us. So struggling is a good thing. The good news is that if we are in Christ not only will we be with him forever when Jesus comes back but our struggle with sin will be over because our sanctification process will be complete. We will be free from not just the consequences of sin (justification) and not just the effects of sin (sanctification) but we will be completely free from the presence of sin. 1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
