WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.120 The following is a bonus episode recorded in 00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:06.700 question and answer format with Michaela in 2020. 00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:10.060 Your host Paul Robbins is currently serving in 00:00:10.060 --> 00:00:14.259 Israel, but will return on February 10th. Welcome 00:00:14.259 --> 00:00:17.199 to Journey from Jacob. From our first breath 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:20.160 to our last heartbeat, we are all on a journey. 00:00:21.120 --> 00:00:23.379 Jacob was a biblical character whose journey 00:00:23.379 --> 00:00:27.050 is documented for our benefit. Like all of us, 00:00:27.329 --> 00:00:29.489 there were unforgettable moments along the way 00:00:29.489 --> 00:00:33.250 which required decisiveness. One of those decisions 00:00:33.250 --> 00:00:36.950 determined his destination. We will not only 00:00:36.950 --> 00:00:40.189 discuss Jacob's journey, but Israel's as well, 00:00:40.549 --> 00:00:44.210 right up to date. May this podcast inspire you 00:00:44.210 --> 00:00:47.189 to make choices along your way that will benefit 00:00:47.189 --> 00:00:50.609 others and guide you to the destination we all 00:00:50.609 --> 00:00:57.140 long for. You have struggled with God and with 00:00:57.140 --> 00:01:00.600 humans and have overcome Jacob said please tell 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:03.780 me your name, but he replied why do you ask my 00:01:03.780 --> 00:01:07.140 name? Then he blessed him there So Jacob called 00:01:07.140 --> 00:01:10.760 the place Peniel saying it is because I saw God 00:01:10.760 --> 00:01:14.000 face to face and yet my life was spared and in 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:17.180 that chapter we see Jacob struggling with a man 00:01:17.180 --> 00:01:20.079 and then being blessed and his name changing 00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:22.859 kind of both at once. And later on, we're going 00:01:22.859 --> 00:01:25.400 to be talking about the importance of that renaming 00:01:25.400 --> 00:01:28.780 moment. But for now, we're going to talk about 00:01:28.780 --> 00:01:31.939 that struggle and his fighting with that man 00:01:31.939 --> 00:01:35.359 and what that meant and how that led to the blessing. 00:01:35.819 --> 00:01:38.900 So the question for now is, Jacob was already 00:01:38.900 --> 00:01:42.439 blessed by Isaac. Why did he need to be blessed 00:01:42.439 --> 00:01:44.879 again? Why did he feel the need to struggle with 00:01:44.879 --> 00:01:47.439 this man and get blessed again? That's good. 00:01:48.120 --> 00:01:53.319 So, it's kind of like you get something that's 00:01:53.319 --> 00:01:57.760 given to you, but it has no batteries. So, you 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:00.260 get this wonderful toy. It's in your possession, 00:02:00.280 --> 00:02:03.319 but it can't function because there's nothing 00:02:03.319 --> 00:02:06.040 that's going to start it to move or do what you 00:02:06.040 --> 00:02:08.360 think it's supposed to do. So Jacob was in this 00:02:08.360 --> 00:02:11.280 place with the blessing. It seemed like it was 00:02:11.280 --> 00:02:14.479 supposed to be his, but he didn't sense anything 00:02:14.479 --> 00:02:17.479 in him that changed him. He still felt himself 00:02:17.479 --> 00:02:20.659 as this, this conniver, this guy who had to get 00:02:20.659 --> 00:02:23.580 his way. And so we see that story unfold when 00:02:23.580 --> 00:02:26.719 he leaves his parents' house and travels back 00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:31.280 to where his mother is from, and he lives with 00:02:31.280 --> 00:02:34.520 his mother's brother. And he's really looking 00:02:34.520 --> 00:02:38.599 for a wife amongst his mother's brother's family, 00:02:39.060 --> 00:02:41.699 which genetically seems wrong now, but back then 00:02:41.699 --> 00:02:45.080 we're in a different age where it didn't really 00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:51.419 affect them like it does today. So he sees a 00:02:51.419 --> 00:02:53.639 little woman of his dreams, which is Rachel, 00:02:55.719 --> 00:03:01.099 and his uncle, his mother's brother, which is 00:03:01.689 --> 00:03:06.229 his uncle, it's kind of confusing already, Uncle 00:03:06.229 --> 00:03:09.830 Laban, is a conniver. It just so happens, just 00:03:09.830 --> 00:03:12.250 like Jacob. It's sort of like what you reap is 00:03:12.250 --> 00:03:15.370 what you sow. So Jacob is starting to sow that 00:03:15.370 --> 00:03:17.490 which he's reaped for many years of his life, 00:03:17.810 --> 00:03:19.969 this sense of conniving and deceiving others 00:03:19.969 --> 00:03:24.889 to get his own way. So when he thinks he's gotten 00:03:24.889 --> 00:03:28.990 Laban's daughter to be his wife on the wedding 00:03:28.990 --> 00:03:32.360 day, on the wedding night, it's actually Rachel's 00:03:32.360 --> 00:03:36.919 sister, Leah, not Rachel herself. And that was 00:03:36.919 --> 00:03:39.479 Laban's doing. He switched the sisters until 00:03:39.479 --> 00:03:42.819 the older sister go in to Jacob. And Jacob wakes 00:03:42.819 --> 00:03:44.520 up in the morning and says, what's this all about? 00:03:44.659 --> 00:03:47.759 You know, he's like freaking out because the 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:50.199 woman of his dreams is not lying in bed with 00:03:50.199 --> 00:03:52.939 him in the morning. So that begins this whole 00:03:52.939 --> 00:03:56.680 episode where, no, you can't just have Rachel. 00:03:56.719 --> 00:04:00.639 You can have Rachel, but first you have to work 00:04:00.639 --> 00:04:03.080 for me for seven years, and then after that I'll 00:04:03.080 --> 00:04:04.900 see if you're worthy enough, then I'll give you 00:04:04.900 --> 00:04:07.560 Rachel. Well, anyway, this whole thing goes on. 00:04:08.670 --> 00:04:11.289 his character starts to be developed at this 00:04:11.289 --> 00:04:14.030 point, like never before. Because life for him 00:04:14.030 --> 00:04:15.949 was pretty much easy street, even though he had 00:04:15.949 --> 00:04:19.209 his ups and downs. He had run for his life, but 00:04:19.209 --> 00:04:22.730 still he's alive. And he feels the safety and 00:04:22.730 --> 00:04:24.750 the protection of his mother and father, even 00:04:24.750 --> 00:04:27.350 if from a distance. So seven years to him is 00:04:27.350 --> 00:04:29.670 no longer a big thing because he's so awestruck 00:04:29.670 --> 00:04:32.329 by Rachel that he's going to live it out until 00:04:32.329 --> 00:04:35.600 that day. So that day approaches. Fast forward, 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:39.439 he has to stay another seven years to live in 00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:43.160 Laban's house because that's the deal on Laban's 00:04:43.160 --> 00:04:46.319 side. And Jacob's willing to do that. Now he 00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:48.860 has two wives, and they start to bear children 00:04:48.860 --> 00:04:52.899 for him, some through Rachel, some through Leah, 00:04:53.420 --> 00:04:57.100 and some through their handmaidens. And so he 00:04:57.100 --> 00:05:01.180 builds up this family. There's 11 sons, and they... 00:05:01.339 --> 00:05:04.019 God, he hears from God, it's time for you to 00:05:04.019 --> 00:05:08.899 go back to your father's house. So he packs up 00:05:08.899 --> 00:05:13.379 his wives, his livestock, which is much. He's 00:05:13.379 --> 00:05:16.660 got much in the way of possessions, far more 00:05:16.660 --> 00:05:18.199 than what he came with. He came with nothing, 00:05:18.680 --> 00:05:21.199 and he's literally leaving with a company, what 00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:24.779 they call by number, a company of his herd. It's 00:05:24.779 --> 00:05:27.519 gigantic herd, which God said that you were going 00:05:27.519 --> 00:05:29.860 to get all these. Part of the blessing is that 00:05:29.860 --> 00:05:31.199 you're going to have multiplied possessions. 00:05:31.220 --> 00:05:33.980 You will return with a company. And so he's actually 00:05:33.980 --> 00:05:37.100 returning now with two companies. So God's multiplied 00:05:37.100 --> 00:05:39.860 blessing to him in the natural. So it's very 00:05:39.860 --> 00:05:42.790 important to know in the natural Jacob is being 00:05:42.790 --> 00:05:45.189 blessed, just like God said. He's got 11 sons, 00:05:45.230 --> 00:05:47.689 he's got daughters that they don't number, but 00:05:47.689 --> 00:05:50.449 he's also got a tremendous amount of flocks and 00:05:50.449 --> 00:05:53.129 he's got servants with him. This large company, 00:05:53.269 --> 00:05:56.730 two companies of people and flocks and herds. 00:05:57.910 --> 00:06:03.269 So he leaves Laban and on the way out of the 00:06:03.269 --> 00:06:06.490 land where he's coming from, Laban's territory, 00:06:08.250 --> 00:06:11.949 Laban shows up. So Laban is hot on the trail 00:06:11.949 --> 00:06:14.569 after him because he realizes that Jacob snuck 00:06:14.569 --> 00:06:17.990 out at night with his daughters, his grandchildren, 00:06:18.110 --> 00:06:20.509 and all his possessions, and apparently they 00:06:20.509 --> 00:06:22.910 lived on a different part of the property. So 00:06:22.910 --> 00:06:25.100 he could do that because it's a huge... group 00:06:25.100 --> 00:06:27.959 to sneak out in one night, but he had it all 00:06:27.959 --> 00:06:30.220 planned out and they left. And remember, he's 00:06:30.220 --> 00:06:32.939 a professional deceiver. He's a conniver. He 00:06:32.939 --> 00:06:36.300 knows how to do these things. So he gets on the 00:06:36.300 --> 00:06:38.920 road and then Laban shows up and says, hey, somebody 00:06:38.920 --> 00:06:43.120 took the family idol. And he starts getting on 00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:45.819 Jacob's case that not only did he take away without 00:06:45.819 --> 00:06:48.959 saying his goodbyes, but he stole the family 00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:52.389 idol, which no one does that. So Jacob said, 00:06:52.689 --> 00:06:55.470 hey, search me. I got nothing. Search my everything. 00:06:55.629 --> 00:06:58.689 Search anyone. Anyone who has this, if you find 00:06:58.689 --> 00:07:01.329 this on anyone, that person can be cursed. You 00:07:01.329 --> 00:07:05.550 can do what you want with. It was actually Rachel 00:07:05.550 --> 00:07:09.490 that took that family idol, but she saw her father 00:07:09.490 --> 00:07:13.149 coming and she hid it under her purse, sitting 00:07:13.149 --> 00:07:15.889 on it, and she told her father that, I'm going, 00:07:16.110 --> 00:07:18.930 please don't make me get off the saddle because 00:07:18.930 --> 00:07:21.689 I'm going through the season of women. So that 00:07:21.689 --> 00:07:24.529 he says, okay, just stay there. And he trusts 00:07:24.529 --> 00:07:26.350 it's his daughter and she would certainly not 00:07:26.350 --> 00:07:30.790 do this. So they leave. And the problem is that 00:07:30.790 --> 00:07:35.029 it's... Laban is still not satisfied, but he's 00:07:35.029 --> 00:07:38.069 leaving him alone. And so they get to this point 00:07:38.069 --> 00:07:42.430 to a river crossing. The river is called Jabak, 00:07:42.790 --> 00:07:46.089 which literally means crossing over. So from 00:07:46.089 --> 00:07:48.689 there, they'd be crossing over into the land 00:07:48.689 --> 00:07:52.189 where his forefathers lived, the land of promise, 00:07:52.730 --> 00:07:55.910 which God had already appointed for Abraham and 00:07:55.910 --> 00:08:00.529 his descendants. He remembers very clearly that 00:08:00.529 --> 00:08:02.689 the last thing his brother said is, the next 00:08:02.689 --> 00:08:06.170 time I see you, it's the end. And he knows the 00:08:06.170 --> 00:08:11.410 kind of man his brother is because he— disobeyed 00:08:11.410 --> 00:08:13.509 his parents at the drop of a hat and went off 00:08:13.509 --> 00:08:16.430 and married Esau's daughters, which was the most 00:08:16.430 --> 00:08:19.029 shameful thing, most disgraceful thing for them, 00:08:19.490 --> 00:08:22.370 and the highest, the height of disobedience and 00:08:22.370 --> 00:08:24.610 disrespect. So he knew his brother was capable 00:08:24.610 --> 00:08:27.230 of anything. So he comes up with another plan. 00:08:27.350 --> 00:08:29.689 Remember, he's a planner and a conniver. So he 00:08:29.689 --> 00:08:32.129 sends, he says, this is my plan. I'm going to 00:08:32.129 --> 00:08:35.049 send over all my possessions, flock by flock 00:08:35.049 --> 00:08:38.799 by flock, and and then I'll have a special portion, 00:08:38.940 --> 00:08:42.240 a huge portion, for Esau. So he does that. He 00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:43.860 lines them all up and he sends them over and 00:08:43.860 --> 00:08:46.320 then he sends over his wives and his servants 00:08:46.320 --> 00:08:49.059 over behind them. And he tells some of his servants 00:08:49.059 --> 00:08:52.679 when they meet Esau that they're supposed to 00:08:52.679 --> 00:08:55.899 tell Esau that this is your servant, not your 00:08:55.899 --> 00:08:59.000 brother, this is your servant Jacob who wants 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:02.740 you to have this company of flock. of herds and 00:09:02.740 --> 00:09:07.000 cattle of sheep and goats and etc. And so it's 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:09.580 to appease him, this first act of appeasement 00:09:09.580 --> 00:09:12.440 that we know in human history. I'm sure there 00:09:12.440 --> 00:09:14.340 was others but it's the first one we get wind 00:09:14.340 --> 00:09:18.519 of and seemingly it should work because there's 00:09:18.519 --> 00:09:24.100 so much there. But Jacob is left alone. and everyone 00:09:24.100 --> 00:09:27.200 is gone and it's night it says. So Jacob's left 00:09:27.200 --> 00:09:29.940 alone at night everything he's owned accumulated 00:09:29.940 --> 00:09:32.519 for 21 years including his wives and children. 00:09:32.559 --> 00:09:35.519 So he's got 11 sons and Rachel is pregnant with 00:09:35.519 --> 00:09:43.139 their 12th. So he's by himself and he's obviously 00:09:43.139 --> 00:09:46.419 afraid and it's night and it speaks about the 00:09:46.419 --> 00:09:50.700 darkness of the soul and this crazy thing happens 00:09:50.700 --> 00:09:54.779 this man out of nowhere comes and begins to wrestle 00:09:54.779 --> 00:09:57.580 with him. Now, how weird is that? This man begins 00:09:57.580 --> 00:09:59.539 to wrestle with him. But there's something about 00:09:59.539 --> 00:10:02.159 this man that Jacob just doesn't say, hey, man, 00:10:02.200 --> 00:10:03.659 what's up with you? What are you wrestling with 00:10:03.659 --> 00:10:04.980 me? And where did you come from? There's not 00:10:04.980 --> 00:10:08.399 supposed to be people here. And so he's kind 00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:10.820 of like me in my story with the crabs. There's 00:10:10.820 --> 00:10:13.700 no place to go. But yes, he's under assault. 00:10:13.879 --> 00:10:16.679 But it's a man, it's not a crab, it's a man that 00:10:16.679 --> 00:10:18.919 wants to wrestle with him, that starts the fight 00:10:18.919 --> 00:10:22.460 and Jacob engages with him. And they wrestle, 00:10:22.559 --> 00:10:25.580 and it says they wrestled all night long. Now, 00:10:25.940 --> 00:10:29.960 you talk about struggle, that is an immense physical 00:10:29.960 --> 00:10:33.100 struggle. If anyone's ever wrestled, I was a 00:10:33.100 --> 00:10:37.559 wrestler in high school, and I have to go back 00:10:37.559 --> 00:10:42.460 to this just as an example. We were a very good 00:10:42.460 --> 00:10:44.480 wrestling team. We had state champions on the 00:10:44.480 --> 00:10:47.879 team. But this day, we were leaving the schools, 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:50.460 high school, and we were leaving the school to 00:10:50.460 --> 00:10:55.320 go to town in Brentwood, New York, which was 00:10:55.320 --> 00:10:59.179 known for its wrestling. And it was a high competition 00:10:59.179 --> 00:11:01.720 match. And I was all excited about it because 00:11:01.720 --> 00:11:04.860 I was not wrestling. I was the second man. And 00:11:04.860 --> 00:11:07.200 I get to watch the whole thing. And I was really 00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:09.519 excited because the guy that was in my weight 00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:13.440 class that was first to wrestle was really good 00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:17.419 wrestler. And so I was eager to see this match 00:11:17.419 --> 00:11:19.379 and thinking that maybe we could win because 00:11:19.379 --> 00:11:23.000 the guy he was going to wrestle was 14 and 0 00:11:23.000 --> 00:11:25.659 in competition. I remember very little in those 00:11:25.659 --> 00:11:27.799 days, but I remember this very clearly. This 00:11:27.799 --> 00:11:31.100 was a night for me like Jacob. So even though 00:11:31.100 --> 00:11:33.460 I was supposed to be a spectator, I'm on the 00:11:33.460 --> 00:11:35.320 bus and I'm fooling around with my friends in 00:11:35.320 --> 00:11:37.899 the back of us because we're not going to wrestle. 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:39.419 These guys in the front are wrestling. They're 00:11:39.419 --> 00:11:42.299 really quiet because of the strength of this 00:11:42.299 --> 00:11:46.220 team. And the coach walks back from his seat 00:11:46.220 --> 00:11:47.840 in the front all the way to the back of buses 00:11:47.840 --> 00:11:49.820 where I'm sitting. And I'm like, this is weird. 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:52.940 And he comes up to me and he says, Robbins, you're 00:11:52.940 --> 00:11:57.679 wrestling. And I'm like, what? And he says, Capasso 00:11:57.679 --> 00:12:00.139 is so sick. He's throwing up. He can't wrestle. 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:03.120 You're wrestling. And he goes, I only got one 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:05.360 bit of advice for you. Don't get pinned in the 00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:09.639 first round. And I'm like, you got to be kidding 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:12.039 me. And I'm looking for the exit sign. You know 00:12:12.039 --> 00:12:14.620 how they have emergency exits? And I'm wondering 00:12:14.620 --> 00:12:17.940 if I open the exit sign at 40, 50 miles an hour, 00:12:18.019 --> 00:12:20.539 will I die? Because I know I'm going to die on 00:12:20.539 --> 00:12:23.960 the ring if I don't die now. And I was like, 00:12:23.960 --> 00:12:25.840 I wanted to throw up with everything in me, but 00:12:25.840 --> 00:12:29.220 I knew I couldn't. So when I got out there to 00:12:29.220 --> 00:12:32.779 wrestle this guy, The only counsel I got from 00:12:32.779 --> 00:12:35.159 this coach was, don't get pinned in the first 00:12:35.159 --> 00:12:38.419 round. So the first round is the longest round. 00:12:38.559 --> 00:12:41.440 So it's a seven minute match, but it's three 00:12:41.440 --> 00:12:43.220 minutes the first round. I thought three minutes 00:12:43.220 --> 00:12:45.840 would never end because this guy had me twisted 00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:48.100 up in positions that I didn't think I was possible 00:12:48.100 --> 00:12:51.919 to be in. And he couldn't pin me though. And 00:12:51.919 --> 00:12:53.440 it wasn't that I was trying not to be pinned, 00:12:53.460 --> 00:12:55.179 but I knew that my coach was going to kill me 00:12:55.179 --> 00:12:58.009 if I did get pinned. But I just couldn't move. 00:12:58.149 --> 00:13:00.909 He had me twisted up so much like a pretzel that 00:13:00.909 --> 00:13:03.590 my bones were aching and breaking and my muscles 00:13:03.590 --> 00:13:06.610 were twisted so much that I was in agony just 00:13:06.610 --> 00:13:08.990 from wrestling for less than three minutes. So 00:13:08.990 --> 00:13:11.649 I know what that's like. And fortunately, I made 00:13:11.649 --> 00:13:13.230 it through the first round, but not the second. 00:13:13.610 --> 00:13:16.009 But I never lived it down. But I realized that 00:13:16.009 --> 00:13:18.970 I was not carved out to be a wrestler. But I 00:13:18.970 --> 00:13:21.610 know what it means to struggle like that. And 00:13:21.610 --> 00:13:24.149 this is what Jacob did. And it said that he wrestled 00:13:24.149 --> 00:13:28.570 all night long. So this is physically, I would 00:13:28.570 --> 00:13:30.909 say, in the realm of the impossible. But this 00:13:30.909 --> 00:13:33.629 is the determination we see in this man, Jacob, 00:13:33.950 --> 00:13:36.230 that he was willing to do that. At the end of 00:13:36.230 --> 00:13:38.990 the night, we say that the dawn broke, that the 00:13:38.990 --> 00:13:41.549 sun began to rise. God speaks to you. He doesn't 00:13:41.549 --> 00:13:46.070 know it's God yet. He realizes it's an otherworldly 00:13:46.070 --> 00:13:49.330 being, probably from being so tied up with him 00:13:49.330 --> 00:13:52.370 all night long, that this is not a normal person. 00:13:52.629 --> 00:13:56.149 And yet he says to him, man, give up. Basically, 00:13:56.289 --> 00:13:58.789 I mean, I'm putting words in his mouth, but he 00:13:58.789 --> 00:14:00.230 says, when are you going to give up? And he says, 00:14:00.289 --> 00:14:05.289 I am not giving up until you bless me. So this 00:14:05.289 --> 00:14:08.769 blessing to him was more important than the struggle 00:14:08.769 --> 00:14:11.370 that he was going through. And I think that's 00:14:11.370 --> 00:14:15.419 really important to understand that When Jesus 00:14:15.419 --> 00:14:18.240 said that you will find me, when you seek me, 00:14:18.259 --> 00:14:21.580 if you seek after me with all your heart, it's 00:14:21.580 --> 00:14:26.220 this place inside of us that we long for. So 00:14:26.220 --> 00:14:30.429 Jacob knew that he was not the man that... this 00:14:30.429 --> 00:14:32.970 blessing was going to make him to be, because 00:14:32.970 --> 00:14:35.429 all the outward things that he had accumulated 00:14:35.429 --> 00:14:38.429 had not changed him, even wives, even children, 00:14:39.029 --> 00:14:42.330 you know, in great possessions, and respect from 00:14:42.330 --> 00:14:45.710 his uncle, which he never had before. And yet, 00:14:46.129 --> 00:14:49.169 there was something more to it that he had to 00:14:49.169 --> 00:14:53.179 keep fighting for, struggling for. which was 00:14:53.179 --> 00:14:55.639 this blessing. So he had the blessing from his 00:14:55.639 --> 00:14:58.320 father in words, but it was never internalized. 00:14:58.360 --> 00:15:00.820 In other words, this Christmas toy, or whatever 00:15:00.820 --> 00:15:03.519 you want to call it, had no batteries. It had 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:06.659 a label, but it wasn't an identity. He was still 00:15:06.659 --> 00:15:11.360 a deceiver. Exactly. And he knew it. So God was 00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:14.340 willing to stop and say, this is it. Let's just 00:15:14.340 --> 00:15:16.080 put the brakes on here and you go on with your 00:15:16.080 --> 00:15:18.929 life. And he goes, no, it's not enough. I need 00:15:18.929 --> 00:15:21.269 the blessing. I want the blessing. I will not 00:15:21.269 --> 00:15:25.529 stop. And so what happens? God touches him. God 00:15:25.529 --> 00:15:27.450 touches him. That's very important. He didn't 00:15:27.450 --> 00:15:31.269 know it was God then, but he realizes after he 00:15:31.269 --> 00:15:34.450 disappears that that was God. And he blessed 00:15:34.450 --> 00:15:38.769 him. He touched him. And what is really striking 00:15:38.769 --> 00:15:42.350 is that it was dawn. And so for him, that's more 00:15:42.350 --> 00:15:44.730 than just a time of day. It was the time of his 00:15:44.730 --> 00:15:47.289 life. It was the beginning of a life where light 00:15:47.289 --> 00:15:50.870 was beginning to shine on him, in him, and would 00:15:50.870 --> 00:15:53.649 be through him. The other thing that's really 00:15:53.649 --> 00:15:56.570 amazing is that he says that God touched him 00:15:56.570 --> 00:16:00.750 in the leg. And from then on, it says that he 00:16:00.750 --> 00:16:03.409 limped. And that doesn't sound like a blessing. 00:16:04.769 --> 00:16:07.950 But what he's saying is that God isn't out there 00:16:07.950 --> 00:16:11.919 to hurt him or limit him. is that this picture 00:16:11.919 --> 00:16:14.179 is that he would never walk the same again. It 00:16:14.179 --> 00:16:16.799 did not stop him from walking. We see him walking. 00:16:16.840 --> 00:16:18.960 We see him active for the rest of his life. But 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:22.100 he never walked the same again. And that's what 00:16:22.100 --> 00:16:25.720 the blessing does. It changes your walk. It changes 00:16:25.720 --> 00:16:29.399 your journey. You're no longer journeying to 00:16:29.399 --> 00:16:32.159 find something, to accumulate something, to become 00:16:32.159 --> 00:16:35.820 someone. You're journeying to be who you are, 00:16:35.840 --> 00:16:39.820 because who you are is who you should be. So, 00:16:39.980 --> 00:16:42.519 how would you relate then the struggle that Jacob 00:16:42.519 --> 00:16:45.379 went through to become Israel? How would you 00:16:45.379 --> 00:16:47.840 relate that to the struggle that we go through 00:16:47.840 --> 00:16:50.720 in that dark night of the solace, you would say? 00:16:51.059 --> 00:16:54.659 How do you personalize that? Well, I think there 00:16:54.659 --> 00:16:58.139 should be a wrestling match that takes place 00:16:58.139 --> 00:17:02.580 in everyone. And in the culture we live in today, 00:17:02.940 --> 00:17:07.099 that is something that is never discussed in 00:17:07.099 --> 00:17:11.839 the secular world. but little discussed in the 00:17:11.839 --> 00:17:15.279 spiritual world, in the world of Christian faith. 00:17:16.799 --> 00:17:20.779 This wrestling match is kind of like when you 00:17:20.779 --> 00:17:22.900 said before, why couldn't God just bless everybody? 00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:25.440 Why did he have to just choose Abraham and through 00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:29.000 Abraham? Why couldn't it just do it? And so that 00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:31.680 thought should be wrestled out. Because if we 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:33.980 just accept these things that face value and 00:17:33.980 --> 00:17:35.839 say, well, this is my face, I believe God, but 00:17:35.839 --> 00:17:38.119 you really don't because you never really wrestled 00:17:38.119 --> 00:17:40.900 those thoughts out with God. Why didn't you? 00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:43.779 And I think later on we're going to learn from 00:17:43.779 --> 00:17:46.900 Moses that when... when what God expects of us, 00:17:46.980 --> 00:17:49.779 and the prophets will repeat this, is that we're 00:17:49.779 --> 00:17:52.480 to love the Lord our God with all our heart, 00:17:52.700 --> 00:17:55.859 all our soul, and all our strength. Jesus asked 00:17:55.859 --> 00:17:58.420 that same question, what is the greatest commandment? 00:17:58.440 --> 00:18:00.799 He was asked that question. He turned back and 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:03.140 said, you tell me, what's the greatest commandment? 00:18:03.380 --> 00:18:04.900 He says, you shall love the Lord your God with 00:18:04.900 --> 00:18:07.180 all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And 00:18:07.180 --> 00:18:13.779 so that concept is like bigger. than just going 00:18:13.779 --> 00:18:15.940 up and saying, Jesus forgive me of my sins, I 00:18:15.940 --> 00:18:18.720 accept you as saviour, amen, and say back in 00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:22.640 January 17, 1932, that's when I gave my life 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:25.700 to Jesus. never been the same sense, but have 00:18:25.700 --> 00:18:28.420 you never been the same sense? Have you really 00:18:28.420 --> 00:18:30.660 had a different way of looking at life? Have 00:18:30.660 --> 00:18:33.920 you stopped seeing life as if it just revolves 00:18:33.920 --> 00:18:37.779 around you? Are you really inclined to walk into 00:18:37.779 --> 00:18:40.519 somebody else's life and kneel before them and 00:18:40.519 --> 00:18:42.839 say, how can I change your, how can I affect 00:18:42.839 --> 00:18:46.880 your life for good? Because like you said that 00:18:47.069 --> 00:18:49.769 is how you would bless others. You're saying 00:18:49.769 --> 00:18:52.750 that, like, for example, God blessed Abraham 00:18:52.750 --> 00:18:54.589 so that he could be a blessing to the nations, 00:18:54.930 --> 00:18:57.529 but that blessing is kneeling down before someone 00:18:57.529 --> 00:19:01.029 and almost being of service to them. God's basically 00:19:01.029 --> 00:19:05.009 saying, I'm of service to you. I'm here to fight 00:19:05.009 --> 00:19:08.569 for you, to do all these things for you, to prosper 00:19:08.569 --> 00:19:11.109 you, but not for the sake of being prospered, 00:19:11.109 --> 00:19:13.990 but for the sake of you doing that to others. 00:19:14.230 --> 00:19:17.200 It's almost like the one who is esteemed by God 00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:19.940 becomes the servant of everyone else in the way 00:19:19.940 --> 00:19:24.940 that Jesus is. Yeah, that's precisely. And so 00:19:24.940 --> 00:19:28.119 it's really a wonderful story when we fall into 00:19:28.119 --> 00:19:30.480 that category of saying, you know what, it's 00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:35.460 not about me. The world does not surround me. 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:40.420 It does not function without me. I mean, it functions 00:19:40.420 --> 00:19:45.230 without me. Break time. Let's take two. When 00:19:45.230 --> 00:19:48.369 I was young, I didn't know I believed what is 00:19:48.369 --> 00:19:53.769 called solopsism. It's a theory of life. It's 00:19:53.769 --> 00:19:58.309 actually a foundation of thought. It's a philosophical 00:19:58.309 --> 00:20:01.289 concept that people latch onto and live by. It's 00:20:01.289 --> 00:20:03.349 called solopsism. And what it basically means 00:20:03.349 --> 00:20:06.069 is that the world revolves around me. I am the 00:20:06.069 --> 00:20:10.480 sun and every planet circles me. Jonah had that 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:12.400 issue. He thought the whole world revolved around 00:20:12.400 --> 00:20:14.720 him. And he ended up at the bottom of the sea, 00:20:15.119 --> 00:20:17.519 literally at the foundation of the earth, if 00:20:17.519 --> 00:20:19.180 you remember. God took him right down to the 00:20:19.180 --> 00:20:23.000 bottom, the middle of the earth, where the earth 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:25.900 was literally revolving around him because it 00:20:25.900 --> 00:20:29.079 has a point, a center point. So God took him 00:20:29.079 --> 00:20:32.400 right to that point to show him, I mean Jonah, 00:20:32.779 --> 00:20:35.880 where is your perspective? Because here you are, 00:20:36.119 --> 00:20:38.759 the world is literally revolving around you right 00:20:38.759 --> 00:20:40.920 now. How do you feel? Is this what you really 00:20:40.920 --> 00:20:44.200 want in life? And so God had to show Jonah the 00:20:44.200 --> 00:20:46.619 same thing that was happening to Jacob. So God 00:20:46.619 --> 00:20:50.579 does this repeatedly, but he does it to us. If 00:20:50.579 --> 00:20:52.920 we're really willing to seek him with our heart 00:20:52.920 --> 00:20:55.700 to become the person that we are called to be, 00:20:56.039 --> 00:20:58.200 then we're going to find this journey, have a 00:20:58.200 --> 00:21:01.259 struggle to it, a struggling aspect to it. It's 00:21:01.259 --> 00:21:04.220 not a walk in the park. Well, because it's not 00:21:04.220 --> 00:21:07.519 easy to recognize that the world doesn't revolve 00:21:07.519 --> 00:21:10.859 around us, because in our own head, it's very 00:21:10.859 --> 00:21:13.859 easy to see everyone's interaction with you and 00:21:13.859 --> 00:21:16.160 the way that your life is walking forward as 00:21:16.160 --> 00:21:18.619 a you -centered thing. It's hard to recognize 00:21:18.619 --> 00:21:20.640 that everyone's living their own life just as 00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:25.420 intricate as yours in their own self. So I think... 00:21:25.769 --> 00:21:28.390 That's very important. That realization is very 00:21:28.390 --> 00:21:31.450 important. But the struggle of coming to God, 00:21:31.710 --> 00:21:34.890 to faith, to all of those things, it's a struggle. 00:21:35.130 --> 00:21:36.849 It's not, just like you said, a simple prayer 00:21:36.849 --> 00:21:39.930 that we say, Jesus, thank you for forgiving me 00:21:39.930 --> 00:21:43.309 of my sins. Amen. The end. I'm going to go and 00:21:43.309 --> 00:21:45.910 continue to act like the world revolves around 00:21:45.910 --> 00:21:49.190 me. And you asked the question, how is this relevant 00:21:49.190 --> 00:21:52.650 to anyone else outside of Jacob or the Christian 00:21:52.650 --> 00:21:57.170 faith? And that is what we need to be asking. 00:21:57.269 --> 00:22:00.829 Is there any relevance here for me? And if that's 00:22:00.829 --> 00:22:04.730 an honest question, we see that this nature, 00:22:05.289 --> 00:22:08.329 which we talked about before when we defined 00:22:08.329 --> 00:22:13.609 Jacob, which means deceitful, that in the book 00:22:13.609 --> 00:22:17.430 of Jeremiah, which we quoted from, just 17, talks 00:22:17.430 --> 00:22:21.220 about this heart of man. which is Jacob above 00:22:21.220 --> 00:22:23.920 all things, deceitful above all things. It seeks 00:22:23.920 --> 00:22:27.359 its own above all others. And so we recognize, 00:22:27.539 --> 00:22:31.240 hey, I'm a Jacob too. And that's the recognition 00:22:31.240 --> 00:22:35.180 that is the scariest part, to admit that there's 00:22:35.180 --> 00:22:37.880 something in me that needs a touch from God, 00:22:38.099 --> 00:22:40.859 whatever the cost. I need something, I need to 00:22:40.859 --> 00:22:43.099 get rid of this thing within me, whether you 00:22:43.099 --> 00:22:46.539 want to call it Jacob's heart or cancerous or 00:22:46.539 --> 00:22:49.099 sin, which is what the Bible calls it, a sin 00:22:49.099 --> 00:22:52.799 nature, it needs to be dealt with. But why would 00:22:52.799 --> 00:22:55.039 you ever want to hold on to it once it's identified? 00:22:55.539 --> 00:22:57.000 You know, is that really the kind of way you 00:22:57.000 --> 00:23:00.200 want to live? And I think that someone who is 00:23:00.200 --> 00:23:01.720 a seeker, an honest seeker, is going to say, 00:23:01.720 --> 00:23:04.059 absolutely not. I want this thing removed. And 00:23:04.059 --> 00:23:07.180 that's what Jacob was striving for. I want to 00:23:07.180 --> 00:23:10.170 see this thing gone. And that's why he was willing 00:23:10.170 --> 00:23:13.130 to go the distance. He was willing to fight all 00:23:13.130 --> 00:23:16.329 night to see that thing gone. I think all of 00:23:16.329 --> 00:23:18.630 us have to come to that recognition of ourselves, 00:23:18.650 --> 00:23:20.690 as you were saying, that our hearts are deceitful 00:23:20.690 --> 00:23:24.029 above all things and that we want that gone. 00:23:24.109 --> 00:23:26.089 But it's like, how do I get rid of my own heart? 00:23:26.990 --> 00:23:29.730 And you're asking in a way for a blessing from 00:23:29.730 --> 00:23:33.390 God to have a change and a transformation. I 00:23:33.390 --> 00:23:35.309 think a lot of people would call that salvation. 00:23:35.809 --> 00:23:39.809 But I'm not sure that The way that we view salvation 00:23:39.809 --> 00:23:42.470 would quite cover that because me, you know walking 00:23:42.470 --> 00:23:45.210 into grace and saying I'm all good Jesus has 00:23:45.210 --> 00:23:47.569 saved me doesn't seem like the quite the same 00:23:47.569 --> 00:23:50.089 thing as we're talking about here with a struggle 00:23:50.089 --> 00:23:53.230 and with a change of Name at the end of the day 00:23:53.230 --> 00:23:56.750 a change of name from a heart that is Jacob to 00:23:56.750 --> 00:24:00.589 a heart that is Israel So, I mean we're going 00:24:00.589 --> 00:24:03.869 to get into those names and that change. So maybe 00:24:03.869 --> 00:24:06.819 this is a good time to stop and Next time we'll 00:24:06.819 --> 00:24:09.980 talk about that change then from Jacob to Israel 00:24:09.980 --> 00:24:13.200 and that name and how that matters in each and 00:24:13.200 --> 00:24:17.619 every one of us. That's appropriate. Thank you 00:24:17.619 --> 00:24:19.940 so much for joining us today. We hope you enjoyed 00:24:19.940 --> 00:24:22.390 the discussion and got something out of it. If 00:24:22.390 --> 00:24:24.170 you want to be a part of the conversation or 00:24:24.170 --> 00:24:26.069 have any questions, head on over to the Comfort 00:24:26.069 --> 00:24:28.609 My People Facebook or Instagram page where we'll 00:24:28.609 --> 00:24:30.769 post about today's episode and join you all in 00:24:30.769 --> 00:24:33.250 the comments. As always, please subscribe. You 00:24:33.250 --> 00:24:35.910 can find us on Apple podcasts, Google Play, and 00:24:35.910 --> 00:24:38.309 Spotify. And invite your friends to join us as 00:24:38.309 --> 00:24:40.250 we journey from Jacob. Love you all. See you 00:24:40.250 --> 00:24:44.599 next week. Shalom. We bless you for taking the 00:24:44.599 --> 00:24:47.500 time to consider this message. May it cause you 00:24:47.500 --> 00:24:49.960 to be fruitful and effective and lead others 00:24:49.960 --> 00:24:53.000 along the way with confidence and determination. 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:56.660 Check out our website at comfortmypeople .com 00:24:56.660 --> 00:24:59.960 to become better informed and equipped to restore 00:24:59.960 --> 00:25:02.700 righteousness to the people of Israel, America 00:25:02.700 --> 00:25:06.240 and beyond. Please consider sharing this and 00:25:06.240 --> 00:25:09.799 visit us on social media. Shalom and blessings.