Notes
During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them. After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions.
This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!”
But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
“What is your name?” the man asked.
He replied, “Jacob.”
“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”
“Please tell me your name,” Jacob said.
“Why do you want to know my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.
Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip.
Genesis 32:22-31
After about 96 years of life, Jacob’s name was changed. Though he left this event with a limp, he gained an identity - a new life. When we grab hold of God long enough for Him to tell us who we are, the healing and transformation can begin.
Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.
At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!”
Genesis 32:22-31
Jacob struggled throughout his life. He struggled in the womb, with not being first, with his parents, with being manipulative and deceptive. He was grabbing for identity. He ended up being afraid and running away, but eventually grabbed onto God and found out who He is.
We may know a lot about what Jesus did, but to be a Christ follower we also have to receive it and let Him transform us. Don’t grab onto other things that try to tell you your identity; let Jesus help you grow into who He created you to be.
But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
2 Corinthians 3:16-18
Lay down who you used to be. Jesus’ team is triumphant; let Him transform you into a new creation. Like Jacob, set your life in motion to not only know God, but find your identity in Him.
Group Questions
- What are some of the struggles Jacob faced in his life?
- What was the significance of Jacob’s name changing?
- How do we tell if we just know about God or if He is truly transforming our lives?
- What does it mean to have Jesus transform you?
Prayer
Thank you for coming to us where we are, and for wanting to bring us out to reflect your image and glory. Transform us into new creations who do the work you set out for us to do.