Learning to Lean

Introduction

 God tells us through the prophet Jeremiah that it is not in us to properly direct our steps. It’s not in us to set our own course in life. We ought to involve God in every plan and every step we take.

 

Jer 10:23-24 KJV

(23)  O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

(24)  O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.

 

We should submit to God readily and willingly but our tendency is towards self-sufficiency and doing things our way.

There are times when God, in his infinite love, will reach down and do what’s necessary to get our attention, to chastise us,

to bring us to our knees even, in order to bring us to him.

 

This is just such a story.

 

We’ll look at 4 stages in Jacob’s life that led up to his conversion.

1.      Deceiving

2.     Praying

3.     Wrestling

4.     Leaning

 

 

1.   Deceiving

 

When Jacob was born, he grabbed onto the heel of his twin brother Esau. Grabbing onto his brother’s heel eased the birth process for Jacob as Esau cleared the way. (Gen 25:26) He rode his coattails, so to speak. Jacob’s name means “heel catcher” or “supplanter”. This word “supplanter” is most appropriate to describe the kind of man Jacob would become. To supplant means to take the place of (another), as through force, scheming, strategy, or the like.

His name is derived from the same Hebrew root word (H6117 – “aqab”) that is translated as “deceitful” in Jeremiah 17. (H6121 – “aqob))

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jer 17:9 KJV)

You could even say his name means, “one who deceives”. He could be characterized by his deceitful nature. It was who he was.

Jacob was a man who would do whatever it takes to get what he wanted. He was a conniver and a schemer and relied on his own cunning to get what he wanted.

He was the picture of self-reliance and self-sufficiency. We typically honor men who are self-sufficient, who make their own way in life.

However, self-sufficiency, by itself apart from God, is not necessarily a virtue. It is God who provides. It is in God that we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:28)

Now that doesn’t mean we’re to sit around like baby birds with our mouths open waiting to be fed, a burden to our families and society. It means we’re to look to God first to direct our steps in accordance with His will, not as an afterthought or as a lifeline only after we get ourselves into trouble.

With his mother Rebekah’s help, Jacob deceived Isaac and Esau out of both his birthright and his blessing of the firstborn. When Esau threatened to kill him, Jacob fled to Syria, to his uncle Laban’s.

Uncle Laban was a bit of a schemer in his own right. (Gen 31:7) He deceived Jacob when negotiating the right to marry his daughter Rachel in exchange for 7 years of labor. When the time came, it was Leah that was offered for marriage instead. Laban then contracted another seven years of Jacob’s labor, before he was given Rachel’s hand.

Jacob got a taste of his own medicine. He was deceived by his own conniving uncle Laban taking 14 years of hard work instead of the 7 years he had bargained for ending up with two wives instead of just the one.

But God blessed him through the ringstraked cattle arrangement when Jacob put in another 6 years of hard work. Though Laban was none too happy about it as it cost him most of his flock.

Jacob spent 20 years serving Laban in Syria ending up with two wives and their two handmaids, eleven sons, a daughter, and a small fortune in livestock.

We begin to make our way toward the second stage when God directs Jacob to return home.

Gen 31:3 KJV  And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.

Gen 31:13 KJV  I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.

2.  Praying

 

Gen 32:1-2 KJV

(1)  And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

(2)  And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

 

It says, “he saw them”. I imagine Jacob’s eyes were opened much like Elisha’s servant. (2 Ki 6:17)

The name Mahanaim means, “two camps.” Jacob had a camp with him, his entire entourage, his wives and children and cattle, sheep and goats. And Jacob met another camp there, a host of angels. This was the heavenly host accompanying the Lord Jesus Christ, as we’ll learn later.

These angels had been with Jacob all along, protecting him and watching over him as the LORD had promised him at Bethel. (Gen 28:15)

Jacob, on his journey, sent some scouts on ahead to check on Esau. They returned to report that Esau was actually headed his way and not only that but he had 400 men of war with him!

Jacob immediately went into “Jacob mode” and devised a scheme to send gifts ahead to Esau to soften him up. And he divided his camp into two, thinking that if Esau attacked the one, the other could escape. He would put the handmaids and their children first, followed by Leah and her seven children, and Rachel, the wife he loved, and Joseph in the back. 

Always the schemer.

Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He feared greatly for his life and the lives of his family.

In his fear and anxiety, he was driven to his knees before God and prayed the following prayer. Going to God was not his first thought but a last resort.

 

Gen 32:9-12 KJV

(9)  And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: [Gen 31:3]

(10)  I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.

 

Jacob had crossed over the Jordan river when he fled from Esau with nothing but his staff in his hand. Now he was a man of great substance.

 

(11)  Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.

(12)  And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

 

 

Notice Jacob prayed to the “God of my fathers,” not my God.

Jacob had not yet truly adopted the God of his fathers and made Him his own.

 

In his prayer, in verse 9 and again in verse 12, Jacob reminded God of the promises He had made to him in Bethel.

 

Gen 28:13-15 KJV The LORD Himself at Jacob’s Ladder (Bethel)

(13)  And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

(14)  And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

(15)  And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

 

Gen 28:20-21 KJV Jacob’s Vow (that we read of in chapter 31:13)

(20)  And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,

(21)  So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:

 

Notice this is a conditional statement. IF God will keep me and provide for me so that I can return home safely THEN the LORD will be MY God.

 

He was bargaining and scheming even with God!

 

So, back to chapter 32, in his prayer by the Jabbock ford in Mahaniam what he’s really saying is, “God, how could these promises be true if Esau is going to send 400 warriors to kill me?”.

What was the attitude of this prayer? Was he reminding God of his promises from a position of confidence in God? Was he just affirming God’s promises knowing them to be true and God faithful to carry them out?

“God, I know what you promised so I have nothing to worry about.”

Or, was he reminding God of his promises from a position that said,

“I’m not certain of the promises you made, but just in case you were serious, I’m going to remind you to keep your word”?

Just in case my scheme doesn’t work, he hedged his bets playing all the angles, maybe if I remind God of what he promised, he will protect me. He will have to if he’s going to make good on his promises.

 

It has been asked and answered,

“What’s the most important part of a prayer?”

The answer, “15 minutes after the Amen.”

The most important part of a prayer is what is our attitude afterwards. How do we act afterwards? How do we respond after we’ve spent time with our Creator?

 

If Jacob had indeed surrendered all to God, there would be no reason for the next stage leading to his conversion. If Jacob had truly casted all his cares upon God, he should have rested in the comfort of God’s promises.

There’s nothing wrong with reminding God of his exceeding great and precious promises. We should. But we should do so from an attitude of confidence in him and his ability to make good on those promises. Not out of a doubtful heart merely wishing them to be true and trying to hold God to it.

The next day Jacob was still greatly afraid and began preparing his gifts of livestock for Esau to soften him up before he got there. He didn’t have a quiet confidence in God. He was still afraid. So, he continued with his scheme to send gifts ahead to Esau and to align his wives according to his love for them.

We see here Jacob’s state of mind – scared to death he and all his family are going to be slaughtered.  God had finally gotten Jacob’s attention. He had gotten him in a position where he would be open to God’s instruction. Jacob was ripe and ready to be molded by the hand of the Potter.

 

3.  Wrestling

 

The next night, Jacob sent his family and all his possessions ahead, across the ford Jabbok, and Jacob stayed by himself on this side.

He was still worried, obviously, about his upcoming encounter with Esau and needed some time alone.

We need to be left alone with God from time to time if we’re to hear that still small voice. We need solitude, solitude with God.

So, Jacob sent his family across the Jabbok ford and stayed behind to think things through.

Though God had something else in mind.

 

Gen 32:24 KJV  And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

 

Notice that it doesn’t say Jacob wrestled with a man. It says a man wrestled with him. The “man” initiated it!

This is what’s called a theophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ.

This man wasn’t a member of Esau’s tribe sent ahead to take Jacob out.

This man, this angel, was Jesus Christ who had taken the form of a man. How do we know? We’ll see in just a minute.

But why would he do this?

God had now brought Jacob to the point where his scheming self-reliance could not save him. He had 400 warriors bearing down on him and he didn’t have a chance unless God intervened.

It was time for God to carry on the work he had begun in Jacob. God had to make a few finishing touches before he was ready for the job God had for him. God had to bring Jacob to the realization that it was God who was in charge of his life.

If Jacob were to serve the Lord, his proud reliance on self had to be broken and his character tested. So, Christ jumped him in the middle of the night and began to wrestle with him. They wrestled the rest of that night until the break of day.

This must have been some knock down drag out event! Imagine the two of them going at it all night! I have to believe words were being exchanged while they fought too.  Ever seen two men fight without saying anything? You better believe Christ was giving him what for the whole time and Jacob was offering up one excuse after another.

 

Philippians 1:6 tells us that God who has begun a good work in us will see it through until the day of Jesus Christ. God told Jacob as much at Bethel in Gen 28:15 we just read.

God will finish the work He has begun in us. But it is up to us to submit to God and surrender to his plan. If we will not be obedient, we can and will lose our blessings if he does not prevail in our lives.

 

Here with Jacob, Christ saw that he was not prevailing with Jacob to change his mind and get him to repent of his prideful self-sufficiency.

So, to end the battle, he touched his thigh and put it out of joint.

Gen 32:25 KJV  And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

 

It says that Christ saw that he was not prevailing against Jacob. This is an unfortunate choice of words as it appears to say that Christ was losing the fight. This was not a contest to see if Christ could beat Jacob. Of course, he could, and did. This wrestling contest was Christ preparing Jacob to accept his own inadequacy and the sovereignty of God.

What it means when it says he did not prevail is that he was not successful, he did not prevail, in getting Jacob to lose his independent attitude just through wrestling alone. Jacob’s determination was still strong even though his body was growing weaker.

This speaks of Jacob’s mental toughness. You’ve likely heard the expression, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” Not necessarily a bad trait when properly applied.

Christ then put an end to it by touching Jacob’s hip and shortening the sinew there and put it out of joint. It was at that instant that Jacob, incapacitated, realized who this was. All his strength was sapped and he was now at Christ’s mercy.

This wrestling match was also a test. God was testing his resolve. Was he the type of man God could rely on to carry out the mission God had in mind for him? Did he have the perseverance and tenacity necessary to see it through to the end?

It appears at this point that Christ was ready to leave him. He was ready to leave him to his own devices to deal with Esau on his own.

But it was at that point that he gave him the final test.

 

Gen 32:26a KJV  And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh.

 

Christ had Jacob right where he wanted him. So, He tested his resolve by backing away. “We’re done here. I need to go.”

In sales, we call this “the takeaway”. It’s a technique to test whether the prospect is serious or not. By walking away, if he has been convinced, the conversation will typically turn and he will begin to try to convince you to go through with the deal. What was Jacob’s response?

 

Gen 32:26b KJV  And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

 

Jacob finally realized what was going on here and with Whom he had been wrestling. He realized he was not only going to lose out on the blessings he had been promised but he was going to lose his very life and the lives of those he loved if he faced Esau alone.

He recognized he had been defeated and he acknowledged God’s authority.

He determined to change right there and then. And he held on with all his might, with all the strength he had left. Jacob would not let go until Christ recognized that he was serious about his salvation and blessed him. This is what it means by Jacob prevailing. Jacob prevailed when he surrendered to God.

Through this contest, it was proven what was most important to Jacob. He demonstrated that he was willing to let God rule in his life.

 

A New Name

 

Gen 32:27 KJV  And he said unto him, What is thy name?

 

[What an odd question.]

And he said, Jacob.

 

Why would Christ ask Jacob what his name was? Hadn’t Christ just been wrestling with the man all night? Wasn’t Christ the one who initiated it? Surely, he didn’t jump a man in the middle of the night that he didn’t know. Why would Christ now turn around and ask Jacob what his name was?

We need to remember that in those days a man’s name carried meaning. A man’s name was a reflection of his character. Christ was not asking Jacob his name because Christ had suddenly forgotten it. He asked Jacob his name so that he would have to say his name and remind himself of the conniving, deceitful supplanter he had been thus far.

Christ was about to give Jacob a new name but he first wanted to remind Jacob of the kind of man he had been to emphasize the contrast between the man he had been and the man he would be going forward. Between his old name and his new name.

 

Gen 32:28 KJV  And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

 

He was no longer to be called Jacob “the deceitful self-reliant conniving supplanter” but Israel “God prevails”, a prince who NOW has power with God and with men.

Jacob, now named Israel, passed the test proving he had the resolve and perseverance necessary to bring about God’s model nation.

We often hear of successful men who set out to make a name for themselves. Jacob was just such a man.

Rom 9:10-13 KJV

(10)  And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;

(11)  (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

(12)  It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.

(13)  As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. (Mal 1:2-3)

 

God proved to Jacob that he was not to make a name for himself by his own works but by him that called him. Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. (Zec 4:6)

Men may set out to make a name for themselves but God tells us it is He who will give us a new name and a crown of life.

 

Rev 3:11-12 KJV  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.  (12)  Him that overcometh [that prevails, holds onto Christ with all our might to the very end] will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

(See also Rev 2:10 and James 1:12)

Then Jacob asks the angel (Christ) what is his name. The angel’s reply was strange, a bit of an enigma. Why didn’t he just tell him his name? Instead of answering directly by telling Jacob his name, he instead asks Jacob a question. Answered a question with a question.

 

Gen 32:29 KJV  And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

 

What’s this—you are asking My name?

Don’t you know who I am?

You know full well who I am.

 

Now, let’s turn over to Hosea and let us answer this question for ourselves.

Hos 12:2-5 NKJV

(2)  "The LORD also brings a charge against Judah, And will punish Jacob according to his ways; According to his deeds He will recompense him.

(3)  He took his brother by the heel in the womb, And in his strength he struggled with God.

(4)  Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; He wept, and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, And there He spoke to us—

(5)  That is, the LORD God of hosts. The LORD is His memorable name.

 

It was the LORD he wrestled with, the LORD God of hosts. It says so right here!

 

By the way, Jacob was not the only one to ever ask the Angel of the LORD his name. Samson’s father also asked the same question.

 

 

Jdg 13:17-18 NKJV

(17)  Then Manoah [this was Samson’s father] said to the Angel of the LORD, "What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?"

(18)  And the Angel of the LORD said to him, "Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?"

 

Seeing that his name is “Wonderful”. Now, flip over to Isaiah 9 and we’ll see whose name is “Wonderful”.

 

Isa 9:6 NKJV  For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 

Jacob did finally acknowledge with Whom he had been wrestling. To Whom he had been clinging for dear life demanding a blessing. See the very next verse.

 

Gen 32:30 KJV  And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: [pen-ee-ale'] for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

 

It was well known that no man could look upon the face of God and live, yet Jacob not only looked upon it but had been wrestling with him all night. Since no man has seen God the Father at any time, we know this “face of God” had to belong to the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ, the God of the Old Testament. (John 1:18)

 

Gen 32:31-32 KJV

(31)  And as he passed over Penuel [pen-oo-ale' – same place] the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.

(32)  Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.

 

Jacob, now called Israel, walked with a limp from the injury he had incurred during his wrestling match. For the rest of his life, he had to lean upon a staff for support.

 

4.  Leaning

 

Jacob walked with a limp the rest of his life and had to carry a staff to support himself all his days since the incident at Peniel.

The symbolism of this is uncanny. Jacob, now Israel, was no longer the arrogant self-sufficient, self-reliant, self-made man he once was. He was reminded with every step he took of his total dependence on God for support, protection, and sustenance.

He had to lean on his staff day in and day out just to physically to walk and to move about.

After his conversion, he also leaned on another kind of staff for support.

This was a staff of a different nature, a spiritual one.

The staff of life.

 

I want to take you now to two verses in order to pick out a couple of words there that tie the symbolism together for us.

 

Pro 3:5 KJV  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean H8172 not unto thine own understanding.

 

Speaking of judgment on Judah and Jerusalem, Isaiah says the following:

Isa 3:1 KJV  For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay H4937 and the staff, H4938 the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,

 

These two words, stay and staff, are Strong’s numbers H4937 and H4938. One is the masculine form and the other is the feminine.

 

 

 

H4937

stay

mish‛ân

mish-awn'

From H8172; a support (concretely), that is, (figuratively) a protector or sustenance: - stay.

 

H4938

staff

mish‛ênâh  

mish-ay-naw'

Feminine of H4937; support (abstractly), that is, (figuratively) sustenance or (concretely) a walking stick: - staff.

 

Both are derived from the same primitive root word.

 

H8172

lean

shâ‛an

shaw-an'

A primitive root; to support one’s self: rely on, rest (on, self), or - lean, stay.

 

This root word, is the precise word translated as “lean” in Proverbs 3:5. Lean not unto thine own understanding.

Lean not to your own understanding for support or sustenance. But instead trust in the LORD with all thine heart.

The words “stay and staff” are both derived from the same root word for lean, meaning support or sustenance. We get our sustenance from the bread we eat and the water we drink. We lean on them not unlike a staff to support our bodily strength in the physical sense. Without them we would topple over.

Bread has commonly been called the “staff of life”.

In the spiritual sense, Jesus Christ, the bread of life, is that stay and staff!

 

Joh 6:35 KJV  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

For the rest of his life Jacob leaned on this staff. The staff of life, the Bread of Life and the stay of Living Water our LORD Jesus Christ or as Jacob knew him, God! And he did so until his death.

 

Heb 11:21 KJV  By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.

 

Some translations say, “bowing in worship” leaning on the top of his staff.

He no longer leaned on his own understanding but in all things trusted in the LORD with all his heart.

 

Leaning on the Word of God gives us understanding. Leaning on God and Christ gives us the support we need. Leaning on God and Christ gives us protection and sustenance.

Come unto to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Mat 11:28)

Leaning on God and Christ gives us all we need.

5.  Seven Lessons We Can Learn

 

1.     We are not self-sufficient. God tells us it’s not in us to properly direct our steps. It’s not in us to set our own course in life. In and of our own selves, we can do nothing. (John 15:5) We need to involve God in every plan, every step of the way if it is to prosper.

2.    We need time alone with God. We need that solitude from time to time if we’re to hear that still small voice. We can’t hear it if we’re always surrounded by other people or always have some form of entertainment in front of our face or stuck in our ears.

3.    The most important part of a prayer is 15 minutes after the Amen. When we pray there’s nothing wrong with reminding God of his exceeding great and precious promises. We should. But we should do so with an attitude of confidence in Him who is faithful not out of a doubtful heart or trying to coerce God. How we act after we ask for His involvement in our lives is what matters. Did we cast our cares on him or did we go back to relying on ourselves?

4.    We have to make God our own. Just as Jacob did, we have to make the God of our Fathers our own. We can’t put our trust in Him if we don’t know Him. We must have a personal relationship with Him that is our own.

5.    We must surrender our will to God’s. He that has begun a good work in us will see it through until the day of Jesus Christ. But it is up to us to submit to God and surrender to his plan. God will not leave us nor forsake us. But he may have to jump us in the middle of the night if that’s what it takes to get and keep our attention.

6.    God will give us a new name. We don’t need to make a name for ourselves in this life. God will give us a new name and a crown of life.

7.   We must learn to lean on our staff. For the rest of our lives, we must lean on the whole Stay of Living Water and The Staff of Life, the LORD Jesus Christ! We must no longer lean on our own understanding but in all things commit our way unto the LORD trusting in Him with all our heart.

 

As Jacob, we are all learning to lean.

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