Radio Antioch

Rembrandt’s Jacob’s struggle with the Angel, 1659

This teaching is an excerpt from our Radio Antioch Podcast Episode 5.

Returning to our study of the life of Jacob, we find that he has reached his own “teachable moment”. Jacob is now ready to receive from God. He has spent twenty years doing his own thing away from his promised inheritance. Now, those who know me well will say that I am pretty stubborn at times, but I hope that I would wake up and get a clue faster than twenty years. Jacob finally figured out that he is not as smart as he thought. Instead of putting one over on his relatives, he has been deceived and cheated by them. He has now come to the end of his own strength and is teachable, and it is here that God begins to intervene to transform his destiny.

Genesis 32:1-2     Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. [2] When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim. (ma-ha-nah´yim;  which means two camps)

You almost never hear this verse preached on! But just as there were angels at the border of the promised land when Jacob left, there were Angels at the border when he returned. (I wonder if it was the same angels? Did Jacob give them a knowing nod as he met them, twenty years older but wiser and ready to follow the Lord? ) Jacob could have easily despised his inheritance like his brother did, and stayed in Haran. But God was watching over Jacob’s destiny and protecting his inheritance. So it is with Us. We frequently rebel against God’s best for us, but in His mercy he preserves a way for us in spite of ourselves.
But now that he is coming back to God’s destiny, he has to deal with the flesh and the sins in his life. Jacob sent servants to meet with his brother Esau. They came back very excited: Esau was marching to meet Jacob, with 400 men! Now, you don’t take 400 men with you to meet your brother if you just want to have a hug and a handshake! No, as they say in New Jersey, Esau and “the boys’ wanted to “have a word” with Jacob.
Genesis 32:9-12

[9] Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ [10] I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups. [11] Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. [12] But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’ ”

This is one of the earliest examples of prayer in the Bible, and it was not one of those half-hearted “thanks for the burger” prayers. No, this was one of those “oh, Lord, ooooh Loooord”  kind of prayers. Jacob is toast if God does not save him, and he knows it. Jacob cries out to the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, fully acknowledging the covenant with his family. Jacob finally acknowledges that it is God alone who has blessed him, it is God alone who can deliver him from his past, and it is God alone who can carry him into his destiny. He acknowledges that he is unworthy of the kindness and faithfulness God has shown him. But now he claims the promise in the midst of his trial:  “ Lord, Esau is coming to kill me, but you said that you would prosper me.”

Jacob now prepares for the worst- He sends great gifts to Esau to try and turn aside his anger. He then sent his wives and children over the ford of the Jabbok River, which was the boundary of his promised land, and waits alone to hear from God.

Genesis 32:24-29
So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. [25] When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. [26] Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
[27] The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.
[28] Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.”
[29] Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.

The Lord does not let Jacob enter the promised land without confronting his past. He cannot walk into God’s destiny in his life without coming face to face with God. He begins to wrestle with God, and during the fight, his flesh is broken, and he walked with a limp the rest of his life. Even so, it was not enough to leave behind his wanderings. It was not enough to return to God’s destiny for his life. It was not enough to throw himself solely on the mercy of  God in his troubles. No! he had come this far, and would not let go until he received a transformation from God himself! In spite of his flesh being broken, he hangs on and says NO! I WILL NOT LET GO UNTIL YOU BLESS ME!
You see, Jacob had lied and cheated his way to get blessings from men. But his trials and troubles, twenty years being cheated by Laban, and now a threat on his very life had refined his character and brought him to the realization that nothing less than a transformation from God himself would change his destiny.
The question was cutting: “what is your Name?” Jacob must now admit before God that he is a cheat, a supplanter, a deceiver. He comes face to face with his sin, and his flesh nature. He cannot cross into his destiny until it is broken. Then the Lord speaks destiny into his life:

[28] Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.

Whenever there is a name change of an individual in scripture, is symbolic of a profound spiritual change. Jacob would no longer be the cheat, the one who was not the rightful patriarch. Now by God’s grace he became Israel, which according to Strong’s in Hebrew means “He will rule as God” He is no longer the cheat, he is the Ruler under God’s hand.
Jacob was from this moment transformed, and the nation that he fathered was named after him: Israel.
Maybe you are going through distress at this time. A lot of us are. Perhaps you have rebelled from God’s plan for your life and need to come back to the promised land. Maybe like Jacob you realize that the sin in your flesh, or baggage that you have from your family, or the mistakes that you have made are holding you back from going on with God. Maybe for the first time you have reached your own teachable moment and are willing to wrestle with God and have your nature changed.
Are you ready to confess before God where your life has brought you, and confront the issues that hold you back? Are you ready to grab a hold of God and not let go until He changes you? Are you fed up with living with Laban and ready to cross the Jabbok to live in God’s promise in your inheritance? If that is you, come to Him. He will confront your flesh, but He will transform your spirit as you press into your destiny in Him.

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This teaching is an excerpt from our Radio Antioch Podcast Episode 5.

Years ago, I had the honor of serving as a leader in a youth ministry, Royal Rangers,  a Christian scouting program. Modeled after the Boy Scouts of America, Royal Rangers develops character and leadership in young men, while adding Christian discipleship. In short, it is a fantastic program to develop Godly young men.  It was amazing how much more open to the things of God these kids were when they got away from the television, telephone and video games for a weekend.  I was part of a particularly excellent outpost, that would even take the older boys on backpack or canoe adventures in wilderness areas in Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
I served there during my late twenties, and it was during this time that I began to write bible studies and teach. I had a mentor who spoke into my life as I was training to be part of the program, who taught me about the “Teachable Moment”.
The concept of the teachable moment is simple. When mentoring someone in Christ, be sensitive for a time when the Holy Spirit will orchestrate a moment where the student is receptive to instruction. In this moment, a few words will stay with them for a lifetime, whereas a thousand words at the wrong time seem to run off  like water. Usually this happens when the student comes to a challenging point, and realizes they don’t have all the answers. At this point, the mentor can gently and in love do some honest character building and instruction.
My friend gave me this example of a teachable moment: He had taken a group of younger boys out on their first overnight backpack trip in Texas, west of Fort Worth. These kids were a little “green” in camping jargon, and needed a little extra supervision. The boys were told not to wander away alone from the camp, and to stay on the trails. After a while, they noticed that one boy was missing. They looked for him on the trails near the camp, even calling for him. Soon my friend came upon the lad, off, trail, “frozen” like a statue in terror right in front of a big ‘ol Texas diamondback rattlesnake. These are really intimidating when coiled up to strike, rattling menacingly, particularly when the only way out is by backcountry trail! After waiting a while longer, the snake began to edge away, and the boy was coaxed to slowly back away as well.
Now the leader spoke: “Son, remember how I told you not to get off of the trail? Satan watches for people who get into disobedience and let their feet take them to places that they should not be. When they are alone, he comes to them to wreak havoc, to kill, steal and destroy.”
These gentle words, spoken at that teachable moment, will forever be with that young man. He had gone his own way, but suddenly came face to face with his folly. But the mercy of God was with him that day, and he learned an unforgettable lesson.
In our last post we were studying the life of Jacob: He had cheated, lied and rebelled against the promise of God on his life, even leaving the land that God promised him. But after twenty years of being himself deceived and cheated by his uncle Laban, Jacob came to realize that the only reason that he had anything at all was because of God’s hand upon his life. Things were going poorly with the sons of Laban, as well as Laban himself, and his life had grown toilsome. It was at this point that Jacob reached the end of his rope, the end of his own crafty nature, and came to his teachable moment.

Genesis 31:1-3
Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.” [2] And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been. [3] Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”

Now, after leaving the promised land twenty years before, God speaks to Jacob to return, back to his inheritance, but also to face his past, which would also have to be dealt with. But God’s promise remains the same: “I will be with you”

At this teachable moment, Jacob now listens to the Lord, and returns to the promised land to enter into his destiny.
Perhaps you have had a few teachable moments in your life. (I’d love to hear about them, send me a few comments!) Perhaps you are there now with the uncertain and trying times that we have today. I want to encourage you: When you have come face to face with your own weakness, listen to the Lord when you hear that still, small voice in your spirit. The Lord will guide you like a loving father and teach you to overcome and to prosper, and to grow into the person He is leading you to become.

Next- Wrestling with God

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On the road of your life, you may come upon some contradictions.

This teaching is an excerpt from our Radio Antioch Podcast Episode 5.

In our last Post, we saw how Jacob had a promise of God over his life, but had character issues, even cheating his brother out of the birthright. He came by this behavior honestly enough, as his mother Rebekah would also deceive and cheat her own family to get ahead. In Genesis 27, it was Rebekah who heard that Isaac, who was now old and blind, was about the bless Esau. In verse 8 she commanded her son to take part in a scheme to deceive her blind husband. With her help, Jacob prepare a meal for his father, and wearing Esau’s clothes masquerades as Esau. Isaac, who is deceived, speaks a powerful patriarchal blessing over Jacob, even making Jacob the master of Esau.
So sneaky Jacob once again puts one over on his brother and even deceives his own father. But now he will reap what he has sown. Esau is furious, declaring that Jacob is correctly named. Esau planned to wait until his father’s death, and then kill his brother. Rebekah hears this, and commands Jacob to leave the country, She now concocts a scheme to have Isaac to send Jacob to her brother, saying that the women of the land are disgusting to her, and that Jacob should not marry a Canaanite woman. Jacob agrees and sends his son to Rebekah’s family in Haran.
So here it is: Jacob has truly fulfilled his name, twice supplanting his brother in his desire to take hold of all of God’s destiny for his family. But now the contradiction comes to full fruit: Esau wants to kill him, and to save his own life he leaves the very land promised as an inheritance to him that he has deceptively stove to lay hold of. Instead of receiving the double portion of wealth from his father’s household that he cheated his brother out of, he must now leave all behind.
But God is not through with Jacob.  Jacob follows his Father’s command, and goes to the land of Haran to her people to get a wife from his Uncle Laban. Leaving Beersheba and the land promised to his family, Jacob has a dream where the Lord appears to him:
Genesis 28:12-16
He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. [13] There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. [14] Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. [15] I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Even though Jacob has cheating his family, and is running for his very life, and is abandoning the land that God has promised for an inheritance, God shows His faithfulness. Jacob has a vision where he see that Angels guarding the border of his land, and God himself promised not only to bring him back to this land, but also to be with him wherever he goes. What amazes me is that Jacob hears God re-affirm that the land is his inheritance and then goes ahead and leaves the country anyway!

Jacob goes to meet his Uncle Laban and becomes engaged to Laban’s younger daughter Rachel. But Laban is just as much a cheat as his sister! At his wedding, Laban deceives Jacob, so that he marries the older sister Leah! Jacob is furious, but Laban excuses his treachery, telling Jacob that among his people the older daughter must marry first. He then gives Rachel to Jacob as a wife as well. What Jacob had sown, he was now reaping! He stole his brother’s birthright, and now his own family deceives him to prevent him from doing it again by marrying the younger daughter ahead of the older. And we see a pattern in the family: Just a Rebekah’s schemes brought strife to the family between the two brothers, now her brother’s schemes bring the same strife between the two sisters. And Laban continued to cheat and deceive Jacob, changing his wages ten times. What Jacob had sown was now living in his very tent! But the Lord protected Jacob, and he prospered. And Jacob came to realize that in spite of himself, it was only because of the Lord’s covering that he prospered. He was a deceiver, but he had been deceived. He was a cheat, but he had been cheated. Finally Jacob came face to face with the fact that in his own strength he was nothing. In his rebuke to Laban upon his departure, he admits this:

Genesis 31:42
“If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, so He rendered judgment last night.”

At this point Jacob is at his end. He is going back to the country that God promised him. He knows that he will have to make peace with Esau. He has now reached the point that he knows that God is his only source and protection. But in reaching the end of his own schemes, the end of his own strength, Jacob comes to the “Teachable Moment” in his life where God can transform his destiny.

Next- The Teachable Moment

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Episode Five of Radio Antioch is a sermon by David Cranfill entitled Wrestling With God, recorded at the first Live Radio Antioch meeting on October 18, 2008.
Jacob had a promise from God concerning his life. But his character was at times a contradiction with the destiny he had in God. During his many years, Jacob slowly came to align his will with the Lord, and became Israel the Patriarch.

0:00    Intro
0:33    Opening of the first Live Radio Antioch meeting
10:08  The Inheritance of God
16:59  The Promise and the Contradiction
28:22  The Teachable Moment
34:41  Wrestling With God
43:30  Credits

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