Hanging on my bedroom wall at home is a popular (and oft-quoted) poem by Myra Welch that depicts an auction room, an old and ostensibly worthless violin, and an expert violinist. When the latter two are combined the value of the violin rises incrementally, but the title of the poem is perhaps the most evocative of all: The Touch of the Master's Hand. At some stage in their earthly pilgrimage all the great Bible characters experienced such a touch. Jacob's came at Peniel as recorded in Genesis 32. In a chapter where Jacob is progressively drawn closer to God through the appearance of angels, times of prayer, and then the personal touch, we note:
The goodness of God
The immediate truth that strikes the reader is the extent to which God intervenes to strengthen His servant at a particularly vulnerable stage in his life. Jacob had just left Laban after twenty years of enforced exile and, with all the natural anxieties of heading homeward, it is timely that he receives the vision as documented in Genesis 32.1-2. Some salient features spring to mind that may be helpful for those believers who are finding the pathway as perturbing as Jacob did. Despite the number of his fellow-travellers it would appear that Jacob is the only individual afforded a glimpse of God's heavenly servants. As the leader of the company he was singled out for divine blessing. At the time of writing, I am involved in some minor revisions to a live government policy in Northern Ireland which has been running for a number of years "Targeting Social Need". Irrespective of politics it is an encouragement to note, with due reverence, God's own policy of targeting saints' needs! God's love and power are such that He is able to meet the precise and individual needs of His own at a time that is appropriate for them.
Aside from the targeting of the blessing it is also worthwhile to reinforce the importance of the timing for, just as the angels appeared to Jacob as he left home (Gen 28.12), they were on hand for his return. Further, the revelation came when Jacob had left Laban and immediately prior to his encounter with Esau (Gen 33). No doubt Jacob could testify that, as one of his descendants (David) would later remark, "As for God, his way is perfect" (Ps 18.30). Then, in terms of the truth of what happened, it is clear that this was no figment of Jacob's imagination for he consciously named the place Mahanaim ("Two Hosts", in reference to the earthly and angelic hosts which brought him comfort and protection). This experience was fundamental for Jacob to grasp the importance of living by faith and personally appropriating all that God does for His own. The same holds for believers today (2 Cor 5.7).
The "bottom-line" teaching from the passage is that God remembers His people in times of adversity: though we face many battles we have the assurance of His abiding presence (Heb 13.5).
Finally, the passage emphasises the delightful truth of the touch of God as the Omnipotent comes near to engage personally with His servants. Whereas Isaiah would later have his lip touched (Is 6.5), God laid His hand upon Jacob's leg and in particular his thigh, the place of strength and power. Both are equally important for spiritual progress as they inevitably influence our talk and walk. Believers must talk-the-talk and walk-the-walk! We cannot do justice to the Christian pathway outside of God's intervention and direction.
The antidote to anxiety
Judging by the movements of Jacob in this chapter he was fearful of the future and particularly his encounter with Esau. As he fled from home years previously, he had been told that his brother was seeking to kill him and he had heard no news to the contrary (Gen 27.42-45). Esau's approach with an army of 400 men would have done little to reduce the heartbeat (Gen 32.6)! In summary, both vv.7 and 11 outline the extent of Jacob's fear by the use in v.7 of the word "distressed" (Strong 3334, and used only of Jacob in Genesis) indicating that he considered himself to be in a tight spot. Many of God's people similarly find themselves in difficult situations with no clear way forward. However, when the road ahead is dark and we are hemmed in with no obvious way of escape, remember, as Jacob did, that there is always a way up (the patriarch did what all believers are called to do in Philippians 4.6 pray)! Though I am no singer (and fellow believers in my local assembly will say "Amen" to that!) the words of Joseph Scriven are filled with truth:
O what peace we often forfeit;
O what needless pain we bear -
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!
The power of prayer
Having briefly mentioned the fact that prayer is often the believer's most potent weapon, it is interesting to explore in greater detail the nature of Jacob's supplication in Genesis 32.9-12. Consider initially the approach as Jacob reverently addresses God, deploying divine (and intimate) names that denote His power and promise. In a world where casual language is the norm it is vital that the believer is not marked by slipshod vocabulary when it comes to addressing God in prayer. The basis of Jacob's prayer was the word of God and particularly the promises made to him in earlier years (Gen 32.9). Public prayer is best led by believers who have a firm grip of the Scriptures (rather than the hymnbook!) and are able to use them as the foundation for their petitions and praise.
The character of Jacob's prayer is truly humble. He acknowledges that he is less than all the divine mercies that had been showered upon him (Gen 32.10). There is also real devotion in Jacob's testimony to the fact that God had preserved him throughout his sojourn with Laban. Another interesting feature of the prayer is his entreaty: he asked for deliverance from Esau (Gen 32.11), but he later learned that he needed (and received) the same from God Himself ("Deliver" in 32.11 is the same as "preserved" in v.30). Finally, there are clear indications of the fervency in Jacob's prayer as the circumstances demanded a real encounter with God rather than going through the motions. It is often when we are faced with adverse circumstances that we pray with focus and intensity.
The sanctification of saints
The culmination of this chapter (vv.13-32) is a sanctifying experience for Jacob. That is, God used the circumstances to draw His servant closer to Himself. The place where Jacob was found Jabbok (emptying, pouring out Gen 32.22) highlights the need for the child of God to be brought low before receiving divine blessing. Jacob is also taught a lesson on priority: whatever the enemy (Esau), he needed first to meet God. Too often we rush out into our service without taking the necessary time in meditation (notice the order in Mk 3.14). There is the all important principle of privacy as Jacob was isolated from his entourage in order for God to work on a one-to-one basis (Gen 32.24). We lose so much in our Christian pathway when we fail to take time to be alone with God. Jacob is to be applauded for his persistence as he wrestled until daybreak with a man who is taken to be a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord. The Saviour wrestled with Jacob for He works in us (as much and perhaps more than through us) in order to develop Christian character. This is the main lesson, rather than an illustration of the value of persistence in prayer.
The display of divine power is breathtaking and perhaps literally for Jacob! as only a touch was necessary to disable the servant (Gen 32.31). Jacob's plea in Genesis 32.26 is important, for even in weakness he desired divine blessing (and not healing!) and continued to have the right emphasis on the eternal rather than temporal. The name change from Jacob to Israel (Gen 32.28), a prince with God, teaches that promotion, for that is what Jacob experienced, comes from above (Ps 75.6). The purpose in this episode is that, having his thigh touched, Jacob was to be thereafter a man less reliant upon himself and more upon God. Perhaps his subsequent footsteps showed to others that he had had an encounter with the Almighty and was subsequently a changed man (Gen 32.31). There is much that God desires to change in His people, and often adverse circumstances are divinely ordained to make us more dependent upon Him and better reflect the character of His Son. Finally, the privilege that Jacob received on this occasion ("Peniel" can be interpreted as "Seeing God face to face") is one of the primary blessings of studying the Word as we personally encounter the God who saved us.
To be continued.
