Gen (vs 32:24-32)

Sermon preached at Gospel Light Christian Church, Singapore
by Pastor Victor Yeo
on 06 Mar 2005

Introduction: The Bible speaks of 2 parting of waters – the Red Sea and the Jordan River parting. In Exo 14:21-22 we read of the Red Sea crossing. There we see the Israelites getting out of Egypt, as it were, out of Egyptian bondage, from slavery into a new start in life. This is a picture of a Christian’s salvation – getting out of the world from the bondage of sin into a new life in our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ. However, many of those who left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea never reached the Promised Land – they got stuck in the wilderness. Here is a picture of Christians who leave the world when they got saved but somehow they never did enter into the joy of the Lord. They got stuck in the wilderness of unbelief, fear and confusion. They never did enter into God’s rest because they carry the burden of a secret sin. So the writer of Hebrews says there remains a rest to the people of God (Heb 4:9).

There is a need for victory over besetting sins in the lives of Christians. This is what the third crossing is all about – crossing the river (brook) Jabbok. This crossing is private between you and the Lord – it must be crossed alone, like Jacob did (Gen 33:24). At Jabbok, God deals with our besetting sins and He changes our character. Jacob had a problem with his past. He took advantage of Esau’s hunger to rob him of his birthright, and then by deceit, he fooled his father Isaac into giving him the blessing meant for his brother Esau. Over the years, Jacob had changed; he had prospered too. Now he decided to return settle his inheritance. But there was this problem of the wrong he did to Esau to settle. Jacob did not fully trusted God, as he still thought of his own ways to settle the problem with Esau. He tried to appease him (Gen 32:20) through his own efforts instead of relying on God.

Years ago Jacob had a dream at Bethel. He saw a ladder reaching to heaven and angels ascending and descending on it, and he heard God’s promise that he would inherit the land promised earlier to his father. Jacob loved the blessings promised, and preceded to interpret the blessings in materialistic way. He was looking for food, clothing, prosperity and peace, in return for which he would give his tithe to God (Gen 28:20-22). Does this sound familiar today?

Jabbok is a place of total victory, but you can’t have total victory without first having total surrender. It is a place reached only when you are at the end of yourself. Jacob was now in such a situation at such a place. At Jabbok his lies and deceit could no longer help him – he had to admit that he had a rotten past, a bad character. That was the purpose of the Lord’s question, “Tell me, I pray thee, thy name” (Gen 32:29). Through this confession, God changed Jacob’s character by changing his name to Israel (Gen 32:28). Until God breaks the Jacob character, there can be no Israel character.

Conclusion. Have you been to Jabbok? Have you seen the Lord? Remember that at Jabbok, God not only stand between you and your past, He also stands between you and your future.