Relationship with God as Resistance and Submission 1

Genesis 32:22-32

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

One of the most mysterious incidents in the Bible in general and the Torah in

particular, specifically in the account of Jacob’s life is the night-long battle described in

the closing verses of the thirty-second chapter of Genesis. It is the account of Jacob

wrestling with an unknown being (Gunkel, 1997), or a spectral stranger (Geller, 1982).

(The Torah is never clear whether this is God, as many exegetes and biblical

commentators would put it, or one of God’s angels, or a human being.) Eventually the

mysterious messenger (Parshat Vayishlach 5769) blesses Jacob and changes his name to

Israel, which means, according to Parshat Vayishlach 5769, “wrestles with God.”

Jacob is on his way to visit his estranged brother Esau and hoping to reconcile

with him when he encounters the mysterious man on a riverbank at night, the Bible and

Torah's Book of Genesis says in chapter 32.

Verses 24 through 28 describe the wrestling match between Jacob and the man, in

which Jacob ultimately prevails: "So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him

till daybreak. 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. Then the man

said, 'Let me go, for it is daybreak.' But Jacob replied, 'I will not let you go unless you

bless me.' The man asked him, 'What is your name?' 'Jacob,' he answered. Then the man

said, 'Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with

God and with humans and have overcome.'"

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After the man gives Jacob a new name, Jacob asks the man to reveal his own

name. Verses 29 through 32 show that the man doesn't really answer, but Jacob identifies

the place of their encounter with a name that reflects its meaning: "Jacob said, 'Please tell

me your name.' But he replied, 'Why do you ask my name?' Then he blessed him there.

So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, 'It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my

life was spared.' The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because

of his hip. Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket

of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon."

Of this account, Koenig (2010) comments: “There is the mysterious incarnation of

God into human form; there is the act of wrestling which simultaneously connotes both

intimacy and struggle, but ultimately yields a blessing; there is the theme of identity that

is connected to one's name -- and, of course, there is the new name given to Jacob by

God. In fact, this account is one of the most extensively interpreted stories from the book

of Genesis, for good reason.” Brueggemann (1982) on the other hand explains, “"Its rich

expository possibility is based in part on its lack of clarity, which permits various

readings."

Furthermore, as Geller (1982) puts it, this biblical narrative is so darkly enigmatic

and strangely unsettling, the weird struggle in darkness and blessing in the twilight of

dawn tempting normally sober exegetes to flights of allegory often disguised as

psychological symbolism, and even making others despair of ever finding coherent

meaning in it, adding that sensitive interpreters have felt instinctively that it is the very

obscurity of the story that is the source of its power.

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Genesis 32:22-32

Of this powerful obscurity, this is what von Rad (1961) has to say:

…by the time of the Yahwist many interpretations of the story had been
made and… it had become quite broken in the tradition. But precisely
because of its breaks and joints it received its essential spaciousness;
precisely the looseness of the inner connection of the statements to one
another makes room for many ideas; for the individual proceedings and
words in the event, as every expositor senses, are not precisely limited
with respect to their meaning and significance. And every exegete will
likewise encounter something somewhere in this narrative which can no
longer be interpreted.

With the above-mentioned considerations, it is the aim of this study to somehow

exploit the richness and power of the story at hand. In this paper, the writer will look at

this Jacob narrative, particularly at the act of wrestling itself; and use it as a means of

rediscovering the significance and ‘beauty’, so to say, of the complementarity and

interrelatedness of submission and resistance in one’s relationship with God. It is this

paper’s venture to view religion (here, religion and relationship with God will be used

interchangeably) not simply and only as pure, passive submission to God but also

struggle and/or arguing with Him (Prager, 2012).

Religion, as defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is the belief in a god or in a

group of gods; an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a

god or a group of gods; an interest, a belief, or an activity that is very important to a

person or group. Here, the writer sees it fitting to introduce yet another word which, more

or less, has the same meaning and definition as that of religion—the word “theism.” It is

the belief in the existence of a god or gods; specifically : belief in the existence of one

God viewed as the creative source of the human race and the world who transcends yet is

immanent in the world (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).

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For Holt (2010), the implications of classical theism, if it is accepted in all of its

details, are clear enough: If God exists then we were created for a purpose; we are valued,

loved. If God exists then we also have an incentive, not to mention a moral duty, to fulfill

this purpose; our eternal fate hangs on whether we follow God, as we were created to, or

rebel against his authority. Classical theism is therefore often felt to restrict our freedom,

but to do so not because we are unimportant but rather because we are important and so

have a duty of care to ourselves and to others. Theism thus affirms our value even as it

constrains our freedom.

This ‘moral duty’ or ‘incentive’ to fulfill this ‘purpose’ being spoken of, finds an

expression in Judaism in the form of the “Shema which is the initial word of the verse, or

chapter, recited as the confession of the Jewish faith. Originally, the "Shema'" consisted

only of the one verse, Deut. vi. 4 (see Suk. 42a; Ber. 13b); the regular "Shema'" in the

liturgy, however, consists of three portions: Deut. vi. 4-9, xi. 13-21, and Num. xv. 37-41.

The first verse, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord," has ever been regarded as

the confession of belief in the One God. The first of the three portions of the "Shema'"

contains the command to love God with heart, soul, and might; to remember all

commandments and instruct the children therein; to recite the words of God when retiring

or rising; to bind those words on the arm and the head, and to inscribe them on the door-

posts and on the city gates. The second portion contains the promise of reward for the

fulfillment of the laws, and the threat of punishment for their transgression, with a

repetition of the contents of the first portion. The third portion contains the law

concerning the ẓiẓit, as a reminder that all the laws of God are to be obeyed, as a warning

against following the evil inclinations of the heart, and, finally, in remembrance of the
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exodus from Egypt. The commandment to read the "Shema'", twice daily is ascribed by

Josephus to Moses ("Ant." iv. 8), and it has always been regarded as a divine

commandment (see, however, Sifre, Deut. 31 [ed. Friedmann. p. 72b. note 17]).

The Hebrew word Shema expresses the idea to hear with attention or obedience.

To “yoke” means to link, join, unite, to bond or couple together for a specific work. The

Hebrew word “yoke –ole” in rabbinic literature serves as a metaphor, it means a yoke on

the neck; it signifies animals linked to the plow and to one another making farming

possible. Thus, the yoke of Heaven constituted hearing with attention and accepting the

existence of God as one and unique with a public declaration that there was no other

(Kravitz and Olitzky, 1993, p. 50). The decision to submit to God in prayer, not the

prayer itself, is the equivalent of the acceptance of the yoke of God upon one’s neck. The

Shema establishes the approach to God, the undertaking to work alongside God as an

instrument of His holy purpose in submission to Him out of fear and trembling (Levin,

2002, p. 130). The Shema asserts monotheism, when spoken publicly it was a

proclamation of exclusive loyalty to God as the sole Lord of Israel and its recitation was

given legal significance. The prayer was regarded as a legally binding oath to carry out

the requirements of Torah (Berlin and Brettler, 2004, p. 380).

In Christianity, submission and/or obedience to God is also a central teaching. In

fact, Jesus, who was Himself a Jew, gave as his answer the Shema, to the Pharisee when

he asked Him the question, “which is the greatest commandment in the law?” Jesus

replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your

mind” (Mt. 22:36-37). As Costa (2008) puts it: “The Christian obeys God. Christian

obedience is not some sort of purity detached from relationship to God. We do not pursue
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a self-contained morality, as if virtue in itself meant something. "Getting better" at

obedience (a.k.a. sanctification) is becoming submissive to God. Either we are righteous

for God's sake, or righteous for the sake of self (self-righteous, which is to say

unrighteous).”

For Islam, religion is submission to God. In fact, the word Islam is the Arabic for

“submission to God.” As the Quran puts it: "The only religion approved by God is Islam

(Submission) (3:19).” “Submission to God is the religion whereby we recognize God's

absolute authority, and reach an unshakable conviction that God alone possesses all

power; no other entity possesses any power that is independent of Him. The natural result

of such a realization is to devote our lives and our worship absolutely to God alone

(42:13).”

Going back to Genesis 32, it is narrated that the “Man” wrestled with Jacob, not

the other way around. According to Parkins (2012), we have to realize by this passage

that the Lord was the instigator of the wrestling. Jacob no doubt was not in the right

frame of mind to wrestle!” As James Montgomery Boice (2006) states:

“It is not that Jacob was seeking God so earnestly that when God, as it
were, got close to him, he grappled with him and refused to let him go
until he blessed him. It is true that Jacob later begged for a blessing. But at
the beginning it is not Jacob who seeks God to wrestle with him; rather, it
is God, who comes to wrestle with Jacob to bring him to a point of both
physical and spiritual submission.”

Meanwhile, A.W. Pink (1922) writes:

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“Jacob was not wrestling with this Man to obtain a blessing; instead, the
Man was wrestling with Jacob to gain some object from him. As to what
this object is the best of the commentators agree—it was to reduce Jacob
to a sense of his nothingness, to cause him to see what a poor, helpless and
worthless creature he was; it was to teach us through him that all
important lesson that in recognized weakness lies our strength.”
That’s one of the main points we see in this wrestling with God. Weakness is

broken into submission, and submission is where there is strength—submission to God’s

leading and God’s control, realizing that there’s nothing stronger or more determinant

than this (Parkins, 2012).

On the other hand however, religion and/or relationship with God can be

assertive, resistant, defiant, arguing. This side of religion also finds expression in

Judaism, and, implicitly, so to say, in Christianity.

According to Parshat Vayishlach 5769, To be a Jew is to wrestle with God.

“Actually,” it continues, “the idea of wrestling with God goes back even further.

Abraham argues with God to save the people of Sodom and Gemorrah. Later Moses will

argue with God to save the people Israel after the Golden Calf. Job calls God to a trial

over his suffering. Throughout the Talmud various Rabbis argue with God. In one such

story, God finally says with a smile, ‘My children have defeated me.’ For to Jews God is

a partner with whom we struggle and wrestle. Throughout history we Jews have

struggled with God. It is out of these struggles that we have learned to perfect God’s

world.”

Meanwhile, in Parshat Vayishlach 5771, we read: “Our tradition (Jewish) is built

on the idea that we are partners with God in perfecting this world. God does not want

silent partners nor passive partners. God wants partners who are willing to struggle and
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try to make this world a better place. To wrestle with God means to be a bit unsatisfied

with the world as it is. It means admitting that God made a world which is tov meod

“very good” but not yet perfect. It means constantly struggling. We are Israel, the people

who wrestle with God. And when we wrestle with God according to the Talmud, God

sits on the holy throne laughing and saying, ‘My children have defeated me’ (Baba

Metzia 59b).”

Moreover, Mishpacha (2005) adds: “wrestling with God has been at the core of

Jewish identity. The wrestling can take different forms, from struggling to understand the

Holocaust to arguing over the meaning of a sacred text.”

“Jacob,” continues the source, “was the third patriarch, grandson of Abraham the

journeyer and son of Isaac the would-be sacrifice. He began his career as a wily trickster,

strategically obtaining for himself his brother's birthright, after following his mother's

orders in deceiving his blind old father Isaac. His name itself meant heel or crooked. But

touched – and partially crippled – by an angel, he emerges as the archetypal Jewish

ancestor. Even flawed, he continues on to face and wrestle with God and man. Jacob,

more than any other figure, represents the character of our people. Like his grandfather

before him, Jacob received a new name from God, symbolizing a transformation. ‘No

more shall you be called Jacob, but Israel,’ declared the angel, ‘for you have wrestled

with God and with men, and have prevailed.’”

“Among the understandings of the name Israel are:

- One who wrestles with God.

- One who is straight (direct, honest) with God.

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This quality of confrontation and engagement with God, as opposed to pure

submission, remains a distinguishing characteristic of Judaism.”

Still, according to Mishpacha (2005), “at Passover, the holiday most observed by

Jewish families, questioning is actually mandated. On Passover one is commanded to

question. "Four questions" traditionally recited by children are written into the Passover

Haggadah. But, according to the Talmud, even more important are the spontaneous

questions that emerge from real curiosity, rather than mere rote, e.g. ‘Why in the world

are we doing this?’ The Talmud itself – the corpus of law and learning at the center of

Judaism as defined in the centuries following the destruction of the Second Temple – is

about challenging and questioning. It is a book of questions and arguments, not answers,

which can only be studied through a process of questioning. This sort of interactive study

of Talmud – or the Torah, or other sacred texts – is, to some thinkers, the central religious

act in Judaism. For contemporary Jews, Judaism is adopted by choice rather than the

inevitable result of their birth. This makes questioning more important, and Judaism

embraces this living struggle with the holy. Such wrestling is at the core of what we at

Mishpacha are trying to nurture with our private virtual communities. All the questions

we ask ourselves in our Jewish exploration are important. The story of Jacob itself invites

questions of Jewish identity difficult for many contemporary Jews.”

In Christianity, on the other hand, (particularly in Catholicism) this ‘questioning’

has recently been paid attention to (and strongly ‘admonished’ at that) by no less than its

highest recognized leader, the Pope himself, the Vicar of Christ on Earth (as

Catholicism’s catechism teaches). In his speech dated November 22, 2013, addressing the

Filipino community gathered in Rome for a Mass on the occasion of the blessing of the
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mosaic of a newly canonized Filipino saint, as words of encouragement for a people,

who, during that time, was mourning the tragic effects of a super typhoon that just hit

their country, Pope Francis said: “In these moments of great suffering, do not tire of

asking 'Why?' like children … and in this way you will draw the eyes of our Father to

your people; you will attract towards you the tenderness of the Father of Heaven.”

Pope Francis reiterated his closeness to the Filipino people. “I have heard that it

has been a difficult ordeal, too difficult”, he said. “But I have also heard that the people

have been strong… Why do these things happen? They cannot be explained. There are

many things we are unable to understand. When children begin to grow up, they do not

understand many things and start to ask their father or mother many questions. … But if

we watch carefully, we will see that the child does not expect the answer from his father

or his mother. … The child needs, in his insecurity, that his father or mother look at him.

… Just like a child does when he asks, 'Why? Why?', in these moments of suffering, the

most useful prayer is that which asks, 'Why?'. But without expecting explanations, simply

asking our Father to look at us. I too join with you, in this prayer to ask 'Why?'”

(Independent Catholic News, November 23, 2013)

Going back to our Jacob story, Frederick Buechner (1985), one the most read

authors by Christian audiences, gives as a Christian understanding of it and characterizes

Jacob’s divine encounter at the Jabbok River as the “magnificent defeat of the human

soul at the hands of God.”

Meanwhile, Houdmann (2014) adds: “It’s in Jacob’s story we can easily

recognize our own elements of struggle: fears, darkness, loneliness, vulnerabilities, empty
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feelings of powerlessness, exhaustion and relentless pain. Even the apostle Paul

experienced similar discouragements and fears: “We were harassed at every turn—

conflicts on the outside, fears within” (2 Corinthians 7:5). But, in truth, God does not

want to leave us with our trials, our fears, our battles in life. What we come to learn in

our conflicts of life is that God proffers us a corresponding divine gift. It is through Him

that we can receive the power of conversion and transformation, the gift of not only

surrender, but freedom, and the gifts of endurance, faith and courage. In the end, Jacob

does what we all must do. He confronts his failures, his weaknesses, his sins, all the

things that are hurting him . . . and faces God. Jacob wrestled with God all night. It was

an exhausting struggle that left him crippled. It was only after he came to grips with God

and ceased his struggling, realizing that he could not go on without Him, that he received

God’s blessing (Genesis 32:29). What we learn from this remarkable incident in the life

of Jacob is that our lives are never meant to be easy. This is especially true when we take

it upon ourselves to wrestle with God and His will for our lives. We also learn that as

Christians, despite our trials and tribulations, our strivings in this life are never devoid of

God’s presence, and His blessing inevitably follows the struggle, which can sometimes

be messy and chaotic. Real growth experiences always involve struggle and pain. Jacob’s

wrestling with God at the Jabbok that dark night reminds us of this truth: though we may

fight God and His will for us, in truth, God is so very good. As believers in Christ, we

may well struggle with Him through the loneliness of night, but by daybreak His blessing

will come.”

Furthermore, Gregg (2011) comments: “…what does it mean that Jacob has

“prevailed” in his wrestling match with God. All of the English versions that I have
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checked, translate the Hebrew here as “prevailed,” and the sense of the word seems to be

that Jacob was the one who was “greater in strength or influence,” the one who “won.”

We know that Jacob prevailed earlier in stealing his father’s blessing that was meant for

his older brother Esau, but what does it mean to prevail against God in order to get a

second blessing? Do we want to be able to prevail against God? Is God’s blessing to

Jacob, a “well done, good and faithful servant” — or does Jacob’s “win” mean that God

is a loser? What would that mean about God? A God who takes the form of a human — a

God who is humble enough to have self-limited power in order to meet humans on a level

playing field. This seems like an odd sort of deity. As Christians, we know something

about this sort of God. In the second chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippians 2:5-9, he

writes, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the

form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be [grasped…something

to be] exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a [servant], being born in human

likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself….” It is with that sort of

humble, self-giving, compassionate God that Jacob wrestled. But this God is also wily

and fierce — willing to dislocate hips if necessary to get the goal accomplished. It is that

sort of God that renamed Jacob as Israel. In this context, the word Israel translates as,

“God strives.” Jacob’s very name now indicates that his God, the God of his ancestors, is

one who is willing to enter into the fray and strive with humans.”

Furthermore, he adds: “It also indicates that God will continue to strive with and

for Israel, God’s own namesake. “Isra-EL” means “God strives,” and “EL,” the last

syllable of the word literally means God — the shorter version that you sometimes as

Elohim (“EL-ohim”). You can also see this same etymology reflected in the naming that
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Jacob himself does at the ford of the River Jabbok to commemorate his encounter with

God: “Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet

my life is preserved (Gen 32:30).’” Just as we have heard “ELohim” and “IsraEL”, we

now have PeniEL.”

Considering all these statements, the writer goes on to pursue ‘exploiting’ the

‘power and wealth’ of this ‘spacious’ Biblical narrative on Jacob, with the intention to

explore, through the story at hand, relationship with God as resistance and submission.