What would it be like to wrestle with God, face to face?

Genesis 32: 22-31

22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 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 humans 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.

30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 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.

Hold on a second…do you like wholesome Christian fiction? If so, check out my books! Tell your friends and church buddies! Now, back to Jacob….

My goodness, when I think about Jacob, wrestling with God…makes me stop and wonder….

Wrestling is a sport that takes a lot of strength and endurance. I remember watching wrestling matches back in high school. The cheerleaders would do their cheers sitting on the floor. I suppose that made things more authentic since the wrestlers were struggling on the floor.

I just can’t imagine wrestling with…God…all night. I think Jacob was stronger then men nowadays. Also I don’t think Jacob really knew with whom he was wrestling, or why?

God reveals himself, letting Jacob know that he has been blessed. I’m not sure why God asked Jacob his name? I guess He just wanted to hear Jacob speak his name.

I wonder what God looked like while wrestling with Jacob? I believe he physically resembled Jesus in the New Testament.

Another thing that was weird, Jacob was able to overcome God, until God damaged his tendon. Why did he damage his tendon?

So, read the scripture below and let me know if you have any thoughts about it.

What do you think it would be like to wrestle with God all night?

Have you ever read a scripture that made you angry?

Well, reading the Old Testament makes me angry – sometimes. It’s so difficult, trying to make sense of scriptures, well….that make no sense! Read Judges 11:29-38:

29 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 31 whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”

32 Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into his hands. 33 He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon.

34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of timbrels! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, “Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break.”

36 “My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. 37 But grant me this one request,” she said. “Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry.”

38 “You may go,” he said. And he let her go for two months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because she would never marry. 39 After the two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin.

From this comes the Israelite tradition 40 that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

Jephthah was obviously not very smart. He asked the Lord: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 31 whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”

But making a deal with the Lord, such as this, he must have known that SOMEONE would be coming out to greet him when he returned home. Can you imagine, making such an offer to God? Could he not have offered to slaughter his entire herd of sheep or goats….something or someone other than a human being who would come out to greet him?

It’s not as if a chicken or a cow was going to come out of the house to greet him, right? Did Jephthah think that the Lord would not accept an alternate sacrifice?

Jephthah’s daughter…she stated: 36 “My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. 37 But grant me this one request,” she said. “Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry.”

She wants to weep because she will never marry??

I’d be weeping because I don’t want to be dead! Imagine if someone was going to put a gun to your head and pull the trigger…as a sacrifice to God. Yeah, I realize guns did not exist back then, but, I’m just using this as an example – so that we can try to relate to the situation.

If you knew you were going to die….I’d be weeping because my life would be cut short. I don’t want to be dead! I’d be mourning the loss of my own life, mourning all that I’d be leaving behind.

After two months… 39 After the two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin.

So, he killed his daughter? Sacrificed his only child? Is Jephthah’s daughter in Heaven with Jesus? After all, she told her father to obey the Lord: 36 “My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites.

Jesus had not yet come to earth, but, his coming was foretold in the Old Testament. Since He’d not yet come, do those, such as Jephthah’s daughter, have the gift of eternal life in Heaven with our Creator?

I also thought about Abraham and Isaac. Why did God stop Abraham from sacrificing his son, but, he did not grant the same to Jephthah?

So, do you have any scriptures that make you angry, sad, or just make you wonder? Maybe wonder that some questions won’t be answered until we get to heaven?

Judges 7:4 But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

Can you hear God’s voice?

When I read through the book of Judges, I notice Gideon, fighting battles with his army, obeying God’s word. As stated in Judges 7:4, Gideon seems to hear God’s voice as clearly as you might hear a friend talk to you on the phone. Or, he may hear God’s voice as clearly as you talking to someone at your own kitchen table, in person.

I’ve always wondered why those in the Old Testament, the saints of God, seem to hear Him so clearly. They seemed to have a deeper connection to the Lord, deeper than what we have today. Yes, we pray to Jesus, ask for His advice, but, it’d be nice to hear a clear voice, straight from Heaven, just as Gideon heard when he went into battle with his army.

God gave Gideon directions, and in spite of God’s strong, clear voice, Gideon was still doubtful. If God told him that he were going to overtake his enemies and win the battle, Gideon wanted more proof, sometimes he wanted proof twice or three times. He doubted God, in spite of His clear, strong voice.

Does God speak so clearly to us now? Since Jesus has come and died for our sins, saving us, does God feel that he no longer needs to speak directly to us, in a clear, strong physical voice? Does Jesus want us to pray and have faith – and that’s enough?

Perhaps, since those in the Old Testament were known to doubt God, in spite of His strong voice, perhaps God doesn’t want to waste His time speaking clearly, in a physical voice to us, since we continue to doubt Him?

How clearly do you hear God’s voice? Have you ever felt that God were speaking to you, directly from Heaven?

keywords: Noah, Noah’s Ark, flood, Old Testament, vegetarian, vegetarianism, Bible, ark, animals, Bible story, Bible stories, Sunday School

Why were humans vegetarians before the flood?

Genesis 9:1-3

9 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. ² The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. ³ Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

After Noah and his family exited the ark, the Lord told him that the beasts of the earth would fear him and that they were given into his hands as food. I’m assuming, at this point, the birds and animals would run away when approached by humans and we’d need to start hunting then down to eat as food. I’m also assuming, before the flood, animals would willingly come up to humans much like domesticated pets? What do you think?

My main question is, why did the Lord let us eat meat AFTER the flood? I’m assuming before the flood, everyone ate a vegetarian diet? Was it possible that the earth changed after the flood and it’d be difficult for man to receive all of his nourishment from plants?

Why do you think humans were vegetarians before the flood?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Can you believe that Jonah was inside the belly of a fish/whale for three days and three nights?

Jonah 1:17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah 2:10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

I was talking to my son about Jonah recently. He’d mentioned that he’d thought that Jonah would have been digested by the whale while inside the belly. How could he still be alive? God kept him alive, was the best that I could explain it.

Jonah ran away from his calling and he had to pay the price. He prayed while in the belly of the fish – he prayed to the Lord. The Lord then commanded the fish to spit Jonah out.

While inside the belly, God protected Jonah from harm. He protected him from being digested by the fish. Jonah did not provide sustenance to the fish (as far as I can tell). The Lord kept him safe, which is good.

I keep thinking about how it feels to be trapped in the belly of a whale. It sounds scary and frightful. Is there enough oxygen in there to breathe? I guess so if the Lord provides it for us. How long could one stay alive in the belly of a whale if one were NOT protected by the Lord?

I also felt that this would make a cool movie! Can you imagine making a movie about Jonah? I wonder how one would film the scenes inside the fish’s belly?

So what do you think it was like for Jonah inside the belly of a fish/whale for three days and three nights?

 

This is a partial repeat of an old blog post! Enjoy and leave a comment – feel free to leave a comment even if you have no insight. I love hearing from folks!

Are you familiar with The Book of Jashar/Jasher? I’m not, and from what I can tell, neither does anybody else! I do wonder about this book that is referenced in the Bible. It’s referenced when Joshua commands the sun to stand still when the Israelites were battling the Amorites. It’s referenced again in First Samuel when David is lamenting over the death of Saul and Jonathan.

I just find it strange that there seems to be so little information about this book. Have you ever wondered about it? Have you ever wondered what else was written in this mysterious book that was referenced in the Old Testament?

I know I have. I’m a curious person by nature, and I can’t help but wonder. If your pastor has ever mentioned this book in a sermon, or if you’ve ever discussed it in a Bible class, it’d be interesting to hear what you were told about this book. Please share your thoughts!

 

 

Joshua 10:12-13New International Version (NIV)

¹² On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:

as it is written in the Book of Jashar.

The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.

2 Samuel 1:17-18New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, ¹⁸ and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):

I hope all of you are well! Today I want to talk about Joseph (the Old Testament Joseph), and I was seeking an answer to this question:

Why didn’t Joseph’s brothers recognize him?

Genesis 45:4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!

Remember the story of Joseph in the Old Testament? Joseph told his brothers about a dream he’d had – in the dream, his brothers were bowing down to him. Hearing about this dream angered Joseph’s brothers. His brothers then sold him into bondage, and Joseph was eventually placed in charge of all of Egypt. There was a great famine in the land and Joseph’s brothers came to him, seeking food. Joseph  recognized his brothers, but, his brothers did not recognize him.  

Why didn’t Joseph’s brothers recognize him?

I’ve always wondered about this. The explanations that have been given to me have never satisfied my curiosity. Yes, I know several years had passed and Joseph had changed a great deal – he was dressed in the finest clothes, and he’d gotten older of course, which may have made him harder to recognize. However, these were his kin, his half-brothers. He used to spend time with his siblings, so I’d imagine some of them (after all there were 11 siblings) would have been able to look at Joseph and recognize his identity, don’t you think?

Did the Lord work through these 11 siblings, make it impossible for them to recognize Joseph for some reason? Joseph sent them back to get Benjamin, his full brother, the only sibling who would not have been able to recognize Joseph. Perhaps the Lord was working on these eleven siblings, making it impossible for them to recognize Joseph, so that they would be agreeable to going back and fetching Benjamin?

So, what do you think? Why didn’t Joseph’s eleven siblings recognize him? Share your thoughts!

If you have any prayer requests, please share them in the comments!

My prayer request? Please pray for guidance and for me to stay focused. My mind has been all over the place, scattered, hard to remember everything that needs to get done. It’s hard to juggle family life, worship, writing life and my job. I just need to calm down and settle down a bit, try and be more peaceful. Prayers appreciated.

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Do you remember the story of Balaam in the book if Numbers?

Fearing the Israelites’ power, Balaak wanted to hire Balaam to put a curse on God’s people.

Balaam refused to go, because the Lord told him not to go. Balaam again sent messengers, begging Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites. The Lord then told Balaam that he could go, but, he had to only say what the Lord told him to say.

While on the road to Balaak, Balaam’s donkey refuses to walk. The animal spots an angel in blocking their path. Balaam beats the donkey. When the donkey speaks, asking why he’s being beaten, this is Balaam’s response:

Numbers Chapter 22:27-31

²⁷ And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.

²⁸ Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”

²⁹ And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!”

³⁰ So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?”

And he said, “No.”

³¹ Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face.

Don’t you think that Balaam’s response to his speaking donkey is strange?

He didn’t appear shocked or dumbfounded that his donkey was speaking to him!

How would you react if your dog or cat started talking to you? Wouldn’t you think that was strange? Wouldn’t you be shocked or scared to have this talking creature in your house? 

Was it possible that Balaam had witnessed talking animals before he went on this trip? Had he conversed with his donkey before, and it was just never noted in the scriptures?

Share your thoughts!

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