# 41 - Wrestling with God - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein we dive into Jacob's transformative encounter at the Jabbok, where he wrestles not only with a mysterious figure but with his own identity and destiny. Discover profound lessons on struggle, perseverance, and finding God's blessing in our most vulnerable moments.
Episode 41 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by the Book of Genesis.
Sign up for The Chosen People devotionals at https://www.thechosenpeople.com/sign-up
For more information about Yael Eckstein and IFCJ visit https://www.ifcj.org/
Today's opening prayer is inspired by Genesis 25:10, “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel.”
Listen to some of the greatest Bible stories ever told and make prayer a priority in your life by downloading the Pray.com app.
Show Notes:
(01:32) Intro with Yael Eckstein
(03:24) Wrestling with God
(15:25) Reflection with Yael Eckstein
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
00:00:00
Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen People. Jacob looked behind him. His
00:00:06
Speaker 1: family and all his men were clueless as to what
00:00:08
Speaker 1: was happening. Only Jacob could see that they were in
00:00:13
Speaker 1: a divine encampment. The angels of God were before them.
00:00:17
Speaker 2: This is God's camp. I have not seen my brother
00:00:21
Speaker 2: in a long time. I will go to him. You
00:00:27
Speaker 2: will go to him. I'm not sure that's necessary.
00:00:32
Speaker 3: He's merely going to pass through and only wishes to
00:00:35
Speaker 3: have peace between the two of you.
00:00:37
Speaker 1: I go, I go now, He so gestured to a
00:00:41
Speaker 1: few of his men.
00:00:42
Speaker 2: Bring four hundred men. My lord Jacob, we have news
00:00:47
Speaker 2: from Esau's camp. What did you do to this man
00:00:50
Speaker 2: to make him hate you so much? I wanted more.
00:00:55
Speaker 2: I was willing to do whatever. It's top the kidd
00:01:00
Speaker 2: I have it, and I fear it will be taken
00:01:02
Speaker 2: from me. If we are to survive this sight, I
00:01:06
Speaker 2: must seek god most eye. I'll return Shortly.
00:01:10
Speaker 1: Jacob fell to his knees and gripped the dirt. For
00:01:13
Speaker 1: the first time in his life. Jacob prayed with tears,
00:01:17
Speaker 1: his heart ached for answers from his God.
00:01:20
Speaker 2: You told me that I'll be great. You told me
00:01:22
Speaker 2: that my osprey will outnumber the sounds of the sea.
00:01:26
Speaker 2: If these are the promises you've made, then these are
00:01:29
Speaker 2: the promises you'll.
00:01:29
Speaker 3: Keep a man alone in the dark, wrestling not just
00:01:40
Speaker 3: with God, but with his own identity. Shall oh, my friends,
00:01:44
Speaker 3: from here in the Holy Land of Israel, i'm ya
00:01:47
Speaker 3: l Extein with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews,
00:01:51
Speaker 3: Welcome to the Chosen People. Each week we'll hear a
00:01:55
Speaker 3: dramatic story inspired by the Bible, stories filled with timeless
00:01:59
Speaker 3: lessons of faith, love, and the meaning of life. Through
00:02:03
Speaker 3: Israel's story, we find this truth that we are all
00:02:07
Speaker 3: chosen for something great. Have you been impacted by this podcast?
00:02:12
Speaker 3: Do you enjoy listening to it? Well, I would love
00:02:15
Speaker 3: it if you can leave it or review. I read
00:02:18
Speaker 3: all of the reviews and they help me to gain
00:02:21
Speaker 3: a better understanding of the types of people we're reaching.
00:02:24
Speaker 3: And if you're really paying attention and enjoying it, I
00:02:28
Speaker 3: want you to enjoy, So leave me a message and
00:02:31
Speaker 3: let me know. Thanks again. And if you're interested in
00:02:34
Speaker 3: learning more about the countless lives being saved by the
00:02:38
Speaker 3: work at the International Fellowship of Christians and Jewsy, you
00:02:41
Speaker 3: can visit IFCJ dot com that's IFCJ dot com and
00:02:46
Speaker 3: you can see how we are on the forefront of
00:02:49
Speaker 3: biblical prophecy here in the Holy Land, feeding the hungry,
00:02:53
Speaker 3: clothing the naked, and sheltering the poor. Now let's begin
00:02:59
Speaker 3: today's saga, inspired by Genesis thirty two. Twenty two to
00:03:03
Speaker 3: thirty two brings us to a crucial point in Israel's history.
00:03:07
Speaker 3: In fact, this story is the first time that we
00:03:09
Speaker 3: hear the name Israel spoken by God. And this story
00:03:14
Speaker 3: will invite us to think about what it means to
00:03:17
Speaker 3: struggle on a physical, worldly level and also on a
00:03:22
Speaker 3: spiritual level.
00:03:26
Speaker 1: A dense fog slithered through the canyons like a specter.
00:03:30
Speaker 1: The river Jabok hissed like a serpent through stone and brush.
00:03:35
Speaker 1: The air became thick with mist and tension. Jacob looked
00:03:39
Speaker 1: at his family, then back up at the hill where
00:03:42
Speaker 1: God's camp had been. He felt a tug upward and
00:03:46
Speaker 1: a vine thread pulling him forward. God most High desired
00:03:50
Speaker 1: to meet with him. He turned to Rachel with an
00:03:53
Speaker 1: unfamiliar intensity in his eyes.
00:03:56
Speaker 2: I'm going to meet with God. Should we come with you? No,
00:04:01
Speaker 2: you will cross the Jabok take the camel's.
00:04:05
Speaker 1: Rachel pulled Joseph in tight. The threat of Esau and
00:04:09
Speaker 1: his men had her and the others shaking. The thought
00:04:12
Speaker 1: of Jacob leaving their sight only added to the dread.
00:04:16
Speaker 1: Jacob placed a gentle hand on her cheek and wiped
00:04:19
Speaker 1: a tear from her eye with his thumb. He leaned
00:04:22
Speaker 1: down to kiss Joseph's forehead.
00:04:24
Speaker 2: I have to do this.
00:04:25
Speaker 1: Alone, Jacob. I don't understand.
00:04:28
Speaker 2: I don't quite understand myself.
00:04:30
Speaker 4: How far do we go in front.
00:04:33
Speaker 2: Enough to put distance between you and Esau? But before
00:04:37
Speaker 2: goes well, I shall find you before any of that happens.
00:04:41
Speaker 1: Jacob turned to his oldest son, Reuben and held his shoulders.
00:04:45
Speaker 2: Keep the family safe, do you hear me? Good boy?
00:04:49
Speaker 2: Now mount those camels and cross. I shall be behind you.
00:04:55
Speaker 1: Jacob wasn't precisely sure why he was sending his family ahead.
00:05:00
Speaker 1: He knew was that God Most High was beckoning him,
00:05:03
Speaker 1: and he had to answer the call. Deception, tricks, half truths,
00:05:09
Speaker 1: All the sins Jacob had committed to get ahead were
00:05:12
Speaker 1: catching up to him. He cheated his brother out of
00:05:15
Speaker 1: a birthright. He tricked his father into giving him his blessing.
00:05:19
Speaker 1: He deceived his father in law before fleeing with his daughters.
00:05:23
Speaker 1: Jacob's entire life had been about gaining a blessing from
00:05:26
Speaker 1: God through some sort of trick, but there were no
00:05:30
Speaker 1: more tricks to be played. His brother, Esau was approaching
00:05:34
Speaker 1: with hundreds of men behind him. Years ago, Esau had
00:05:38
Speaker 1: vowed to kill Jacob, and now it seemed the time
00:05:41
Speaker 1: had come. Jacob prayed to the Lord for mercy. He
00:05:45
Speaker 1: sent gifts of penance to his brother, for there was
00:05:48
Speaker 1: no predicting what would come of it. Jacob watched his
00:05:52
Speaker 1: family leave with tears in his eyes. He had acquired
00:05:56
Speaker 1: so much through deception and flattery, but now seemed worth it.
00:06:01
Speaker 1: His name was Jacob, meaning heel grabber. Everyone in his
00:06:06
Speaker 1: land knew what the name really meant, deceiver. At that moment,
00:06:11
Speaker 1: he wished he hadn't lived up to his name. Jacob
00:06:15
Speaker 1: scaled the hill into the mist. Shadows played off the fog.
00:06:19
Speaker 1: Whispers of childhood memories flooded his mind, Memories of playing
00:06:24
Speaker 1: jokes at his father's expense, creating ruses to get out
00:06:28
Speaker 1: of chores, scheming with his mother to get what he wanted.
00:06:32
Speaker 1: He thought about Esau's anguish when father refused to bless him.
00:06:36
Speaker 1: Jacob thought about the pain he felt when Larbon had
00:06:39
Speaker 1: deceived him. He could only imagine the misery Esau had
00:06:43
Speaker 1: to live with because of Jacob's deceit. Jacob stood over
00:06:47
Speaker 1: the precipice and looked down in the distance. Through the mist,
00:06:51
Speaker 1: Jacob saw a trail that by hundreds of torches.
00:06:55
Speaker 2: He saw be here by dawn. What will I do?
00:07:00
Speaker 1: He wondered. What fate awaited him at the bottom of
00:07:03
Speaker 1: that hill. Would his sins finally catch up to him?
00:07:06
Speaker 1: Would his brother respond to his kind gesture? Would God
00:07:10
Speaker 1: answer his plea for mercy. As Jacob considered these things,
00:07:15
Speaker 1: he felt a shift in the air. Some one was
00:07:18
Speaker 1: there with him. He turned and saw a figure walking
00:07:22
Speaker 1: toward him through the twilight haze. The moon cast shadows
00:07:26
Speaker 1: against his frame, large and muscular. Jacob's heart quickened.
00:07:32
Speaker 2: Esau, I is that you?
00:07:35
Speaker 1: The figure emerged from the smoky murk, steps, deliberate and challenging.
00:07:40
Speaker 1: It wasn't Esau, but Jacob certainly recognized him. Though Jacob
00:07:44
Speaker 1: had never seen this man's face before, he knew who
00:07:48
Speaker 1: he was. His grandfather Abraham once told him that God
00:07:53
Speaker 1: had visited him as a man. He communed with Abraham
00:07:56
Speaker 1: and shared a meal with him. This time, God had
00:07:59
Speaker 1: not come to share a meal. He came as a challenger.
00:08:04
Speaker 1: Jacob took a step forward. The ground beneath him felt
00:08:08
Speaker 1: powerful holy. Jacob's heart thumped like war drums. The stranger
00:08:13
Speaker 1: walked closer, and Jacob removed his tunic. There would be
00:08:18
Speaker 1: no more running tricks or lies. If Jacob wanted a
00:08:21
Speaker 1: blessing from God, he would have to face him. The
00:08:25
Speaker 1: man's pace quickened from a walk to a run. Jacob
00:08:29
Speaker 1: rolled his neck back, drew a deep breath, and charged.
00:08:34
Speaker 1: The damp earth slid under each stride. Jacob knew what
00:08:38
Speaker 1: he had to do. He felt sure that he had
00:08:41
Speaker 1: to wrestle with God himself and prevail. The two men converged,
00:08:46
Speaker 1: bodies clashing into each other like colliding waves in a storm.
00:08:50
Speaker 1: Jacob leaned his shoulders into the man's chest and drove
00:08:54
Speaker 1: his feet through the dirt. The man wrapped his arms
00:08:57
Speaker 1: around Jacob's waist and threw himself back. Jacob was in
00:09:01
Speaker 1: mid air and fell onto the ground with a seismic slap.
00:09:04
Speaker 1: The broom escaped his lungs and his head rang like
00:09:07
Speaker 1: a bell. Jacob knew instantly that he was outmatched, but
00:09:11
Speaker 1: it did not keep him from striving. If this man
00:09:15
Speaker 1: was God, then Jacob had to fight. He had to
00:09:19
Speaker 1: contend and accept the challenge of struggling with him. Jacob
00:09:23
Speaker 1: rolled away and leaped to his feet. Jacob readied for
00:09:26
Speaker 1: another attack and roared a challenge.
00:09:29
Speaker 2: Come on, fight me ah.
00:09:35
Speaker 1: The man accepted and darted toward him. Jacob cocked his
00:09:39
Speaker 1: hips back and met the man's advance with a blow
00:09:42
Speaker 1: to the jaw. He pivoted his feet, landing another jab upward.
00:09:47
Speaker 1: The man stumbled back. Jacob seized the opportunity and drove
00:09:51
Speaker 1: his shoulders into the man's waist, slamming him into the ground.
00:09:56
Speaker 1: He tried to make him submit, but the man rabbed
00:09:58
Speaker 1: Jacob with his legs rolled him to the left. The
00:10:02
Speaker 1: man was on top of Jacob now with his hands
00:10:04
Speaker 1: pinning down his shoulders. Jacob rithed and wriggled, eventually kicking
00:10:09
Speaker 1: his way out and standing up. Jacob walked backward, breath
00:10:13
Speaker 1: rising in the chilled air, intermixing with the fog around him.
00:10:17
Speaker 1: The two of them panted, priming themselves for another round.
00:10:21
Speaker 1: Jacob made the first move and launched forward, but the
00:10:24
Speaker 1: man tripped him onto the dirt and held him down.
00:10:27
Speaker 1: As they fought, memories of all Jacob's sins flooded back
00:10:31
Speaker 1: into his mind. He wanted God's blessing so badly that
00:10:35
Speaker 1: he was willing to do anything for it, even lie.
00:10:39
Speaker 1: But now as he rolled in the blood and sweat
00:10:42
Speaker 1: so dirt, there was no talking his way into a blessing.
00:10:45
Speaker 1: No lies, no religious babble, just him and God struggling
00:10:50
Speaker 1: to gain an advantage over the other. Jacob knew there
00:10:54
Speaker 1: was no winning, but that didn't mean he would stop.
00:10:57
Speaker 1: The two of them wrestled all night. Dawn was about
00:11:04
Speaker 1: to announce itself. The fog thinned, revealing the trees and
00:11:08
Speaker 1: stones surrounding the two challengers. Jacob wasn't sure how much
00:11:13
Speaker 1: longer he could fight. With a final desperate war cry,
00:11:17
Speaker 1: Jacob lunged forward. He aimed his strike too high. The
00:11:22
Speaker 1: man lowered his stance, buried his shoulder into Jacob's ribs,
00:11:25
Speaker 1: and flicked over his head. Jacob landed with a cruel
00:11:29
Speaker 1: and quaking thud onto the dirt. The sides of his
00:11:32
Speaker 1: eyes went dark. He looked up to see the upside
00:11:35
Speaker 1: down figure walking away.
00:11:37
Speaker 2: No dn't leave Ah I'm not finished.
00:11:45
Speaker 1: Jacob hurried to his feet and ran again. The man
00:11:48
Speaker 1: quickly turned and absorbed Jacob's blow. He slid back a
00:11:51
Speaker 1: few feet, then leaned his hand toward Jacob's hip and
00:11:55
Speaker 1: ah ah popped it out of place. Jacob shouted in
00:12:01
Speaker 1: intense pain. It shot through his hip and leg, but
00:12:05
Speaker 1: he didn't let go. He grasped onto his leg, refusing
00:12:08
Speaker 1: to let him walk away. The man looked at the
00:12:11
Speaker 1: sun's rays slowly peeking over the mountains. Then he looked
00:12:15
Speaker 1: down at Jacob.
00:12:16
Speaker 2: Let me go, the day has broken.
00:12:19
Speaker 1: Tears streamed down Jacob's swollen and dirty face.
00:12:24
Speaker 2: Never, I won't.
00:12:26
Speaker 1: The man tugged his leg away, but Jacob refused to
00:12:29
Speaker 1: let go.
00:12:31
Speaker 2: Please, please bless me. I won't let you go until
00:12:36
Speaker 2: you bless me.
00:12:38
Speaker 1: A smile appeared on the man's face. He looked again
00:12:41
Speaker 1: at the orange hues of the rising sun, and then
00:12:45
Speaker 1: back down at the poor fellow clinging to him.
00:12:48
Speaker 2: What is your name, Jacob?
00:12:53
Speaker 1: The man shook his head and placed a hand on
00:12:55
Speaker 1: Jacob's shoulder. Your name shall no longer be Jacob called Israel,
00:13:01
Speaker 1: for you have struggled with God and have prevailed. Jacob
00:13:06
Speaker 1: looked up and slowly released his grip. His body trembled
00:13:10
Speaker 1: with fatigue and awe as he looked upon the man's
00:13:13
Speaker 1: face aglow with the dawn's light. Israel. It meant to
00:13:18
Speaker 1: wrestle with God and prevail. But Jacob understood the more
00:13:22
Speaker 1: profound meaning his life. His families would be constantly wrestling
00:13:27
Speaker 1: and warring with God, but in the end they would prevail.
00:13:32
Speaker 1: They would not prevail against God. No, they would prevail
00:13:37
Speaker 1: with God the struggle and strive for unity, blessing and significance.
00:13:44
Speaker 1: But in the struggle they would share in his victories.
00:13:48
Speaker 2: What is your name?
00:13:50
Speaker 1: Now?
00:13:51
Speaker 2: Why would you ask me for my name?
00:13:53
Speaker 1: He extended his hand to help Jacob on to his feet.
00:13:57
Speaker 1: He blessed him, and then vanished where he came from.
00:14:03
Speaker 1: Jacob limped back to the hill's edge and looked down
00:14:06
Speaker 1: at Esau's company. Four hundred torches flickered against the silhouetted
00:14:11
Speaker 1: mountain range. The earliest signs of dawn peeked over the hills,
00:14:16
Speaker 1: gently kissing Jacob's face. It was time to face his brother.
00:14:22
Speaker 1: He drew a deep breath and limped back to his camel.
00:14:27
Speaker 1: Every stride of the camel was painful. He met up
00:14:30
Speaker 1: with his family and dismounted. Rachel ran to him, horror
00:14:34
Speaker 1: reflected in her eyes. What happened?
00:14:39
Speaker 2: Who did this to you? Did Esau catch up to you?
00:14:43
Speaker 1: Here?
00:14:43
Speaker 2: Let's lay you down? No, no, I'm all right, it's
00:14:48
Speaker 2: time to go meet Esau.
00:14:49
Speaker 3: We're going to him.
00:14:52
Speaker 2: I thought we were running. No running, we'll be fine
00:14:58
Speaker 2: at least.
00:14:59
Speaker 4: Let Reuben and sin and carry you.
00:15:01
Speaker 2: No, I need to do this myself. It follow behind me.
00:15:06
Speaker 1: The sun glistened over the horizon, melting away the last
00:15:11
Speaker 1: of the fog. The valley was painted in shimmering hues
00:15:15
Speaker 1: of amber. Jacob limped forward, content with whatever outcome awaited him.
00:15:27
Speaker 3: When I go for my daily walks, I marvel at
00:15:30
Speaker 3: the runners who pass me by. Sometimes they seem to
00:15:34
Speaker 3: glide past, completely at ease, and I'm amazed that someone
00:15:37
Speaker 3: can work so hard and make it look so effortless.
00:15:41
Speaker 3: Other Times I see runners who look like they are
00:15:43
Speaker 3: really struggling with every step. I've always been in awe
00:15:47
Speaker 3: of their perseverance, but I used to wonder why these
00:15:51
Speaker 3: runners keep going when it hurts so much. Then my friend,
00:15:55
Speaker 3: a fitness instructor, told me that she learned to enjoy
00:15:58
Speaker 3: the discomfort of working out, because it tells her that
00:16:01
Speaker 3: her body is transforming. What high performance athletes know is
00:16:08
Speaker 3: that it is only by struggling that they can achieve
00:16:10
Speaker 3: their goals. That they can, as the Bible says, quote
00:16:14
Speaker 3: overcome end quote, and I must tell you the same
00:16:19
Speaker 3: is true spiritually. We overcome adversity, and we overcome through adversity.
00:16:27
Speaker 3: Jacob's story reminds me that this struggle is holy. It's
00:16:31
Speaker 3: part of our heritage as the people of Israel, and
00:16:34
Speaker 3: it's part of our journey as people of faith. May we,
00:16:38
Speaker 3: like Jacob, emerge from our struggles with the deeper understanding
00:16:42
Speaker 3: of who God is and who we are Amen. The
00:16:46
Speaker 3: story of Jacob's struggle comes up throughout the Bible and
00:16:49
Speaker 3: throughout Jewish tradition. Joseiah twelve to four tells us that
00:16:54
Speaker 3: Jacob quote struggled with the angel and overcame him end quote.
00:17:00
Speaker 3: Tradition explains this further that the man who fought Jacob
00:17:03
Speaker 3: was actually an angel of God, and his job was
00:17:07
Speaker 3: to create adversity for Jacob so that through the struggle
00:17:11
Speaker 3: he could transform and even advance in his spiritual growth.
00:17:16
Speaker 3: It was through this struggle that Jacob was given a
00:17:20
Speaker 3: new name, Israel. Appropriately, the name Israel contains the Hebrew
00:17:27
Speaker 3: word that means struggle as well as the word that
00:17:30
Speaker 3: means nobility. This is because Jacob obtained nobility by growing
00:17:35
Speaker 3: through struggles, and my friends, so do we. Our greatest
00:17:41
Speaker 3: challenges transform us into the greatest versions of ourselves. And well,
00:17:46
Speaker 3: none of us would choose a life of constance, struggle
00:17:48
Speaker 3: and never ending adversity. Difficulties do serve an important purpose
00:17:53
Speaker 3: in our lives. They too, are gifts from God. The
00:17:58
Speaker 3: Jewish ages have another interesting take on this angel from God.
00:18:03
Speaker 3: They look at Jacob's opponent as the embodiment of his
00:18:06
Speaker 3: twin brother, Esau, and all that Esau represented, the lack
00:18:10
Speaker 3: of moral conscience, the lack of respect for the Word
00:18:14
Speaker 3: of God, the devotion to the physical rather than the spiritual.
00:18:19
Speaker 3: In that sense, Esa is seen as the forebearer of
00:18:23
Speaker 3: the many nations that have oppressed the Chosen people throughout
00:18:26
Speaker 3: our history. So the struggle we see in this Bible
00:18:31
Speaker 3: story also represents the struggle between the two world views
00:18:35
Speaker 3: of Jacob and of Esau, a struggle that originated in
00:18:39
Speaker 3: their mother's womb. We know the outcome of this wrestling match.
00:18:43
Speaker 3: We know that this opponent cannot prevail over Jacob, even
00:18:48
Speaker 3: though Jacob is injured. But the moral of the story is,
00:18:52
Speaker 3: of course, that the Chosen people, the bearers of God's Word,
00:18:57
Speaker 3: will prevail, but that victory won't be without effort. It's
00:19:03
Speaker 3: not going to be easy. We will win, we will
00:19:08
Speaker 3: overcome darkness, but it won't be without injury and pain.
00:19:13
Speaker 3: And the Jewish people see this throughout our history even
00:19:17
Speaker 3: today as people of faith. It's hard being the bearer
00:19:21
Speaker 3: of God's word, isn't it? Both Jews and Christians experience
00:19:26
Speaker 3: that each and every day, and we know that even
00:19:30
Speaker 3: today we have to confront the esaus of our world.
00:19:36
Speaker 3: We have to do everything we can, not to fight,
00:19:39
Speaker 3: but to bring God's word, to bring God's love to
00:19:44
Speaker 3: everything that we do. I've got a question for you,
00:19:47
Speaker 3: what's the most important verse in the Bible? Part of
00:19:51
Speaker 3: me wonders if there's even an answer to that. How
00:19:53
Speaker 3: could one Bible verse possibly be more important than another.
00:19:58
Speaker 3: Isn't every word in the Bible e equally the word
00:20:01
Speaker 3: of God? Yet centuries ago, two great Jewish sages struggled
00:20:06
Speaker 3: over this very question. One rabbi claim that the most
00:20:10
Speaker 3: important verse in the Torah is Deuterotomy six ' four
00:20:14
Speaker 3: Schma Israel ha shemeloceno as shemrad hero Israel, the Lord,
00:20:19
Speaker 3: our God, the Lord is one. The second rabbi argued
00:20:23
Speaker 3: that most important verse in the Bible is actually Leviticus
00:20:26
Speaker 3: nineteen eighteen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. So
00:20:31
Speaker 3: what's more important, faith in God or love for our
00:20:35
Speaker 3: fellow man. Well, the truth is that both are pillars of.
00:20:41
Speaker 1: A life of faith.
00:20:43
Speaker 3: And that's what the story of jacob struggle with Esau
00:20:48
Speaker 3: and how we struggle to understand it is really all
00:20:53
Speaker 3: about our struggle as humans between the physical world in
00:20:59
Speaker 3: which we live and the spiritual realm of God, who
00:21:02
Speaker 3: created us in His image is real, and it's represented
00:21:08
Speaker 3: by this fight of Jacob and Esau. This is a
00:21:14
Speaker 3: pivotal chapter and the grand story of our people, the
00:21:17
Speaker 3: Chosen People, is the struggle of a nation yet unborn,
00:21:21
Speaker 3: of a people chosen to wrestle with the divine and
00:21:24
Speaker 3: with their own humanity, and.
00:21:26
Speaker 4: It reverberates through the ages, through the exodus from Egypt,
00:21:32
Speaker 4: when we cried out under the weight of slavery and
00:21:34
Speaker 4: saw the mighty hand of God.
00:21:36
Speaker 3: Split the sea, through our wilderness wanderings where we stumbled
00:21:41
Speaker 3: and complained. Yet we're fed mana from heaven, through our
00:21:44
Speaker 3: conquest of Cain and the rise and fall of kings
00:21:47
Speaker 3: exile and returned from Babylon. We are always wrestling, We're
00:21:52
Speaker 3: always struggling, and we are always becoming. And so I ask,
00:22:01
Speaker 3: what does Jacob's story mean for us today? How do
00:22:04
Speaker 3: we in our modern lives find resonance with this ancient
00:22:09
Speaker 3: tale that we know is a story of our lives. Well,
00:22:15
Speaker 3: maybe you're wrestling with the decision about your career, unsure
00:22:18
Speaker 3: of which path to take, or maybe you're grappling with
00:22:21
Speaker 3: a relationship that's strained to the breaking point. Perhaps you're
00:22:26
Speaker 3: struggling with your sense of worth and feeling inadequate in
00:22:29
Speaker 3: the face of life's demands. Well, Jacob's story teaches us
00:22:35
Speaker 3: it is okay to wrestle. It's okay to bring our fears,
00:22:40
Speaker 3: our doubts, and our very real struggles to God. Because
00:22:44
Speaker 3: God is in distant God is waiting for us to
00:22:48
Speaker 3: turn to him and to clean up our act. But
00:22:52
Speaker 3: before we could have clarity, we have to be ready
00:22:56
Speaker 3: to bravely ask the questions. And when we ask those
00:23:01
Speaker 3: hard questions that will lead to transformation, we have to
00:23:04
Speaker 3: remember that God is right here with us, ready to engage,
00:23:09
Speaker 3: ready to transform. In our wrestling. We are not alone.
00:23:16
Speaker 3: God is with us, and so I pray that you
00:23:20
Speaker 3: find in Him the strength, the grace, the transformation and
00:23:28
Speaker 3: the blessings that you seek.
00:23:32
Speaker 1: You can listen to The Chosen People with Isle Exstein
00:23:35
Speaker 1: add free by downloading and subscribing to the Prey dot
00:23:39
Speaker 1: Com app today. This Prey dot Com production is only
00:23:43
Speaker 1: made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina,
00:23:48
Speaker 1: Max Bard, Zach Shellabaga and Ben Gammon are the executive
00:23:52
Speaker 1: producers of The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein, edited by
00:23:56
Speaker 1: Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltefianu are voiced by Jonathan Cotton,
00:24:02
Speaker 1: Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc
00:24:07
Speaker 1: and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music
00:24:10
Speaker 1: by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato.
00:24:15
Speaker 1: Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows,
00:24:20
Speaker 1: Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship of Christians
00:24:24
Speaker 1: and Jews. You can hear more Prey dot com productions
00:24:27
Speaker 1: on the Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple
00:24:30
Speaker 1: App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The
00:24:33
Speaker 1: Chosen People with Yeile Eckstein, please rate and leave a review.
Related Episodes
Moses in Midian
# 67 - Moses in Midian - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Moses finds refuge in the land of Midian, where an act of kindness changes his life forever. In this episode, we explore themes of exile, identity, and the unexpected ways God provides purpose in the wilderness. Episo...
Moses the Murderer
# 66 - Moses the Murderer - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, we explore his defining act of passion, its consequences, and the lessons it holds for navigating faith and purpose in complex times. Episode 66 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by the Book of Ex...
Child of the Nile
# 65 - Child of the Nile - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, a mother's faith and courage set her son adrift on the Nile, trusting God to protect him. Discover the miraculous journey of Moses, the child drawn from the waters, and how God’s providence turns vulnerability...
