Week of Sunday August 2, 2020
Bible Study for Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Genesis 32:22-31
Once again, the text appointed to be read on the ninth Sunday after Pentecost is a small portion of the larger narrative of Jacob’s life. And next Sunday, August 9th, we jump quite a ways forward to Genesis 37 where we turn to the story of Joseph, young son of Jacob who was envied by his brothers. This week we pick up at Genesis 32 after the drama of Jacob leaving Laban and embarking on his return back to his homeland. And after reading the appointed text, you may want to read up through Genesis 36. The chapters after 32 (this week’s text) recount the story of the reconciliation between Jacob and Esau; the rape of Jacob’s and Leah’s daughter, Dinah; the deaths of Rachel and Isaac; and a census of sorts of the offspring of Esau.
At the heart of this week’s study is the story of the wrestling match between God and Jacob, a story with much ambiguity and uncertainty. This art seems to well-capture this struggle.
Moyers, Mike. Israel, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=57141 [retrieved July 27, 2020]. Original source: Mike Moyers, https://www.mikemoyersfineart.com/. This is reproduced under license of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike 3.0 License.
The story of our forebears – of Abraham and Sarah and of Isaac and Rebekah and of Jacob and Rachel – is one that includes many journeys and travels. Take a moment to look back at previous weeks’ studies and guides and then list some of those travels. And then think about the number of years over which these occurred. What common threads do you see in these? God often uses journeys and wanderings as opportunities for transformation. How have you experienced this?
Think about the travels and journeys you have made over the years of your life. List them. Have they been wanderings or focused trips? Have there been clear destinations or unknown places? Where have you seen God in these?
Jacob, the “trickster,” is on the verge of seeing his twin brother after twenty years or so. The last word he knew from Esau was that Esau wanted to kill him (Gen 27:41). How do you see this “trickster” in this account as he returns to his homeland? Was it more trickstering or strategic planning?
So then there is this wrestling match between the “man” and Jacob and it lasted all night long, not ending until the break of dawn. Daybreak is a time of turning points, of renewal. What do you think was Jacob’s turning point at the break of dawn after a night of struggle and wrestling? Take a look at the art at the top of this post – what images do you see there? Is there one character that seems more dominant?
When have you wrestled with God? Make some notes about this. You won’t have to share about it, but I hope you will bring it to mind. And in the course of that wrestling, how has your identity, your name, been changed?
Let us pray: O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not know where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love support us: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
