Posted by: Tim (tparkhouse@hotmail.com)
Institution: none
Date posted: Wed Mar 25 5:02:14 1998
Message:
Anyone who has ever wrestled or been involved in a physical
fight with another knows that about 20 seconds means
almost complete loss of strength and breath. Jacob wrestled
all night. This was not because he was fitter than you or
me but because his opponent was God-like. His opponent in
some way represented the ultimate challenge. His opponent
was more himself than God in the sense that they must have
been almost exactly evenly matched to have been able to
wrestle for so long. This is analagous of life. The beauty
that I see in this story is that God did not just defeat
Jacob; he led him into and in the struggle. He was creative
and entered into the struggle as an equal. It was an
incarnate bit of action from God. I hope that I will be a
wrestler with God knowing that it will be exhausting and
dangerous but not without exceptional reward.
Posted by: .. Robert .. Mitchell
Institution: None
Date posted: Sat Nov 1 13:49:02 1997
Message:
.... Jacob had an unusual experience of wrestling with an
... "ANGEL" ... and because of his perseverance his name
was changed to ... Israel ... meaning ... "Contender
(Perseverer) With God ; ... or , God Contends". ... (Ge.
32:22-28) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Thereafter both
names often appear
in ... Hebrew poetic parallelisms , ... (Ps. 14:7 .;. 22:23
.;. 78:5 , 21 , 71 .;. 105:10 , 23) ... ... ... ... ... ...
In this struggle the angle touched the socket of Jacob's
thigh joint , ... and Jacob limped for the rest of his life
... perhaps to teach him humility ; ... a constant reminder
... not to be overly exalted because of his God-given
prosperity ... or for having grappled with an angle. ... ...
In commemoration of these momentous events Jacob called the
place ... Peniel or Penuel ... (Gen. 32:25 , 30-32) ... ...
Replies: (list all replies)
What's in a name for Jacob
Posted by: Amanda Thrower
Institution: Episcopal Highschool
Date posted: Fri Oct 10 9:35:54 1997
Message:
In the night, Jacob wrestles God. But in a sense, he
wrestles himmself and the mistakes he made in his life.
He knew that he would soon meet up with his past. He
would soon be meeting his brother who he stole from in
his younger years. Is there a possibility that maybe
his dream was an act of his conscience?
Replies: (list all replies)
Jacob's Conscience
Posted by: Stuart Kasdan (kasdan@dorsai.org)
Institution: None
Date posted: Fri Jul 18 2:47:09 1997
Message:
Reading (in a Conservative Jewish rendering) the passage concerning Jacob's wrestling with the entity, I was struck
by how similar the description was to passages in the series
of Carlos Costeneda books concerning Shamans, etc. in the Mexican Toltek.
Posted by: Neal I. Konecky (dnkonecky@juno.com)
Institution: none
Date posted: Mon Jun 23 19:48:05 1997
Message:
During the program, there was much discussion about Jacob's battle (with whom is not apparent) on the eve of his reconciliation with Esau. During this battle, Jacob was injured, his hip was wrenched from it's socket. He walked with a limp from that point on. There is symbolism in the injury. Why his hip? Why not an arm or a broken rib? Why was he changed forever, vis a vis, the limp? This was not discuused.
It seems significant that Jacob, who was "on the run" his adult life, who made his way in the world by less than pure means, can no longer run. Could it be that the injury may have been a "blessing". Jacob can no longer run--run from his past or himself. When Jacob's ability to "run" is taken away (albeit symbolically), Jacob is "encouraged" to confront the things he has done in his life.
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