Arn Buck – January 20, 2008
“God’s will is hard only when it comes up against our stubbornness, then it
is as cruel as a ploughshare and as devastating as an earthquake.”
Oswald
Chambers (1874–1917)
Introduction
Watchman Nee was a very influential church leader and writer in China
during the 20th Century. He was also the founder of many
indigenous Chinese churches. He spent a third of his life in prison
for his faith and was martyred in 1972. The following quotation is
taken from the first chapter of his book entitled Spiritual
Knowledge.
“Currently
the children of God who really seek after Him are divided into two
classes: one class knows the Bible but knows little of God’s
power; the other does not know much of the Bible yet knows the power
of God. Very seldom are Christians well balanced in both points. I
shall not speak on the relative importance of these two principles; I
intend, rather, to say to all that it is not enough just to know the
Bible but that we must also know the power of God. Allow me to view
you all as those who understand the Scriptures, that I may draw your
attention to this matter of the way we know God. Knowledge of the
Scriptures alone is not sufficient; we must know God himself. But to
know Him requires dealings with God and dealings by God. We will not
come to the knowledge of God if we do not deal with Him and expect to
be dealt with by Him. For the pathway to the knowledge of God is
through such dealings. There is no other way. This each one of us
needs to take to heart.”
The “dealings by God”
is a difficult but critical element in our development as Christians.
We all have issues that keep us from being closer to God. We often
need God's help to resolve these issues. We can either seek His help
on our own initiative or wait for Him to deal with us. Often God
lovingly prefers to deal with us in a gentle and quite manner. But
at times because of our reluctance to face the truth about ourselves
or our resistance to His will, God sometimes has to allows us to end
up in difficult situations. This is when we are most likely to
concede to him in return for His deliverance from the situation.
Jacob Wrestles With God
One of the most significant
examples of God dealing with a man is found just as Jacob was
preparing to meet his brother Esau after fleeing from him twenty
years earlier. Esau had clearly stated his intentions to kill Jacob
for stealing his birthright. Jacob was probably quite fearful about
how his brother would react to his return. Then his fear turned to
terror as he was informed that Esau was on his way to meet him with
an army of 400 men. Jacob was absolutely desperate and God was
waiting for him.
Genesis 32:22 – 32 (NLT)
During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant
wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them. After
taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions. This
left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him
until the dawn began to break. When the man saw that he would not win
the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its
socket. Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is
breaking!” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless
you bless me. “What is your name?” the man asked. He
replied, “Jacob. “Your name will no longer be Jacob,”
the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel,
because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”
“Please tell me your name,” Jacob said. “Why do you
want to know my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob
there. Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of
God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my
life has been spared.” The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel,
and he was limping because of the injury to his hip. (Even today the
people of Israel don’t eat the tendon near the hip socket
because of what happened that night when the man strained the tendon
of Jacob’s hip.)
This example shows how God
used Jacob's desperate situations to deal with him. Keep in mind
that God was not responsible for circumstances that now brought such
terror to Jacob. It was Jacob's actions that incited Esau. But God
was ready to use the stage that was set to deal with Jacob.
This passage is a good
example because it shows the engagement had both a physical dimension
and a spiritual dimension. The former is seen as God met Jacob in
physical form as a man. The latter is seen in Jacob's weeping and
pleading with God as shown in the account of the struggle found in
Hosea 12:3–5.
Hosea 12:3 – 5 (NLT)
Even in the
womb, Jacob struggled with his brother; when he became a man, he even
fought with God. Yes, he wrestled with the angel and won. He wept
and pleaded for a blessing from him. There at Bethel he met God face
to face, and God spoke to him the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies,
the LORD is his name!
Often our dealings by God
involve the physical and spiritual. He is often taking away our
physical cravings, worldly ambitions, and worldly values and
replacing them with spiritual and Godly counterparts. God was using
the situation to mold Jacob into the man that He wanted Him to be.
Many Biblical scholars believe that the injury to Jacob's hip was God
releasing him from his reliance on scheming and craftiness to get his
way and replacing it with greater dependence on God's provision.
Notice that Jacob was
absolutely determined to get God's blessing. This is a good example
of preserving with God. Somethings that we seek from God take time.
An example of this might be healing of deep emotional wounds or the
liberation from an habitual sin. What Jacob was specifically seeking
is not defined. It might have a re–assurance that God had truly
accepted him as the rightful heir to the inheritance that he stole
from Esau.
Although Jacob's fears about
Esau's revenge proved to be false, God used the situation to change
Jacob. Jacob was returning to the land of his forefathers and God
was preparing Jacob to be the recipient of the great covenant that He
made with Abraham. This event took place as Jacob, following the
Lord's instruction, returned to Bethel.
Genesis 35:11 – 13 (NLT)
Then God said,
“I am El–Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful
and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations.
Kings will be among your descendants! And I will give you the land I
once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your
descendants after you.” Then God went up from the place where
he had spoken to Jacob.
Defusing A Bomb Before It Explodes
In 1987 my wife and I joined
church start–up that ended up having a tremendously positive
influence on us. The pastor was a sincere man of God, a clear and
precise teacher, and an inspirational leader. It was the first time
that we had seen a church that had a good balance between doctrinal
accuracy and the exposure of its members to the experiential
knowledge of God's power. The pastor was always a talented
keyboardist, singer, writer, and arranger. After attended for
several months I was offered an opportunity to play bass in the
worship team. Prior to doing this the the pastor he gave me tapes of
the worship service each Sunday for me to practice with. I really
put my heart into it and developed some intricate and complex parts.
I would practice these for many hours each week to get them just
right. These were certain to impress the pastor.
Finally the worship team had
their first practice. During the first song I played my part as
skillfully as possible. Less than half way through the song the
pastor stopped the band to discuss my part. I was awaiting kudos
instead I hear, “That part doesn't fit my vision for the song.
Why don't you play this instead?” He then showed me a very
simple and basic part that I was to play in place of the part I
worked so hard to develop. Then we went on to the next song. I was
certain that this part would blow his socks off! Again he stopped
the song and replaced my part with his. The same happened for every
song. Not only did I feel that he stuck a knife through my heart but
I felt that he kept twisting it.
I was boiling inside and
about to explode. No one had ever insulted me like that before.
Other musicians were usually quite impressed with my parts. Before
becoming a Christian I had played lead guitar in one of the most
technically respected club bands in the area. Audiences used to go
wild during my solos. Who does he think he is to make me play these
parts that a baby could play?
This went on week after
week. If I changed a part during worship on Sunday, the pastor would
always notice it, bring it to my attention and ask me not to do that.
It was really getting to me. One night in bed it really came to a
head. I could not continue to put up his criticism any longer.
Something had to give. I would either have to leave the church or
continue playing the bass parts that bothered me. Somehow I knew
that this decision was important and that it would likely impact the
rest of my life. It took hours of tossing and turning and discussing
it with my wife. In reality it wasn't between the pastor and myself.
It was between God and me. My ego was getting in the way of
learning to submit the God ordained authority of the pastor.
Fortunately I decided to submit. After that everything changed. As
adopted my style to match what the pastor was looking for, he gave me
more and more latitude to develop my own parts. It ended up being a
wonderful blessing to be part of the worship team there.
Conclusion
There were two winners in
the wrestling match between Jacob and God. Although Jacob claimed
himself as the victor of the wrestling match, God was also the victor
because He had successfully dealt with Jacob. This is true whenever
we are dealt with by God.
Often
when God deals with us in such a matter, He is desiring to take
someone from us that is hindering our relationship with Him. He has
the upper hand when we need Him to save us from a bad situation. It
is so important that we learn to see Him and surrender to Him at
these times. Watchman Nee said, “Many Christians carelessly
let difficulties or problems pass by without receiving dealings from
God.” As we remain humble we are teachable. He will instruct
us and make us victorious in our walk with Him.
Psalms 149:4 – 5 (NLT)
For the LORD delights in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.
Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them.
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