Jaob’s life has been fraught with difficulties ever since he first cheated Esau out of his birthright by deception. Jacob then experienced deception at the hand of his Uncle Lavan, in having to work 14 years for Rachel, and then stayed up nights worrying about what Esau would do to him when they would again meet. His wives would be jealous of each other, always vying for Jacob’s attention and the number of children they would bear for him. Until one night Jacob wrestles with God – perhaps Yeshua, since in the first part of that story it indicates he wrestled with a man, and later that Jacob saw Elohim, who blessed him when Jacob asked him for a blessing, before letting him go. That is when Jacob’s name changed to Israel, and I believe his life changed as well, for the better. In Jewish culture, when boys (and girls) become men and women, they get a new name. When we finally get to our new heavenly home, we get a new name, because we have crossed over from death into life – which is what “Hebrew” means…”crossed over”. Jacob had a new beginning that night, but would carry the scars of his deceptive past into the future as lessons learned.
Just because we become new creatures in Yeshua, doesn’t mean we have no scars from our past. We will carry them always, until one day God wipes away all tears, and perhaps those memories as well. We have all wrestled with God, and then decide to finally let Him have His way in our lives. I have found this to be so true, and then peace settles into my heart, and obedience becomes so very sweet, and the yoke so easy.
cduty 