Jacob had sent his family across the Jabbok River. Now he is alone in the night with the river; this smooth talking, manipulating, tricking Jacob. Here he is in the dark by the river Jabbok; the river that runs in the dark between the life that has lived so far and the new life that could be on the other side in the land of Canaan – the Promised Land. All you have to do is cross it.
But crossing over to a new life is not an easy thing to do. It is not a simple process because before one can cross, they may have to face unknown dangers and fight terrifying battles. This is what Jacob discovered. Crossing into Canaan was not just a matter of crossing a stream, because in the darkness a strange and mysterious Presence arises. Ancient tales said that rivers had spirits that had to be defeated before they could cross the river. But when we read in the Scriptures, we learn that the antagonist who appeared at night to sixteen Jacob for a fight that would last until dawn, was not a spirit of the river, but the God of Justice who forced Jacob to account.
There comes a time in our lives when every soul must be held accountable by the Jabbok River. This Old Testament story is dramatizing the consequence that befalls every soul who has long tried to evade the truth about himself. The soul must wrestle with the mystery of existence and the reality of God to whom we must account. It is a time in our lives when we cannot manipulate anyone or cheat anyone or escape from the situation because there is no one but you and God.
Jacob is struggling with the concept of God that flows through the very essence of his being. Tomorrow you have an appointment with destiny; he sees Esau whom he so easily degraded into an object to be used for his own advancement. Jacob saw his world darkened because of him. Old memories woke up; old fears arose from the past. All his betrayals, deceptions, lies and manipulations converged on him in a fateful battle.
Here, by the Jabbok River, Jacob had to find the God within. He had to face himself and admit deep down that he didn’t deserve anything. He had to give up the pride that he thought he could achieve his own peace of mind with his own ingenuity. Jacob had to fight with himself to make his way to the divine. Who will win?
We, too, must fight many personal battles with our inner selves along the Jabbok River. We cannot cross over to the new life until we come to terms with ourselves and recognize ourselves for who we really are. Then we must make the decision which one of us will win the battle by the Jabbok River. Who will win when we see dirty, broken, bleeding, failed people crying out to be loved in one corner and clean, bright, rising stars in the other corner? Who will win when we hear the voice of Jesus calling us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him and the voice of Satan offering us power, wealth and prestige? Who will win the fight when a friend is in trouble or disgrace and being by their side would mean your own reputation could be tarnished as well? Who will win when power and status parade before our eyes and tempt us to betray ourselves and others in exchange for recognition, adulation or high office? Who will win?
Who will win as we and Jacob wrestle with the God within our souls at night by the Jabbok River? Our true selves who were made in the image of God or the fragments of ourselves who want to idolize things like sex, power, money, and recognition?
The Presence in Jabbok moves within us, calling us to wrestle with our depths until we find our true selves.
Biblical reference: Genesis 32:22-32 (NIV).