Genesis 32:26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
Jacob had sent his family over the Jabbok ford, and was left alone on the shore. Then a man wrestled with Jacob during the night until dawn. Neither one prevailed until the man (the Lord) touched Jacob’s thigh. The ”man” said, ”Let me go,” but Jacob responded, ”Not until you bless me,” Jacob realized that this was the Lord Himself with whom he was wrestling: v. 30, ”I have seen God face to face.”
After a lifetime of ”wrestling with God” Jacob has come to the point of simple faith and complete trust in the Lord. It took a while, and it wasn’t easy, but Jacob has finally surrendered to God’s will and believed His promise. No longer would he connive and deceive to obtain the Blessing. God had given him the Covenant Promise, and his part was to surrender to God and receive the blessing by faith. His faith was now so sure that he could ”demand” of God the blessing He already promised.
God blessed him there, called him a prince, and changed his name to Israel. The new name means either ”strive with God,” or ”God strives (for us).” Both are true: God has fought for us and won the victory over our spiritual enemies; and we argue and fight with God until we finally surrender to His way and firmly believe His promise. The Spirit has given us such a strong faith through the Gospel that we may be so bold as to demand that He grant the blessings of forgiveness and life, which He already guaranteed to us by grace because of the death and resurrection of Christ. We wrestle until we ”let go of self and let God” work out His promises. We may be left with a ”hip out of joint” as a reminder of God’s loving victory over the Self.