Genesis 25:19, we were introduced to Jacob. He tricked his father into blessing him instead of his elder brother, Esaus, and faced various challenges until he encountered God where his name was changed to Isreal. This is an excellent example of God making someone a better human being.
We see this transformation in Genesis 32:24, a man is wrestling with Jacob. He was defeated because as he grabbed the socket of Jacob’s hip to wrench it between them, Jacob would not let go. He demanded to be blessed, otherwise he would not let go. The man he was wrestling with replied to this action with, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Isreal because you have struggled with God and humans and overcome,” leading to Jacob becoming blessed.
Later, in verse 30, Jacob calls the place where he wrestled with said man Peniel because he saw God face to face, and his life was spared.
Now, let us move on to Moses. Moses had faith in God, and though he spent his years in the palace, he knew who his people were: as he saw their sufferings, he tried to intervene but was unsuccessful. Events led him to flee into the wilderness, where he stayed until, finally, in Exodus 3, God called for him. His encounter with God led him to return to Egypt to demand that the Israelites be allowed to worship God freely.
In Genesis 5:1, Moses and Aaron went to the Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord the God of Israel says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ There, the Pharaoh was adamant and punished the Israelites even more. When Moses returned to give an account of his unsuccessful meeting with the Pharaoh, God suddenly promised deliverance.
He declared to Moses; “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty.”
This declaration caused Moses to admire and respect the Lord even more, believing in these words deeply. Then, he took this message given to him to the Israelites.
Thank you for reading today’s post! I will post again on December 23rd where I will post the continuation.
