Jul 23 Wed
Like Jacob, should I “wrestle” with God?
Recently, Peterson, a clinical psychologist, wrote about the psychological dimension of the Genesis stories. He presents the biblical prophets Elijah and Moses as emblematic of the transformation every human must go through to bring them closer to God. God leads human beings up, inviting them to “wrestle” with him by engaging with the deepest questions, one’s deepest desires, to find answers.
The tragic event of Adam and Eve sets the pattern for human sin, leading to unhappiness; it establishes the necessity to pursue spiritual growth through sacrifice and work.
The two brothers, Cain and Abel, stand for the good and evil in human beings, with Peterson defining “good” as dedicated, sacrificial work, and “evil” as selfishness, anger, and resentment, which are destructive for oneself and others.
The great deluge is emblematic of God’s anger at the sinfulness of rebellious humanity. God calls Noah; he, by heeding God’s call, brings about a peaceful new covenant.
Babylon, the site of the tower, becomes the prototype for “arrogant empire” and political tyranny. As a fitting punishment, the pride of Babel results in linguistic confusion.
Abraham listens to God’s call to become “the father of nations,” and he maintains faith in God, ready to sacrifice everything. Abraham thus symbolizes the adventurous spirit that accepts new challenges to please God, while becoming morally mature.
Moses’ narrative reveals God as being on the side of freedom and the oppressed, culminating in the provision of the Ten Commandments. Obeying these, Moses leads the Israelites through the desert and fights against their tendency toward materialism, idolatry, and moral backsliding.
Jonah’s call to convert the city of Nineveh, his resistance to this call, and his turnaround illustrate the dangers of silence in the face of evil.
This “wrestling” with God is especially urgent in the rapidly changing world of today.
Jacob wrestled throughout the night with the Lord God (Gen 32:23-33).
He began his adventure on the wrong foot. He just wanted to set himself straight. Despite his substantial flaws, he made a covenant with God to do exactly that. That was a decision; a moral decision, and with that decision, he began the journey up toward the highest good.
He then faced a horizon of expanding opportunities, each of which demanded, in sequence, a sacrifice of increasing magnitude – a maturation and transformation of character. This transformation proceeded to a point so revolutionary that to go through it, he had, in some sense, to be reborn and become a new person. Hence his new name, Israel, ‘he who wrestles with God.’
Jacob’s personal struggle is our everyday struggle against sin and tepidity. It is a combat between ‘what God expects from me’ and ‘what my bad tendencies force me to do.’
Our Lord constantly seeks us out after we are lost. We must hasten to meet Him and to respond to his never-failing Love. Our response should be to begin over and over again, not in a vague manner, but in the main points of our interior struggle, enthusiastically. If that wrestling is done in the proper spirit, the victory is ours.