Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob
– Genesis 25:26
When Jacob wrestled with God at Peniel, God said to him, “You have striven with God and with men and have prevailed” (Gen. 32:28). This natural man prevailed against both God and men. Men didn’t know what to do with him, and it seems God didn’t either. A natural man always finds a way for himself. When Laban tricked Jacob and changed his wages ten times, Jacob got away with his daughters, children, and flocks.
When Laban pursued them, Jacob argued with Laban and even rebuked him. Eventually Laban could do nothing but say, “The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine” (31:43). Laban didn’t know what to do with him. Jacob prevailed against his father, his brother, and his uncle. He had struggled with God and with men and had prevailed.
Adapted from A Sketch of Genesis, by Titus Chu, page 144.
Tomorrow: “The Prevailing Natural Man (2)”