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Jacob wrestles with the Lord's Angel
Jacob Wrestles with the Angel
On Jabbok's banks sat Jacob all alone
Absorbed in musings, weighty and profound,
His family and goods he had sent on
They would have touched by now ancestral ground.
Accumulated he had many goods,
While serving Laban in the foreign land,
Despite the quarrels, arguments and feuds
He had endured, he kept the upper hand.
Lo! Jacob outdid him in craftiness
But was a rich man now with no more need
To catch a heel and be duplicitous,
Or trip soeone with guile and with deceit
True, Jacob served his father's God indeed
And took in foreign worship never part,
But cried to God for Bail-Outs when in need
While holding in reserve his mind and heart.
But Bail-outs tricks are not the Lord's affair,
Are gimmicks slick utilitarian,
That smell of underhanded savoir-faire,
While God desires the whole heart of man.
These musings went through crafty Jacob's head
As darkness by the Jabbok river fell
Reflecting of his past alone he sat
Lost in his thoughts, how long he could not tell.
He'd robbed his brother of his first-born right,
And blessings, benefits that do go with it,
Deceived his father who had lost his sight,
Oh Jacob was a clever chap indeed.
As mother's favorite he got away
With crafty tricks without reproof thus he
Dressed up in brother Esau's rough array,
And had no qualms at the big treachery
The mother in cahoots with treachery
Gave to the cheating son her full support,
Without remorse, but ingenuity
She cheated first-born son and her blind Lord.
Woe unto mothers that give preference
To favorite children and withhold rebuke-,
If bad weeds thrive, she need not ask from whence
Derive the gifts that make her child a crook.
But now the Blessing's mugger had to flee
From Brother Esau's wrath for the rapine,
He had to leave his home, his friends and family,
And headed north, by high divine design.
And he atoned for cheating in his house,
For bitter were the jealousies and strives,-
Afflicting Jacob's heart as only spouse,
Of Raquel and of Leah - his two wives.
A penance t'is two wives to entertain,
That jealous of each other fight and feud,
And father Laban in the neck a pain,
Who cheated too, plus being gruff and rude.
The past is past, - returning home is sweet
Sweet is it so to kiss ancestral earth,
But memory, despicable a deed
Disturbed his mind - and dread of Esau's curse.
These musings went thrugh crafty Jacob's head
As darkness by the Jabbok river fell
Reflecting of his past alone he sat
Lost in his thoughts, how long he could not tell.
Thus he now wanted to return back home,
And take possession of the Promised Land,
The land of milk and honey, grapes and pome,
And kiss its earth,its stones. its fields and sand.
He sent his family across the stream
But he himself crossed not but stayed behind,
Alike a man that searches in a dream
Lost buried treasure that he cannot find.
Deceived he had, his blessing was a fraud,
And soon he would his cheated brother meet,
He had not found the treasure that he sought
What would the future hold he coveted?
By Jabbok's banks he sat now wondering,
In fear of Brother Esau and cohort,
What would the meeting with the brother bring?
Would he in vengeance 'gainst him draw the sword?
But in the middle of the star-lit night
A mystery stranger suddenly appeared,
Attacking him and challenging a fight,-
A fight that crafty Jacob hardly feared.
Accustomed to quick victory Jacob fought
And through the night he wrestled with this foe,
While the mysterious stranger grabbed and caught
Deft Jacob's robe and would not let him go.
The stranger let deft Jacob almost win,-
A generous move,- but then asked him his name,
And Jacob who had always winner been
Remembered aught, and felt disgrace and shame.
When was the last time he was asked for it?
It was when Isaak was about to die
And then egged on by mother's biased wit,
Said: " I am Esau" - cheating with a lie.
His past to relive Jacob was compelled,
The cheating wife and mother egging on,
The blessing thief and mugger duly felt
A cheatig spouse and mother's worthy son.
The wrestling match went on throuout the night
And Jacob seemed to win, what glorious feat,
But then the stranger touched his hip joint 's side,
And Jacob limped,mysteriously hit.
The day break neared: "Give me your blessing! please!
Thus Jacob pled as he had once before,
By father Isaak's death bed on his knees,
His mind replayed the incident of yore.
He wished so much to see the stranger's face.-
The countenance of his adversary,
Who seemed to hold him in an iron brace-
He longed to know his foe's identity.
Perhaps he fought an angel of the Lord,-
Same sages think the pre-incarnate Christ
Did battle with him by the Jabbok's fjord,
And it was Christ who held him mesmerized.
In winning fights deft Jacob was rehearsed,-
For none could match his guile and could resist,
His cleverness, but things were now reversed,
The winner was the strange antagonist.
He let the wrestling Jacob have his way,-
Allowing him to outface him and beat,
To realize at last in disarray
He was defeated,- in a sound defeat !
He felt the injured sinew near the thigh,
That made him limp, limp pityably so,
And Jacob, hurting now began to cry:
"I need you, bless me stranger, do not go!"
The face he glimpsed of his adversary
Crushed clever Jacob like a broken reed,
Prostrate, half dead he fell upon his knee,-
And crumpled and surrendered in defeat.
The countenance - more terrible than death,-
He'd glimpse the stranger's face and traits thereof;-
Joy fierce,- deep grief, - unfathomable love
Where in that face, - and Jacob gasped for breath.
And in an instant change came to the cheat,
Another man he was - that did repent,
Amazing grace,- what glorious defeat!
Defeated by the Lord Almighty's hand.
Why did the angel fight with Jacob, why?
Was there a reason for so fierce a bout?
It seems that Jacob felt aught went awry
And God perhaps would stoop and bail him out.
No longer Jacob tending Laban's well,
But father of a strong and mighty race,
Whose name was altered,- changed to Israel;
Mysterious are the Almighty's ways!
And Jacob limped away from Peniel,
A Poor in Spirit old man who would nurse
And lead the newborn nation Israel
And gave to God his heart with the new birth.
Magnificet defeat,- Magnificent !
To be defeated,- oh what blessed lot !
By the creator's strong providing hand,
The Father of us all, our Lord and God.
Explain it as you will, this story is
Consoling and confounding, - both maybe,
Another of God's many mysteries,-
A crook was blessed with a Theophany.
How shall a poet’s pen interpret ever
This extraordinary episode,
No matter how the bard be wise and clever,
He can’t explain a mystery of God.
Learned Jewish scholars say this struggle is
Conducted on two levels, and two planes,
Between two Nations’ worldview premises
And moral caliber each entertains.
Are we deemed worthy too of a Theophany?
To battle with the Lord, contend and spar?-
In our soul's dark night we can not see,
But He may whisper softly Yes you are!
It does serve meanwhile as a paradigm
Of scarring, fear, of change and powerlessness,
Of humankind at large, at any time
Until the Lord in mercy wounds to bless.
But if you meet Him in your soul's dark night,
And think Him an adversary or foe,
Cling to Him, grab Him, - hold Him! hold Him tight,
Hold fast, hold fast! and never let Him go!.
Genesis 32.22-32
(c) Elizabeth Dandy
