Most often the idea of “having a limp” is indicative of some
sort of problem with your hip, knee, ankle, or foot. If the limp is bad enough, we end up at the
end of an orthopedic doctor’s treatment plan to get rid of it .
For a moment, let’s think about an alternative kind of limp.
Faced with the daunting reality of having to come face to face with his brother
Esau, Jacob finds himself in a very difficult place in life. (Genesis 32) From
Esau’s point of view, Jacob would not be named “Brother of the Year” by any set
of reasonable standards. It has been a while since they have seen each other,
and an ocean of water has gone over the proverbial dam.
Jacob sends messengers to tell Esau that he was returning
home with lots of indicators of success. The messengers return with a message
to Jacob – Esau is coming to meet him with 400 men. Jacob suddenly becomes
quite the prayer warrior, and sends valuable gifts from his flocks and herds to
Esau. He hopes to make up for his previous ill treatment of Esau. Jacob sends
his wives and children and herds to a place of safety.
All alone in the midst of darkness and night Jacob wrestles all
night with a man he does not know, who has a Name the man won’t reveal. As
daybreak approaches two things are different about Jacob. He has a limp because
his wrestling partner “touched his hip;” and his name is no longer Jacob (the
one who supplants) but Israel (the Prince of God).
When the new day dawns, Israel looks up and sees his brother,
Esau, approaching. In what could have been a reality show hit titled “Worst
Family Reunion Ever,” everything turns out remarkably different. There is a lot
of hugging, crying, bowing, and giving. Two potential enemies somehow manage to
walk away from the family reunion brothers, not enemies.
Having never had such a “face to face” encounter with God –
Jacob names the place Peniel, meaning “I have seen God face to face” – I still
think we have potential for an “alternative kind of limp,” and maybe even a
name change.
We have this very mysterious, sometimes a bit odd, book we
call the Bible. Maybe we prefer the term Scripture. Or Holy Bible. Or Holy
Scripture. But it claims for itself to be the trustworthy word of God. If it is
that – and I believe that it is – then in my study of it (which sometimes could
be described as a wrestling match as I think like the world in arguing with the
One who is not of this world) I’m thinking that sometimes I am going to walk
away with a limp. In fact, if I’m not walking away with a limp, then I’m
wondering if I am really encountering God after all.
Maybe the great sin of our age is that we, both theological
liberals and theological conservatives, have often tried to tame the Bible into
some ordinary book that soothes and encourages us at every turn, when it really
is anything but ordinary and is often a bit caustic and in our face.
That’s the stuff of name changes and life-long limps!
