Wrestle Till Day Break

Darkness near one river. Di sound of water wey dey rush. One man dey alone, and then, suddenly, e no dey alone again. Somebody don hold am. And for di whole night, until di sky begin turn grey, di two of dem dey wrestle.

Twenty years don pass since Jacob run comot from house. E don work for im uncle Laban, marry Leah and Rachel, and build big family and plenty flocks. Now God don tell am make e go back to di land of im fathers. But to go back home mean to face Esau, di brother wey e cheat. And news just reach am. Esau dey come meet am, with four hundred men. Fear catch Jacob well well. E pray. E send gift after gift of goats, sheep, camels, cows and donkeys go before am, dey hope say e go cool im brother vex. Then, for night, e carry im wives, im children and everything wey e get cross di shallow part of di river Jabbok. And Jacob stay back alone.

Genesis talk am very simple. Jacob remain alone, and one man wrestle with am until day break. Dem no tell us how e start. Dem no tell us how di man look. Only di struggle, hour after hour, for darkness. Jacob, di wayo man, don dey struggle for im whole life. Dem born am as e hold im twin brother heel. E wrestle with Esau over di birthright and di blessing. E wrestle with Laban over wives and pay. And now, for di night before di hardest meeting of im life, e dey wrestle again, and e no go give up.

When di man see say e no fit overpower Jacob, e touch di joint of Jacob hip, and e shift comot from im place. Just one touch. And Jacob understand say dis one no be ordinary opponent. Leave me make I go, di man talk, because day dey break. But Jacob hold am tight. I no go leave you unless you bless me. Think about dat one. Dis na di man wey once deceive im papa to get blessing. Now, with injury, as e dey hold on with all im strength, e ask for one with honest heart.

Wetin be your name? Jacob. Your name no go be Jacob again, but Israel, because you don struggle with God and with people, and you don overcome.

Di name Jacob sound like di Hebrew word for heel. Esau once talk am with bitterness: person wey dey hold heel, person wey dey make others fall. So to call im name out loud na like confession. Now dem give am new name. Jacob ask di man im own name, but di man only talk say, Why you dey ask my name? And e bless am there. Jacob call di place Peniel, wey mean di face of God. I don see God face to face, e talk, and still my life dey. Di sun rise on top am as e dey pass Peniel. And Jacob, wey be Israel now, dey limp. E go waka different for di rest of im life.

Di Jabbok na real river. E dey flow come down from di hills for di east of di Jordan valley and e join di Jordan from di east, and today dem dey call am di Zarqa, for di country of Jordan. Im deep valley wey dey bend bend make natural boundary for ancient times. As for di person wey wrestle, Genesis call am man, Jacob talk say e don see God, and di prophet Hosea later describe Jacob as e dey struggle with angel. Readers through di centuries don understand dis meeting for different ways, but all of dem agree say Jacob meet God dat night.

Jacob wrestle with God. You go find am for Genesis chapter thirty-two, verse twenty-two to thirty-two. Jacob enter dat night with fear and e comot from am blessed, with new name and limp to remind am. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Wetin you dey struggle with now, and you go hold God tight through am?