Perhaps you’ve seen it. It’s a masterpiece. The man is middle-aged. He’s seated at the table with his elbows resting on it. The room is dimly lighted. His hands are folded. It’s called, “Praying Hands,” but do you know the story behind the painting?
In the early years, Albrecht Durer and his friend Franz
Knigstein were struggling young artists.
Since both were poor, in addition to studying their craft, they had to
work at hard labor to support themselves. Quickly, they realized that their manual
labor was so time-consuming that there was little time for art. So finally, one
day, they made an agreement. They would draw lots. The one who lost would work
to support the them both; while the other would study art fulltime. As it
turned out, the lot fell to Albrecht. Immediately he left for Paris, and Franz
stayed in Germany working. After a few years, Durer proved himself a genius.
His work began receiving such wide acclaim that when he went back to Germany to
keep his end of the bargain, people thought he was crazy. But Durer had made a
deal. He had given his word. When he arrived at the home of his friend, he
quickly discovered the terrible price his friend had paid. He had worked so
hard and so long at his labor that his fingers had become stiff and twisted.
There was no chance he could ever paint. His hands could no longer execute the
delicate brush strokes necessary for fine painting. But even though his
artistic dreams could never be realized, he wasn’t bitter. Instead, he rejoiced
in Albrecht’s success. Each night he would sit at his table praying for the
success of his friend. That’s where Durer found him. And instead of disturbing
him, Albrecht stole away, got his sketching pad, and there in silence captured
those hands forever.
Today, Durer’s, “Praying Hands,” is greatly admired by
millions. Of all his work, none is more admired than the hands of a man who’s
been largely forgotten. Think of it, two men inexorably linked, one absolutely
famous and the other absolutely obscure.
Now take that reality and apply it to Jacob. I would submit
that in the annals of Christian Sunday School, the name “Jacob” is most often
associated with a birthright and a blessing. When Jacob is mentioned, twins
emerging from the womb is remembered. When Jacob is mentioned, one sees a
famished brother coming in from the field and a bowl of stew waved in his face.
When Jacob is mentioned, one sees a man who sees a ladder stretching into
heaven. But, there’s another Jacob who’s not so well remembered. He’s more
obscure than famous. He’s not the Jacob of Bethel; he’s the Jacob of the
Jabbok. He’s the one attacked by God at night. And it’s this Jacob who we will
focus on this week in a message entitled: “The Wrestler.” The text is Genesis
32:22-32. Instead of skipping away from his encounter with God as in chapter
28, he comes away limping. In a world where people think that the blessing of
God produces laughs and skips, the Bible shows us the difference. And we’ll dig
into all of it on Sunday.
In preparation for Sunday’s message you may wish to consider
the following:
1. How much do you agree with God’s statement to Paul in II
Corinthians 12:9?
2. What similarities are there between Paul’s circumstances in
II Corinthians 12 and Jacob’s circumstances in Genesis 32?
3. What are the circumstances of Jacob’s life at the time of
this encounter with God?
4. What’s the meaning of the name of the place where the
wrestling occurs?
5. What is the significance of the first five words of verse
24?
6. What’s it mean that “the man” wrestled Jacob until the
breaking of day?
7. Who is Jacob’s real foe here?
8. Why won’t Jacob let go in verse 26?
9. Why do the two ask for each other’s name?
10. What does this incident tell us about ourselves and Jesus?
See you Sunday!
