How could you believe that Jacob "peace upon him" fought God to give him his bless? When I readed that in the Holy Book I laughed and I don't understand how can yoou believe that God can bring himself down to this level or that a nobel prophet can fight against God..
2006-08-30 14:53:15 · 19 answers · asked by mido 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I want to say two things:
First I'm sorry for using the word fought rarher than the word wrestled...I guess I need to improve my language skills.
Second: I'm Muslim and I didn't mean to criticize your faith but needed to understand how can you accept this or understand it....And when I readed this verse Arabic translation of the Bible I clearly understood it was speaking about God not an angel....We Muslims believe that the Bible and Torah are the word of God..But we Also believe that a process of addition/deletion/changing has happened to them. So we believe in the Bible but we think that the Bible between peoples' hands is not the true Bible.And many western theologists speaked in this topic too.
2006-08-30 19:06:08 · update #1
I don't know what you're talking about. You mean Jacob and Esau? When did Jacob fight God? Oh, wait, you're speaking of Genesis, when Jacob was wrestling with an angel. He wasn't fighting God.
2006-08-30 14:55:45 · answer #1 · answered by christian_lady_2001 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋
The Hebrew in verse 32-25 uses the word "ish" (pronounced "eesh") which translates as man, whether this was an angel sent by G-d in another form, a dream, or divinely inspired hallucination we'll probably never know. When Genesis was written it was an oral tradition, noone was there to write it down during its happening. So its as close to what really happened, in Jacob's eyes, as possible. The point of the story is, of course, how Israel got its name and in some respects can be translated as meaning that although enemies will strive with Israel , and wound Israel (Jacob is hurt during the encounter), they will not defeat Israel.
2006-08-30 22:20:27 · answer #2 · answered by 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I believe in the Holy Bible and not just bits and pieces but all , has been recorded for us to learn about God. I have read it many times and still can learn something new that I had missed or miss understood. That's why it is good to pray for God to give us knowledge and understanding when we read. God bless. I also wanted to add that God was with His people when He lead them across to the promise land in a cloud. Until the people gripped like people do and He left them . God thinks of us as His children what levels would you go for your children?
2006-08-30 22:05:32 · answer #3 · answered by auntkarendjjb 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are three or four theories as to the identity of the person he wrestled. One is that the angel was God's representative. So in that regard, Jacob fought with God but not literally.
2006-08-30 22:00:54 · answer #4 · answered by DexterLoxley 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I can believe that Jacob wrestled with an angel, because I find the story in a reliable source...the Old Testament (Torah).
For your other point, why COULDN'T God bring Himself down to our level? Isn't the planet His to begin with? Don't we technically belong to Him, being His creation? Who could prevent God from "visiting us", if He so chose?
As for the all-night "wrasslin" match with the angel, it may have been a way for God to get through to Jacob about his life, using the wrestling match as a metaphor. It isn't impossible for God to use such things to teach us the things He wants us to know. In fact, metaphor seems to be the most-used tool in the book!
Peace.
2006-08-30 22:04:31 · answer #5 · answered by MamaBear 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Obviously the account in Genesis deals with a God/man. If you're a Christian, this shouldn't be difficult to figure out especially in light of John 1:1 among numerous other verses.
For the questioner, I, as a Christian, have perhaps less difficulty than a Muslim, regarding God coming down to man; it is called, among other things, grace, and it is fundemental to my salvation, but to the very foundations of my faith; namely God's word, creation, and life itself.
2006-08-30 22:17:54 · answer #6 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all, neither the Book of Genesis, nor Jews or Christians say that "Jacob **FOUGHT** with God," but, rather that he **WRESTLED** with God(or 1 of His angels).
In wrestling with the Almighty, Jacob wasn't rebelling against Him. He was asserting himself, spiritually with Him. He Wanted God's Blessing, & in the end, that is exactly what he received from God.
2006-08-30 22:02:07 · answer #7 · answered by clusium1971 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Firstly, God can pretty well do what He wants.
Second, the general consences remains that it was an angel who wrestled with Jacob, not God Himself.
Why would God have said, "You have power with God"? Why not "You have power with me"?
And Peniel simply means "I have seen God face-to-face, & my life has been preserved". Commentators are fairly agreed that Jacob probably felt like he HAD seen God & was amazed that he lived to tell about it.
The angel never gave his name, so why assume it was God? Any other time, when asked, God gives His name.
2006-08-30 22:09:57 · answer #8 · answered by azar_and_bath 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think the idea was that God sent one of the angels down to roughhouse with Jacob a bit. Jacob supposedly did pretty good for a weenie mortal, so he found favor with God after the fight. Now, personally, I think that the whole story is just another case of classical Jewish self-aggrandizement, but that's just my opinion.
2006-08-30 21:58:52 · answer #9 · answered by David S 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If you accept the Bible as the word of God, as you claim, why is this a problem? Simply accept it on faith.
If nothing else, this passage tells us to be persistent in prayer.
2006-08-30 23:18:53 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the verses he is speaking of are Genesis 32:24-30. the last one says...so jacob called the place Pe-ni'el, saying, "for I have seen God face to face and yet my life is preserved."
2006-08-30 22:02:50 · answer #11 · answered by Tabitha 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋