August 2, 2026 homily on Genesis 32:24-30; Psalm 17:1-7, 15; Colossians 1:15-20 by Pastor Galen
“I shall behold your face in righteousness” – Psalm 17:15
Face to Face
There are some conversations that are best had in person, such as deep, serious conversations that involve planning for the future or significant life changes, or conversations that may be emotional or painful, when we want to see the other person’s face. We want to see and hear how they are reacting to the news, whether they agree, or whether they understand.
Of course, sometimes being face-to-face isn’t possible, so we resort to video chatting, phone calls, text messages, or letter writing. But when it comes to important conversations, we often try everything we can to be together in person.
I remember when I was in college, my friend Tom drove all the way from Towson to UMBC in the middle of the night (about a 30-minute drive around the Beltway) to tell me that he and his girlfriend had broken up. He could have told me by phone or email, but he was hurting and wanted to have a friend with him in person during that time.
I remember that we talked late into the night as he wrestled with his grief and lamented a future without the girlfriend he had dated since high school.
Jacob and Esau
In the Bible, there is a fascinating story about a character by the name of Jacob who wrestled with a man at night while he was on his way back home to meet his twin brother, Esau (Genesis 32:24–30). It had been about 20 years since they had seen one another. 20 years since Jacob fled for his life after taking advantage of Esau to obtain his birthright and deceiving their father into giving him the blessing intended for Esau. At the time, Esau was so enraged that he planned to kill Jacob, forcing Jacob to flee for his life and live with his uncle Laban for many years.
Interestingly enough, while Jacob was living with and working for his uncle Laban, he got a little taste of his own medicine. This time, Jacob was on the receiving end of Laban’s trickery and experienced what it was like to be deceived.
After Jacob worked for Laban for seven years in exchange for the right to marry Laban’s daughter Rachel, Laban gave him his oldest daughter Leah instead, allowing him to marry Rachel as well if we worked for him another seven years. Laban also deceived Jacob about his wages, changing what he had agreed to pay Jacob ten different times over the years that Jacob worked for him. All of this no doubt gave Jacob a glimpse of the pain he had caused his brother Esau. So when he heard the Lord tell him to go back home, he knew it was time to reconcile with his brother (Genesis 31:3).
Jacob Wrestles with God
Jacob knew that reconciliation would ultimately have to happen face to face, but he wanted to give his brother time to prepare. So he sent word to Esau, letting him know that he was on his way.
Jacob received word from the messengers that his brother Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men. Jacob assumed that his brother was still angry with him and was preparing to take revenge on him. So Jacob prayed, asking God to deliver him, and then he began sending presents to his brother (Genesis 32:11). He sent hundreds of livestock, hoping these gifts would appease his brother’s anger.
Then, on the night before Jacob and Esau encountered one another, the Bible tells us:
So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered.
Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” (Genesis 32:24–30)
Now, this is a rather startling story for several reasons. First, the man wrestling with Jacob, who refused to tell Jacob his name, said after their wrestling match that Jacob had struggled with God and with humans and had overcome. Afterward, Jacob described the encounter as seeing God face-to-face.
In fact, Jacob was astounded that he had seen God face-to-face and lived to tell about it. This is rather remarkable because later, God tells Moses that Moses cannot see God’s face, “for no one may see me and live” (Exodus 33:20).
No wonder Jacob thought it was remarkable that he had seen God face-to-face and lived to tell about it! Of course, perhaps because it was dark, Jacob could not literally see God’s face. But the situation is still remarkable because it seems that Jacob wrestled with God (or at least a representative of God) and lived to tell about it.
But what is also striking to me about this whole situation is that the wrestling match was prolonged because Jacob refused to let go until the man he was wrestling with blessed him. Jacob was so persistent and longed so deeply to have God’s blessing that he held on all night long until he received the blessing and the assurance of God’s presence with him. And lest we think this was all a dream or that Jacob made the whole thing up, Jacob walked away limping, a physical reminder that he had indeed struggled with God and prevailed.
Reconciliation and Forgiveness
Sure enough, it does seem that God’s blessing and presence were with Jacob. Because the next day, when Jacob and Esau encountered one another, they did not engage in battle. In fact, while Jacob was still at a distance, “Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept” (Genesis 33:4).
Jacob’s obedience to the voice of the Lord and his willingness to return home made reconciliation with Esau possible. It makes sense that Jacob wanted to be assured of God’s blessing and protection before he encountered Esau. Jacob knew that he had severely wronged his brother and that it would take a miracle for Esau to forgive him.
Jacob’s persistence and the fact that he wrestled with God and refused to let go until he experienced God’s blessing, became symbolic of the way Jacob’s descendants struggled with God as well. In fact, the name Jacob received during that wrestling match, “Israel,” is commonly understood here as “one who strives with God.” This became the name by which Jacob’s descendants were known.
Jacob’s sons became the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel. Although the people frequently turned away from God and went their own way, God consistently sent prophets to call them to repentance and reconciliation, bringing them back into relationship with God.
The language of Psalm 17 is reminiscent of Jacob’s nighttime struggle with God. David describes God visiting him during the night and testing him (Psalm 17:3).
Many of us have probably experienced times like this, when our thoughts keep us up at night. We turn things over and over in our minds, trying to sort them out, whether we are awake or dreaming. Nighttime is often when the doubts and fears creep in, and it is made worse when we cannot sleep.
But then David describes beholding the Lord’s face in righteousness, awakening, and being satisfied as he beholds God’s likeness (Psalm 17:15).
In Scripture, the dawn often symbolizes a fresh start. The sun rises, erasing our doubts and fears, and we realize that everything is going to be okay.
We wrestle. We struggle with God in the nighttime seasons of our lives. Maybe we feel God telling us to do something that we do not want to do or are afraid to do. Maybe we’re holding on to past sorrow or hurt, and we finally give it over to the Lord. Then we feel God’s mercy, grace, and forgiveness wash over us like a flood. We awaken to a new day, reassured of God’s blessing and presence with us.
Encountering God through Jesus
Now, some of you might be saying this morning, “You know, Pastor Galen, I would love to see God face-to-face, but where do I find God? How can I see God? Where do I start?”
I would say that one of the primary ways we can see God is by looking at the life and teachings of Jesus as recorded in Scripture. The book of Colossians tells us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God and that in him, the fullness of God was pleased to dwell (Colossians 1:15, 19). So if we want to know God personally—if we want to experience God and know God’s blessing—we look at Jesus.
When I was growing up, many Bibles had the words of Jesus printed in red. Now, that was not original to the biblical manuscripts, of course, but those words were printed in red so that they would stand out. Because the words of Jesus are the words of God. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh (John 1:14). If we want to know who God is, we look at Jesus throughout Scripture. Through Scripture, Jesus still speaks to us today. As we wrestle with Scripture, as we grapple with what Jesus’ words mean for us today, and as we wrestle with the Word, we experience God’s presence. Through Jesus, we see God. We can have an experience like Jacob, and say, “I have seen God face-to-face.”
Now, others of you may be saying, “But I’m afraid to experience God. I don’t want to see God because I’m afraid that God might not forgive me for what I’ve done or for what I’ve failed to do.” You might say, “If God only knew all of the horrible stuff I’ve done, God could never forgive me.”
But you know what? The beauty of the gospel is that God knows exactly what you have done. God sees everything. There is nothing we can do that is hidden from God, and yet God loves us. God knows even our innermost thoughts. And just as Esau ran out to meet Jacob and embraced him, God comes toward us in Jesus even when we have rejected or disobeyed God, and tried to hide from God. Jesus opened his arms of love to us and embraced us and gave his life for us on the cross.
That is how much God loves us. That is how we know that, no matter who you are or what you have done or failed to do, God’s love is unconditional. There are no gifts we can offer to appease God. There is nothing we can give to God that will help us earn God’s favor. God’s love for us is unmerited, and God’s forgiveness is freely offered to us because, through Christ, God has reconciled us and made peace through the blood of his cross (Colossians 1:20).
And so, this morning, let us look to Jesus for hope, mercy, and salvation, because salvation can be found in no other name than Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). No matter what you are wrestling with this morning, let us bring it and lay it down at Jesus’ feet. Let us accept his warm embrace as children of God, and let us proclaim God’s love to a world that is dying to know God’s mercy, and grace, and forgiveness.
Amen!
Questions for Personal Reflection
- What fears, doubts, regrets, or unanswered questions tend to keep me awake at night?
- Am I willing to remain with God in the struggle, even when an answer or blessing does not come quickly?
- Where have I already seen God bring healing, forgiveness, or reconciliation into a situation that once seemed hopeless?
- When I want to know what God is like, how closely do I look at the life and teachings of Jesus? What words or actions of Jesus are especially challenging me at this point in my life?
- How might I help someone else experience God’s mercy, grace, forgiveness, and loving embrace this week?
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