STRUGGLES IN THE NIGHT
Yes, the series of stories in the Jacob narrative paint him as a shifty character but we know he had his struggles. Not everything went well for him. This week’s tale finds him struggling through the night with an un-named adversary. Was it God? Angel? Conscience? It’s unclear. It’s also unclear who the victor was in this scene.
All of us have had, or will have or are having troubles. It can be long and hard and lonely and dark. There is a dark night of the soul for us. A time when we must struggle and either win or lose a blessing. Do we find a blessing in these trials or do we find misery?
Jacob did not know with what he struggled, but he was crafty enough to demand a blessing from it, and he would not let go until he received it.