(C) Copyright by Massimo Franceschini all rights reserved
Jacob or Israel.
I was always amazed, why God changed his name. I asked myself many times how it is
possible for a man to wrestle with God and win. Is that possible?
I truly believe that the whole story contained in Genesis
32:24-32
has a great meaning for all of us.
If we are able to well analyze this story we will see that probably there was a lot of
more than a simple physical fight. The key of all, on my opinion, is in the verse 27 when
Jacob asked to be blessed. We can easily understand that the all matter was to obtain a
blessing, therefore Jacob was fighting with the Lord to obtain a blessing, that was the
reason why he was fighting with the Lord all the night long. It is very interesting to
compare this situation to what happened in the Book of Mormon in Enos 1:2
Surely the fight in which Jacob was involved was similar, his purpose to obtain a blessing
don't come up by a physical fight but by a spiritual fight and we know that the Lord is
pleased to fight in this way with mankind. Also when Jacob said "My life was
spared" it is easy to understand that surely the fight was not physical, because in
that case his life was spared. The fact that Jacob was touched in the nerve of the leg and
he became laming for a while, it would be a proof that he was knelt all the night
long. Anyway nobody can fight physically with God and win, but the man can fight in the
prayer with God and win when he is able to gain a blessing. This is the only way that
man can fight with the Lord, fighting by the prayer. When we receive our
patriarchal blessings, we receive it always by the blessings promised to Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob. I always was pondering why, why not by the blessings of Moses or Elias. I
believe that there is a reason specific and symbolic.
Abraham represents the Father
Isacc represent the Son
Jacob represent man the man trying to converse with the Lord by the prayer and the
prayer should be directed by the Holy Ghost.
If Adam ondi Ahamn means Adam trough the Son, then mentioning Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob remind to mankind that man will go back to the Father by the sacrifice of the
Son and in seeking the will of God by the Holy Ghost. In this eternal triangle, Isaac (
The Son) is always in the middle ( or mediator). Isaac's sacrifice has deeper
meanings if the soul of the man think about it.
Men fighting with God by the prayer, are those who accept Jesus like Savior, because they
pray in His name and they show their faith in the divine plan well prepared before of the
foundation of the world. By the prayer we can obtain forgiveness and knowledge and there
is not other way. This is another proof that "without fait it is impossible to please
Him". What greatest proof of a sincere prayer to a invisible being. What greatest
proof of humility and weakness when the man, spontaneously knelt himself and put all his
problems in the hands of the Almighty?
Go back to the Bible and the Book of Mormon
