Musing – Is it Okay to Wrestle with God and His Word?

Hebraic Musing – Is it Okay to Wrestle with God and His Word?

The famed Jewish commentator, Rashi, wrote that when Jacob wrestled with God, the Hebrew word ‘Avek’ or ‘abaq’ (qba) implies Jacob was ‘tied’, or wrapped up, or knotted with God.  The act of wrestling involves close contact and embracing and struggling for truth. So my intellectual wrestling is an intimate act in which God and I are in a relationship that binds us together in my search for truth, direction or guidance.

The name Israel is understood by many to mean “One who wrestles with God” or “One who is straight (direct, honest) with God”.  The Jewish tradition of confrontation and engagement with God as opposed to pure submission is a unique characteristic of the typical Jewish learning process. Remember how Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof” talked and questioned God; yet his devotion and respect was abundantly obvious.

Maybe the mission of my musings could be “I inform, you choose”?  Thus you may find yourself challenged, questioning, arguing or suggesting alternative views and explanations of God’s intent in His Word.  So we are wrestling with and thus embracing God’s Word to seek out the truth.

Question – if we don’t constantly wrestle with the Word, challenge dogma, theology and views, will we ever get to the truth?  If we all sat around a table looking at a fish would we all see the same details?  Each person’s view will differ and must differ to add to the more complete picture of the fish. In fact, if we all saw the full picture and had a full understanding of the fish, we’d have the same understanding that God has, thus equal to God.  Whoops.  Let’s stop there.

Here is an excerpt from H.R.T.I. [1]   This concept of wrestling with differing views is vividly practiced among Jewish Scholars and in serious Bible studies, as demonstrated many times by Yeshua. A thinking approach that is totally against the ‘one way traffic’ of the Western Church… “The pastor talks and everyone listens.”  This is possibly the main reason for the division in the Body of Messiah; there is no room at all for reasoning or to differ.

May I encourage you to wrestle with God and His Word in order to draw closer to Him and better understand His intentions?  What is meant in Prov. 27:17?  As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.  The sharpening of iron produces noise, heat, sparks and, finally, a sharp knife.

Point to ponder

Should we be nice, accept what we hear on blind faith?
or
Should we wrestle and thus forge our own defensible faith
that will withstand testing?

Shalom                                                                                    March 5, 2013

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd

Author “Hebraic Insights – 95 messages exploring the Hebrew Roots of Christian faith”

Author “Biblical Marriage” (to be published in June 2012)

Weekly e-mails “Hebraic Musings”  to be added to distribution -- Yosef1@cox.net
www.InsightsByYosef.com

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[1] Statement excerpted from HRTI, Hebraic Roots Teaching Institute