Why did God put Jacob's hip out of joint during the wrestling?
When God saw that He did not prevail against Jacob in the wrestling, He touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh, putting it out of joint and crippling him. The context stresses the important issue was not the resulting limp but Jacob's refusal to let go without receiving a blessing.
Les teaches that this was a literal theophany: God came down in the form of a man and truly wrestled with Jacob. When God saw He did not prevail against him, He touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh, so that it was out of joint; in other words, He crippled him. Jacob then walked with a limp for the rest of his life. But Les emphasizes that the limp is not the important part. The important part is Jacob's response: when the Lord said, 'Let me go, for the day breaketh,' Jacob said, 'I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.' Though it is not stated directly, Les says it is clearly implied that Jacob understood who he was wrestling with. He knew he was dealing with the God of his father Isaac and grandfather Abraham, and he understood that unless this God blessed him, he was destitute. This contrasts with Esau, who was destitute of faith and saw nothing in the promises of God, while Jacob had a little glimpse, a flicker, that there was something to be gained by the birthright and the blessing.
And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
More Questions
What did God do to Jacob's hip during the wrestling?
During the wrestling match, God touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh and put it out of joint, crippling him.