{"id":76541,"date":"2020-06-28T13:05:53","date_gmt":"2020-06-28T10:05:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=76541"},"modified":"2020-06-28T13:06:28","modified_gmt":"2020-06-28T10:06:28","slug":"struggling-with-god-and-self","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/struggling-with-god-and-self\/","title":{"rendered":"Struggling With God And Self"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"76541","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":38047,"related_cahpter":"512","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"A work in progress\r\n\r\n","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this chapter, Hosea continues the anguished account of God\u2019s tempestuous relationship with Israel, tracing the troubles back to the womb. Even <\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in utero<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Jacob was a wily character who tried to supplant his brother. As an adult, the struggle continues with Jacob taking on God, Godself. Yes, the JPS translation of verse 4 reads \u201che strove with a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">divine being<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d but Robert Alter translates the Hebrew \u201c<\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Elohim<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d more literally, \u201cstrove with God\u201d and adds a note \u201cThis is what the Hebrew says. The next line \u2018corrects\u2019 this to a divine messenger or angel.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps Hosea 12:5 is not a \u201ccorrection\u201d of 12:4, but a second\u00a0 stage in the struggle. First, staying with the literal meaning of <\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Elohim<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Jacob is indeed wrestling with God. Not physically. It is an inner struggle in which wily Jacob tries to justify, or at least get away with, \u201cget rich quick schemes\u201d using false measures and shady deals. God will have none of that. The God of Israel indeed insists on cultic loyalty. Faithfulness to God is a necessary condition, but it is not sufficient. Returning to God means practicing goodness and justice. Long-term well-being comes from trusting in God. There are no shortcuts, and Jacob cannot defeat God or escape his responsibility.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When he understands that, his opponent changes. Now he is fighting not God but an angel dispatched, like the one who confronted Balaam, to keep him on the straight path. But the real opponent is his own lesser self, and that is who Jacob defeats. It is when Jacob prevails over his own desires to take the \u201ceasy way out\u201d that he receives the name \u201cIsrael.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Biblical scholars Simha Kogut and Israel Knohl understand \u201cIsrael\u201d to be derived from the Hebrew root \u201c\u05e9-\u05e8\u201d which refers to ruling power (cf. Judges 9:22). The root is still used in that manner, as in the word \u201c<\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sar<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d meaning a \u201cgovernment minister.\u201d Further, the structure of \u201cIsrael\u201d is the same as \u201cIshmael\u201d which means \u201cGod will hear\u201d or \u201cEzekiel\u201d meaning \u201cGod will make strong.\u201d Therefore, \u201cIsrael\u201d means \u201cGod will rule,\u201d and it serves as a reminder to Jacob that his priorities must be those of God: faithfulness, goodness and justice. The struggle continues, Hosea continues alternating between the names \u201cJacob\u201d and \u201cIsrael\u201d because the work is still in progress.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":48708,"id":48708,"title":"Num31-jacob-wrestling-the-angel-of-god","filename":"Num31-jacob-wrestling-the-angel-of-god.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Num31-jacob-wrestling-the-angel-of-god.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/my-night-time-struggle-with-chapter-31\/num31-jacob-wrestling-the-angel-of-god\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"num31-jacob-wrestling-the-angel-of-god","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":48702,"date":"2019-02-04 15:52:34","modified":"2022-03-20 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