Stuck between a Rock and a Hard Place?

Have you ever been stuck between a rock and a hard place? You can’t move forward or retreat because it is impossible. You are essentially trapped. That feeling is one Jacob knew well. Genesis 31 ends by Laban departing and Genesis 33 begins by Esau coming. With Esau, Jacob had burned all of his bridges. He was leaving Laban and was about to be confronted by Esau. Jacob had been a burner of bridges his entire life. He had been a conniver who lived on his own and now he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Imagine how you might feel if you were pulling a fifth-wheel trailer in a tough spot.  Things like this have happened to me. You have a two-mile downgrade from a high point down to a river. It is a very steep descent. All of a sudden, the traffic narrows to one lane just as you are about to cross a bridge spanning a large chasm. You have all this traffic pushing you forward. You can’t go back and wonder if you are going to have trouble getting across the narrow bridge with your big RV. You hope the road doesn’t get so bad that you are stuck.

Sometimes we feel that way in life, that we are being pushed down the hill toward a chasm or gorge when the bridge is out of commission and we can’t go back. What should you do in such a circumstance, when you are stuck between a rock and a hard place?

Jacob’s story helps us to remember a few things. First, remember that you cannot escape God. In Genesis 32 after Jacob had left Laban, it says, “And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.” You can’t escape God, and that is good. Jacob was leaving what hadn’t been an agreeable circumstance, but it had been familiar, something he knew. He was now on his own. He had spent his entire life scheming, conniving, and planning on his own and now he was by himself between a rock and a hard place, between Laban and Esau.

The Bible says the angels of God met him. Verse 2 says, “And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.” That means “double camp.” Jacob’s was not the only camp in that spot. He met the host of God, literally God’s army.

Later, Jacob was left alone, but he was not left alone. He wrestled with a man, the Lord Himself, until the breaking of day. Verse 26 says that he said to the Lord, “I will not let thee go, unless thou bless me.” That echoes Genesis 28:15 where God had said, “I am with thee, and will keep thee…for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” So, when you are stuck between a rock and a hard place, remember that you can’t escape God and that is good. God is with you.

Second, remember that you can’t avoid trouble. Genesis 33 says, “And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men.” Here came Esau with four hundred men and Jacob realized he couldn’t escape God or avoid trouble.

Trouble waits and it grows. Esau had been a disgruntled brother in the house. Now he had many men and flocks, herds, and so on. Your problems just wait and grow. You might think, “If I can just avoid this problem, it will go away.” Our problems don’t go away. They don’t play fair. They come at the worst time and hunt in packs. They wait and grow. But God worked.

It is interesting that as Esau and his men approached, Jacob bowed and Esau ran. Jacob bowed to his brother over and again, but Esau ran to his brother. Jacob called Esau “my lord” and Esau called Jacob “my brother.” God had been working on both them. He had humbled and softened them. Jacob had been a conniver and he had been humbled a bit. Esau had been a threat and full of hate, but had softened. God had worked. You can’t escape God and you can’t avoid trouble. The bottom line is to prevail with God is better than to try to avoid all your problems.

In Genesis 32:28 God changed Jacob’s name. He called him Israel “for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” The last verse of chapter 33 speaks of Jacob erecting an altar and naming it a word which means “a mighty God is the God of Israel.” Israel there is not a reference to a nation. There was no nation at that time. It is a reference to Jacob, whose name now was Israel. He wasn’t a mighty nation. He was a father of many sons, but he wasn’t a nation. This looks forward to the nation that would come through Jacob.

So, scale your success. A mighty God is the God of Israel. Jacob had a new name, and it is never too late to act in light of a new mindset, a new name, a new identity. Jacob had blown it over and again. The fact is in Genesis 33 there was both good and bad, the old Jacob and the new Israel. As to the new, in verse 5 Jacob replied to Esau when asked about his family, “The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.” That is humility, realizing that what he had came from God. That is different from the old Jacob.

In verse 9 he says, “I have enough.” That is not the old Jacob who was always grabbing, scheming, and planning. No, he said he had enough. On the other hand, he still deceived his brother. His brother wanted to join him and Jacob gave a ruse. So, Esau returned to Seir and Jacob journeyed to Succoth. There was the old, deceitful Jacob and the new Jacob, but Jacob succeeded to the extent that he prevailed with God. He prayed, depended on, trusted, and flung himself on the mercy of God who softened his brother and humbled him.

Are you stuck between a rock and hard place? Do you feel yourself being pushed down toward a great chasm and you aren’t sure if the bridge crosses it? Remember you can’t escape God; He is with you. You cannot avoid trouble, and ultimately to prevail with God is better than attempting to avoid all your problems.