(创32）与天奋斗 “Struggle with Heaven” (Genesis 32)
(Chat GPT translation from Chinese, edited by Mijiale, 中文在后面）
I’ve been pondering the meaning of Genesis 32:28, where Jacob is renamed Israel, signifying ‘he who will struggle with G-d.’ This translation, ‘struggle with G-d,’ seems perplexing. Isn’t it something atheists might say, akin to what Mao said, ‘endless joy in the struggle against heaven’?
During a Sabbath reflection, an apparently unrelated scripture caught my attention, leading to profound inspiration. It shed light on another scripture that had long puzzled me. It made me revisit the meaning of Israel’s name—’he will struggle with G-d.’ In Genesis 32, Jacob is evidently meant to return to the promised land, but fears those who resent him. Wrestling with G-d’s messenger, Jacob prevails, seeks a blessing, and is renamed Israel.
It turns out, the Creator often sets obstacles on our paths, hoping we’ll struggle with them to get rewards, as blessings lie beyond. Avoiding difficulties means missing out on blessings.
Human progress often comes from grappling with challenges set by the divine. Concepts like the Trinity in Christian theology stem from reconciling apparent contradictions in the Old and New Testaments. Similarly, the discovery of the theory of relativity in physics is linked to a seeming paradox about light’s behavior.
Whether in scientific or biblical studies, facing apparent contradictions and persisting through difficulties often leads to new perspectives. Even in my personal experience, the challenge of writing notes on scripture while respecting copyright led me to explore unique perspectives, bringing unexpected blessings.
“Struggling with heaven” isn’t exclusive to atheism. However, Jacob’s struggle fundamentally differs from the struggle of atheism. The misguided pursuit of atheism leads to disaster, while Jacob’s struggle, in the right direction, brings blessings. Those aware of G-d’s love understand that difficulties, especially those on the path appointed by the L-rd, hold blessings. Like Jacob’s story, the L-rd encourages and aids us. In such situations, we must persevere, seek the L-rd’s blessing, and not easily give up. Remember, our souls are like the Israelites, people destined to ‘struggle with G-d’, and destined to prevail because of G-d.
(创32）与天奋斗
我在看创世纪32：28雅各被改名叫以色列时，总是对这个新的名字觉得难以理解。因为以色列直接翻译就是“他要与神奋斗”的意思。类似的话不是无神论的人喜欢说的吗？（“与天奋斗，其乐无穷。”）
我在为此纳闷的一段时间，有一个安息日灵修时，看到一个与此看似无关的经文，后来大受启发。我看的是另一段长期领我纳闷的经文，我很长时间每天都看，那天突然得到了一个奇妙的解释。这让我回头看看以色列名字的意思“他要与神奋斗”，也让我大受启发。创32里很明显雅各应该回造物主给他的应许之地。但那里有恨他的人让他害怕。造物主的使者与雅各较力并让雅各得胜，雅各求使者祝福，并被改名为以色列。
原来造物主常常在祂要人走的路上设立困难，希望人与之奋斗以得奖赏，因为那后面有祝福，躲避了困难就失去了祝福。
很多人类的进步是与主设立的困难奋斗以后才有的。基督教神学三位一体的概念就是来源于新旧约协调的困难，旧约说只有一个神，那么新约里天父差派的耶稣是什么地位？物理学相对论的发明, 听说也和一个看似自相矛盾的困难有关：在与一束光同行的人看来，这个光波的波峰波谷会不会就不动了，但这是否违反了麦克斯韦的光是电磁波的理论？
我自己不管是科研还是圣经研究，面对看似自相矛盾的困难，如果不放弃，一旦解决了，经常就有新的看法出现。
还有一个例子，主明明感动我写读经笔记，但我在写读经笔记的时候也遇到了一个大困难，那就是我看到很多犹太人的有意思的东西，但是如果全都包括在读经笔记里，又担心侵犯版权。如果我不因为这个困难就放弃写作的努力，那么这样的困难反而促使我努力去写犹太人没有写的角度，反而带来了祝福。
“与天奋斗”, 不是无神论的专利。不过，雅各的奋斗，与无神论的奋斗有着本质的区别。无神论走在错误方向的奋斗，会带来灾难，而雅各是走在正确方向的奋斗，会带来祝福。 我们这些知道造物主的爱的人，应该更能知道困难的来源，特别是明明是主要你走的路上的困难，那一定背后有主的祝福，而且像雅各的故事里那样，主会鼓励我们，帮助我们，在这种情况下，一定要奋斗，一定要求主祝福，不要随便放弃。记住我们的灵魂是“以色列”人，是“他要与神奋斗”的人, 是因主得胜的人。