Striving with God can refer both to the fruitless opposition of the ungodly to God's will and purposes, and to the struggle of the righteous with God, as they seek to find his will and obey it.
The striving of the wicked with God
It is the result of a guilty conscience
We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
Striving against God cannot succeed
2 Chronicles 13:12 See also Proverbs 21:30; Isaiah 8:10; Acts 11:17
Now behold, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with their trumpets sound the battle call against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”
It leads to the destruction of those who attempt it
Psalm 2:2–5 See also Job 15:20–26, Job 15:30
The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One: “Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them. Then He rebukes them in His anger, and terrifies them in His fury:
Ways in which the wicked strive with God
By resisting the Holy Spirit
You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.
By arguing with God
Romans 9:20 See also Job 40:2; Isaiah 45:9–11
But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, “Why did You make me like this?”
Through unbelief
Numbers 14:1–4, Numbers 14:10–11, Numbers 20:13; Psalm 95:8–9
By attacking God's people
Acts 5:39 To attack God's people is to attempt to attack God himself. See also 1 Samuel 17:45; Isaiah 37:22–25; Acts 9:4–5
But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God.”
Jacob strives with God
Genesis 32:24–28 Jacob's struggle with God represents the conflict within himself between self-will and dependence on God. As “Jacob”, the supplanter, he had overcome Esau and Laban, but God demonstrates his superior power in the wrestling match so that as “Israel” he will be submissive to the divine will. See also Hosea 12:2–5
So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower Jacob, he struck the socket of Jacob’s hip and dislocated it as they wrestled. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” “What is your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.”
The striving of the righteous with God
The struggle for righteousness
Acts 24:16 See also Luke 13:24; Romans 7:14–25; 1 Corinthians 9:25–27; Philippians 3:10–14; 1 Timothy 4:10; Hebrews 12:4
In this hope, I strive always to maintain a clear conscience before God and man.
The discipline of prayer
Colossians 4:12 See also Isaiah 64:7; Luke 22:44
Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in the full will of God.
The struggle to understand God's purposes
Exodus 5:22–23 See also Job 10:18; Psalm 73:16, Psalm 88:14–18; Habakkuk 1:2–4, Habakkuk 1:13
So Moses returned to the LORD and asked, “Lord, why have You brought trouble upon this people? Is this why You sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and You have not delivered Your people in any way.”
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.