How did Jacob become Israel?
Jacob was a grasper from the womb who took his brother's birthright and blessing by deceit, yet God met him by grace at Bethel before he had changed a thing, repeating to him the promise made to Abraham. Then came an all-night wrestle by the Jabbok, where Jacob refused to release God until he was blessed, and walked away with a new name and a limp. God explained the name Himself: 'you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed'; but the limp meant Jacob never forgot that the blessing was given, not seized.
This question arose from studying Why did God test Abraham with Isaac?.
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Jacob grasped from the beginning
He arrived clutching his brother's heel, and Esau later complained that 'he has supplanted me these two times': the birthright for a bowl of stew, then the blessing through a lie told in their father's tent. His very name became shorthand for a schemer. Scripture never hides this; the man God chose to carry the covenant began as a deceiver who tried to secure God's promises by his own cunning.
After that, his brother came out, and his hand had hold on Esau’s heel. He was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.
Jacob said, “First, sell me your birthright.”And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
He said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright. See, now he has taken away my blessing.” He said, “Haven’t you reserved a blessing for me?”And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
Grace met him at Bethel before he changed
Jacob was fleeing the consequences of his fraud when God found him, not after he cleaned up. In the dream Yahweh stood above the stairway and gave land, countless seed, and blessing for all families of the earth, the same promise spoken over Abraham. Then came the pledge no runaway deserved: 'I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go.' Only after waking did Jacob confess, 'Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I didn't know it,' and set up his pillar and vow.
Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, “I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed. Your seed will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you.”And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, “Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I didn’t know it.”And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.
then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, will be God’s house. Of all that you will give me I will surely give the tenth to you.”And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
He would not let go unless God blessed him
Alone at night, Jacob wrestled a stranger until dawn, and when the man asked to be released Jacob answered, 'I won't let you go, unless you bless me.' For once the grasping instinct was aimed at God himself, and God let Himself be held. Asked his name, Jacob had to say it aloud: deceiver, supplanter. The confession of what he was became the doorway to what he would be called.
Jacob was left alone, and wrestled with a man there until the breaking of the day. When he saw that he didn’t prevail against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was strained, as he wrestled. The man said, “Let me go, for the day breaks.” Jacob said, “I won’t let you go, unless you bless me.” He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob”. He said, “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed.”And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 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. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
Indeed, he struggled with the angel, and prevailed; he wept, and made supplication to him. He found him at Bethel, and there he spoke with us,Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Beth–el, and there he spake with us;
Blessed and wounded at the same time
God declared, 'Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel', because he had struggled with God and men and prevailed. Yet the same night left him touching his thigh and limping for the rest of his life. Jacob saw it truly at Peniel: 'I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.' Every step afterward carried both truths, that God had blessed him and that the blessing cost him his self-reliance.
He said, “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed.”And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for, he said, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
The sun rose on him as he passed over Peniel, and he limped because of his thigh.And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
God keeps covenant with flawed people
At Bethel years later, God said, 'Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel', and announced Himself as 'I am God Almighty' with nations, kings, and land promised to Jacob's line, exactly as He had sworn to Abraham and Isaac. The covenant never depended on Jacob's character. It rested on God's, which is why a limping deceiver could become the father of twelve tribes.
God said to him, “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel.” He named him Israel. God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will be from you, and kings will come out of your body. The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and to your seed after you will I give the land.”And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty. Walk before me, and be blameless.And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
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How did God raise Joseph in prison?→“Yahweh was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. He was in the house of his master the Egyptian.And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.”What was God doing in Joseph's slavery?→“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people alive.But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”Hold onto these
Verses to meditate on
Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you.”And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
The man said, “Let me go, for the day breaks.” Jacob said, “I won’t let you go, unless you bless me.”And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
He said, “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed.”And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
God said to him, “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel.” He named him Israel.And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.
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