Scripture
Genesis 25:24-34
Genesis 27:1-41
Genesis 32:22-28
Genesis 35:9-10
Romans 8:14-17
All of us have a name. Usually, it’s the name our parents gave us when we were born. Or a nickname we go by that was given to us one day. Sometimes these names have a significant meaning behind it, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes bullies call us names that seem to plague our minds and tear down our self-esteem. There can be a lot of power in the names given to us, both good and bad.
Names used to carry a lot more significance and meaning behind them than they do today. Babies were often given names based on something they saw in the baby, or the significance they had in their parents’ lives, or more. We’ve also seen God change people’s names, or tell someone what to name their child. Rebekah had twins. The first one to come out was read and hairy all over, so she named him Esau, which means, “hairy.” The second one then came out grasping Esau’s heel, so she named him Jacob, which means, “he grasps the heel.” However, there’s another meaning behind the name, “Jacob.” It also means, “he deceives.”
Rebekah basically named her son, “deceiver.” That’s a great name to label someone with. But we see a couple occasions of where that name is fitting. We see how Jacob gets Esau to trade his birthright for a bowl of stew, meaning that Jacob now has the rights and privileges of being the firstborn. I wouldn’t say he really had to deceive Esau for that though. But, in chapter 27, we see how Jacob deceives his dad into giving him Esau’s blessing, which is a very big deal. He tricked him into thinking he was Esau.
I wonder if Jacob was naturally a deceiver, or if he just took on that name his mom gave him. Maybe he figured, well, if my mom thinks I’m a deceiver, I may as well be one. Sometimes, if we are called something for long enough, we start to believe that is true. Oftentimes, it’s us speaking things over ourselves. If we call ourselves fat and ugly and worthless over and over, it’s going to become true to us, even though it’s the farthest thing from the truth. There’s power in the names we give ourselves and the names we’re given.
There was a moment in Jacob’s life though where his name, and his life, was changed. In chapter 32, we see the story of Jacob wrestling with God. Jacob was wrestling this man one night, and finally the man asked to let him go. Jacob refused to unless he blessed him. The man asked what his name was. He told him it was Jacob. Then, the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God, and with humans and have overcome.” This man, who appears to be God, changed Jacob’s name—from “he deceives” to “he struggles with God,” from deceiver to wrestler.
God changed the narrative and direction of Jacob’s life by changing his name. Jacob, now Israel, went on to have an entire people group and country named after him! His 12 sons made up the 12 tribes of Israel. What an incredible story of redemption. God took a deceiver and made him a wrestler, a leader, the father of an entire nation.
Be careful of the names you give yourself. Names have power. Instead of taking on the names others give us, or the names Satan wants to give you, listen to who God says you are. You are a child of God. You are his beloved.
Prayer
God, help me rewrite the narrative of my life by speaking the names you have for me, over me. Help me to stop speaking lies and false names over myself, but to declare the truth of who you say I am. Thank you for adopting me as your child so I can be called a child of God.
Questions/Journal Prompts
Feel free to use these questions as a guide as you journal and/or pray.
1. What names have you been given by others throughout your life?
2. What names have you given yourself throughout your life?
3. Who does God say you are?
Songs to listen to
Spend some time listening to these songs, reflecting on the words, and sitting with Jesus.
“Jacob” by Chris Renzima https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssCOOw3r9u4
“Who You Say I Am” by Hillsong Worship https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcC1Bp13n_4
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