Jacob's Name Changed To Israel

Q: What does the Bible say about Jacob's name change to Israel?

The Bible describes Jacob's name change to Israel in Genesis 32:28, signifying his transformation from a trickster to a prince of God. In Genesis 32:28, Jacob's name is changed to Israel by the Lord after a night of wrestling, symbolizing a significant spiritual transformation. The name 'Jacob' means trickster, reflecting his life characterized by deceit and struggle. The name 'Israel', however, signifies a new identity, meaning 'he will rule' or 'God prevails'. This change emphasizes that God's grace can transform the unworthy, a theme central to sovereign grace theology, underscoring that salvation is a divine work.

Q: How do we know God's grace changed Jacob's life?

God's grace changed Jacob's life as evidenced by his name change from Jacob to Israel, indicating his transition from a life of sin to being a prince of God. The transformative power of God's grace in Jacob's life is showcased when the Lord renames him Israel, which means 'God prevails'. This name change occurs after Jacob wrestles with God, illustrating that true change comes through divine intervention rather than human effort. Throughout his life, Jacob exhibited selfishness and deceit, yet God's mercy allowed him to be redeemed. This reflects the broader truth that all believers are transformed by grace alone, as articulated in the Reformed tradition, which emphasizes God's sovereignty in salvation and sanctification.

Q: Why is understanding Jacob's story important for Christians?

Understanding Jacob's story is important for Christians as it illustrates the profound impact of God's grace in transforming a sinner into a beloved child of God. Jacob's story is pivotal for Christians as it encapsulates the themes of sin, grace, and transformation. His life exemplifies how God can change a person defined by sin and deceit into one who represents the glory of His grace. The narrative invites believers to recognize their own sins and the necessity of divine intervention for true change. Furthermore, it emphasizes that despite our failures, God remains faithful and is able to use imperfect individuals for His purposes, thus encouraging Christians to rely on God's sovereignty and grace in their lives.

Genesis 29, we are going to continue this morning with our next Old Testament story in the scripture. We're just kind of going through the well-known, more well-known accounts in the scripture. And we've come now to the story of Jacob having his name changed to Israel. Jacob's name was changed to Israel. We speak of the children of Israel. And when we speak of that, we're speaking of the children of Jacob. That's who we're talking about, the children of Jacob. That country over in the Middle East where our Lord was born into the world, had his name not been changed, that country would have been called Jacob. But thank God, because of God's grace and mercy, Jacob's name was changed to Israel. The name Jacob means trickster, sinner. The name Israel means a prince of God, a prince of God.

And we're going to explain what that actually means. in this Bible study, but let's just first acknowledge that's an amazing change. His name was changed. That's an amazing change, and that's what the work of God is in his people. It is amazing, not in the way that the flesh naturally thinks, but in the way that it actually is. It is amazing. It is an amazing work of amazing mercy and amazing grace. Not only was it amazing with Jacob, it's amazing with all of God's chosen, elected, redeemed, called people. Because all of God's people are called sons of Jacob. I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore you sons of Jacob are not concerned." Speaking spiritually. Spiritually. They are not all Israel which are born of Israel. Meaning not every person born in a particular country is a child of God. God has a spiritual people. It's spiritual Israel. That's who God's people are.

Well, with Jacob. A lot of things took place. A lot happened with Jacob before his name was changed. And I want to just recap a little bit, kind of give us the highlights of it. I want us to see a few things before we get to his name actually being changed.

You remember in chapter 25 that Jacob took advantage of Esau's weakness and his hunger and he bribed Esau's birthright away from him. And then in chapter 27, Jacob deceived his father. He misrepresented himself. He put on Esau's clothes and he put, you know, skins on his neck and on his hands and he lied to his father and stole the blessing away from Esau. The birthright and the blessing. And Esau was so furious over this, Jacob had to run for his life. Esau wanted to kill Jacob. In chapter 29, Jacob left and came into his grandfather's land, Abraham's land, and he met Rachel and he immediately fell in love with her.

And he served a man named Laban. That was Rachel's father. He served Laban for seven years to earn her hand in marriage. But after seven years, Laban tricked him, tricked the trickster and gave him Rachel's older sister Leah instead. So Jacob had to work seven more years for Laban to earn Rachel's hand in marriage. Now Jacob finds himself with two wives and I'm sure everyone here well knows the harmony that would bring to a home.

All right, that's where we are right here in Genesis 29. Let's pick up here. We're going to skim through a few more things. I'm going to read a portion of scripture that'll take up the middle section of this Bible study. I could summarize this, but I want you to see all the details in this. I believe that you're going to find this very interesting. If you've never seen this and never really paid attention to this, I believe you're going to find this very interesting.

Genesis 29 verse 21 says, Jacob said unto Laban, give me my wife for my days are fulfilled that I may go in unto her. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast, and it came to pass in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him. And Jacob went in unto her, and Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid. And it came to pass that in the morning, behold, it was Leah And he said to Laban, what is this thou hast done unto me? Did not I serve with thee for Rachel? Wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? And Laban said, it must not be so done in our country to give the younger before the firstborn.

Fulfill her week, or her seven years, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou hast served with me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. And he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also. And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid. And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah. and served with him yet seven other years. Verse 31 says, and when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Leah started having children, Rachel did not. Verse 32, and Leah conceived and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben.

That means see a son. For she said, Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction, now therefore my husband will love me. And she conceived again and bare a son, and said, Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also.

And she called his name Simeon, because the Lord heard. His name means hearing, seeing, hearing. And she conceived again and bear a son and said, now this time will my husband be joined unto me because I have born him three sons. Therefore was his name called Levi. That means joined. And she conceived again and bear a son and she said, now will I praise the Lord. Therefore she, now will I praise the Lord. Therefore she called his name Judah. And that means praise. And she left bearing, she stopped bearing children.

Chapter 30 says, and when Rachel saw that she bared Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister and said unto Jacob, give me children or else I die. And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel and he said, am I in God's stead who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? You're blaming this on me? You're mad at me for this?

And she said, behold, my maid Bilhah, go in unto her and she shall bear upon my knees that I may also have children by her. And she gave him Bilhah, her handmaid, to wife and Jacob went in unto her and Bilhah conceived and bare Jacob a son. And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son. Therefore called she his name Dan. That means judging. And Bilhah, Rachel's maid, conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed. I prevailed over her. And she called his name Naphtali.

That means my wrestling. And you know, this is the same sin that Abraham and Sarah committed. And it represents the works of the flesh. It represents works, not grace. And this is what she said. I prevailed, my wrestling. That's what it means. I have done this, and that's what man says. You know, I've saved myself.

Verse 9, when Leah saw that she had left bearing, Leah was no longer having children. She took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob, to wife. All right, now Jacob has four wives. And Zilpah, Leah's maid, bared Jacob a son. And Leah said, a troop cometh. And she called his name Gad. That means a troop, a company. In Zilpah, Leah's maid bared Jacob a second son. And Leah said, happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed. And she called his name Asher. And that means happy.

And Reuben went in. Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field. Mandrakes were known for promoting birth, conception and birth, making more fruitful and desire, okay? Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field and brought them unto his mother Leah, Then Rachel said to Leah, give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.

And she said unto her, is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? And wouldst thou take away my son's mandrakes also? And Rachel said, therefore, he shall lie with thee tonight for thy son's mandrakes. That's the only reason. It's because you have mandrakes. And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me, for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.

And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived and bared Jacob a fifth son. And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband. And she called his name Issachar, a hire. a payment. And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son. And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry. Now will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons. And she called his name Zebulun."

That means dwelling. And afterwards, she bare a daughter and called her name Dina and God remembered Rachel. After all of that God remembered Rachel and God hearkened to her and opened her womb and she conceived and bear a son and said God hath taken away my reproach and she called his name Joseph. and said, the Lord shall add to me another son. The name Joseph means adding. So Leah bear six sons, Leah's handmaid bear two sons, that's eight. Rachel's handmaid bore two sons, that's 10. And then Rachel has now born one son, that's 11 total.

Right after this, Jacob and Laban, their father, Jacob and Laban have a falling out. And Jacob leaves. If you'll look with me at Genesis 32, verse 22. Genesis 32 verse 22 it says, And Jacob rose up that night and took his two wives and his two women servants and his eleven sons and passed over the ford Jabbok. And he took them and sent them over the brook and sent over that he had, everything he had. He sent his family and all his possessions ahead of him, verse 24 says, and Jacob was left alone.

Now, here is why I wanted to recap all of that and read all of that. This is why I wanted to show all of that to you. Jacob's entire life was sin. His entire life. There was nothing good about Jacob. You couldn't say one good thing about that man. His whole life was sin.

Starting with his birth. Starting with his own birth when he maliciously held on to his brother's heel. He tried to trip up his brother. First thing. Starting there all the way down to his children's birth. It was nothing but sin. His children, they were not born in honor. We think about the 12 tribes of Israel. They were not born in honor. They were born in sin. They were conceived in sin.

Four different women ultimately had those 12 boys. We just read about 11. There were 12. Four different women had those boys and the whole time it was a competition. That's why I wanted to read it for you. The whole thing was a competition in selfishness and pride just to see who could bear the most. That was a whole goal.

Who can bear the most? Who can work the hardest, earn his favor the most? This is a picture of man in his false religion before God. What can I do to earn your favor most? All of it was sin. Everything concerning Jacob, everything in Jacob, everything of Jacob. All of it was sin. That is the only thing that could be said about Jacob. Sin. And here's the thing about it. That is the only thing that can be said about you and me. You look at our entire lives. I know that people want to latch hold of something to say, well, how about that? Look at that. At least that.

No. It's all sin. It's all sin. We were conceived in sin. We have lived in sin. And if God is not merciful to us, we're going to die in sin. If God did not cause us to die in Christ on the cross of Calvary, if God did not cause Christ to die for us in our sin, we're gonna die in our own sin. Sin.

When God deals with one of his own, before God deals with a sinner, all have sinned, everybody's a sinner, and before God deals with a sinner, the sinner never thinks about his or her own sin, not really. Not really. Not really. But when God starts to deal with one of his own, that's the first thing that God will reveal to that child. Sin. Sin. You are a sinner against me and I'm the judge of you. And you need mercy. That's the first thing.

Our Lord in mercy will get his child alone. Man by nature is lost in the crowd. Man loves a crowd, the broad way. But when God deals with a person, he'll get that soul alone. That soul will get alone with, he could be, he or she could be in the middle of a crowd. But God will move on that soul alone. He'll get his child alone. And he'll cause that child to start wrestling with these things. It'll be in the mind. It'll be in the heart. It'll be now. Now, wait a minute.

Now, what is the truth of this? Before God deals with a sinner, there are no wrestlings over this. You hear people say, well, there ain't no doubt in my mind where I'm going. I know I'm go, I'm good. There's, and then all of a sudden people say, no, wait a minute. What if I'm not good? What if I go stand before God and he says, depart from me, you that work iniquity, I never knew you. There's a wrestling. All of a sudden, we start to see things in the Bible and say, well, I've never seen that before. I didn't know it said that. I'm not sure I like that. I don't think I believe that. But, well, God said it. Maybe He didn't mean that.

There is a wrestling. There is a wrestling that takes place. God gets his child alone, and that child will start wrestling with these things. That child will start wrestling with who God really is. Everybody has God in their back pocket. They pull him out when they need him every now and then, and as soon as everything's good, they stick him back in their pocket, and then they go on about their way. You have to let the God do something. You have to help the God do something. This is a little tiny G-God.

And then all of a sudden when capital G, capital O, capital D comes, there's a wrestling with who God really, wait a minute, I did not know God was like this. I did not know God said this. I did not know that God purposed this and brought this to pass. I did not know the Lord is a man of war.

I did not know He wields the sword. I did not know that this is called a sword sharper than two-edged sword that pierces even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit. I did not know He kills and makes alive. He wounds and He heals. I didn't know that. I didn't know that all these winds and all these waves are obeying His command. All of a sudden there's a wrestling over who God really is and who man really is.

I did not know I was this sinful. I did not know I was this wrong. I did not know I was this dead. I didn't know I was this wretched. All of a sudden there's a struggle over what salvation really is. I didn't know it wasn't my baptism. I didn't know it wasn't my confession of faith. I didn't know that it wasn't me coming and shaking the preacher's hand and repeating the preacher's prayer and walking the Roman road and speaking in tongues and quitting my cussing. I didn't know that. Maybe I don't know what salvation is. Maybe there's a possibility. I don't know what salvation is. Maybe I don't know who God is and maybe I don't know who I am and maybe I don't know what salvation is.

Now, that's what we see right here in the Lord's wrestling with Jacob, OK? Look at look at verse 24. It says. And Jacob was left alone, and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day." That man is Jesus Christ, the God-man. All the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in the body of the God-man. There wrestled a man with him. The Lord Jesus Christ came to him. and wrestled with him, and this is what happens. I pray the Lord will wrestle with somebody. I pray the Lord will wrestle. I don't, you know, nobody wants to be brought down. Nobody wants to be, but oh, eternity's on the line. This wrestling took a while. It took all night long.

Look at verse 24. 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," that's saying when the Lord saw that he prevailed not against Jacob, he touched the hollow of his thigh and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him.

Now, let me tell you, I don't have time to go prove the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who says, I am, and armies of men fall backwards. I don't have time. But it's not that the Lord Jesus Christ could not prevail over Jacob. That's not it at all.

What that's saying is knowing that Jacob was a recipient of mercy and grace, knowing that Jacob was not going to be destroyed. I am the Lord, I change not, therefore you sons of Jacob are not concerned. Knowing that Jacob was not going to be destroyed in mercy and grace, the Lord humbled him. In mercy and grace, the Lord broke him. Verse 26, and he said, the Lord said, let me go, for the day breaketh. And Jacob said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

You think the Lord could have gotten away from Jacob? How many times in the scripture does it say when the Lord was on this earth in the gospels that whole mobs of people came and laid hands on him. They wanted to throw him over a cliff and he'd just walk right out. You think he couldn't have gotten away from Jacob?

Jacob was holding on to the Lord. And the only reason Jacob was holding on to the Lord was because the Lord laid hold of Jacob. Jacob couldn't let him go because the Lord wouldn't let Jacob let him go. That's how it is with all of God's people. He lays hold of them. And because of that, they receive a desire to lay hold of Him. The Lord creates in the hearts of His people a knowledge and a desire that says, I must have Him.

Throw away everything else. Throw away my works. Throw away everything. I must have him. He is the one thing needful. He is all my hope. If I'm going to be spiritually blessed, it's only going to be through him. Only. Jacob received a physical birthright blessing from his father Isaac. He received the blessing, the physical blessing, but that's not the blessing Jacob needed. He needed the blessing of grace in the righteousness of Christ. He needed the blessing of mercy in the blood of Christ. He needed the blessing of redemption in the death of Christ. He needed the blessing of eternal life in the resurrection of Christ. Verse 26, it says, and he said, let me go. The Lord said, let me go for the day breaketh. And Jacob said, I will not let thee go except thou bless me.

And he said unto him, what is thy name? And he said, Jacob, what's your name? Oh, I can only see Jacob hanging his head saying, sinner, trickster, supplanter, this is against thee and thee only. Unworthy, defiled, ruined, that's my name. Verse 28, 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. And Jacob asked him and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name.

And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? This is not an even cooperation here. You better remember who you're talking to. You better remember where you're standing. He said, why are you asking after my name? That's my business. I will reveal to you what I'm pleased to reveal to you. And verse 29 ends by saying he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel.

And that means the face of God. For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. I've seen God face to face. How can a man see God face to face? How can a man see the face of God? Where is the face of God seen? Jesus Christ. All the glory of God is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

Verse 31, and as he passed over Penuel, the sun rose upon him and he halted upon his thigh. Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh unto this day, because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank."

After God deals with a person, that person is never the same. Now that's the truth. That is the absolute truth. After God deals with a person, that person is never the same. But it's not in the way that false religion lies to people portraying it to be.

It's not up. It's down. They don't walk around a foot off the ground holier than thou from that point on. They forever, for the rest of their days, walk in humility. They are humbled. For if God does it, if God humbles, John the Baptist, greatest man born of woman, the Lord said, this was John the Baptist's confession, I must decrease. He must increase, and I must decrease. And a sinner who God deals with will walk the face of the earth forever. humbled, brought down, brought down, brought down, made to bow, made to bow. They don't walk up to God and say, God, it's me. Oh, they bow. They bow. They bow before God Almighty, Jesus Christ, God, Jesus, the Lord Jesus. They bow before him.

And here's the reason why, and I'm closing, here's the reason why. It's because every sinner God does this for knows this beyond any shadow of a doubt. Now what I'm about to tell you is the whole point of this Bible study and the whole point of this story. Here's the whole point.

The name Israel means, and if you do have a center margin in your Bible, you can see that it means a prince of God. Oftentimes, in our minds, we just think that means God showed favor to him. And God did show favor to him. But here's the root translation of the word Israel.

It means He will rule. It means God prevails. That's what it means. He will rule as the God that he is. The name Israel does not just mean that Jacob is a prince with God. It means he is a prince of God. And what that means is God did it. That's what it means. God did it. It means salvation is of the Lord.

Salvation is of the Lord. Jacob's name was sinner. But his name was changed to. Salvation is of the Lord. God did it. God prevailed. That was Jacob's hope, and that's every son of Jacob's hope. All of spiritual is real. Our hope is in the Lord. Our hope is in the Lord. Amen. All right, you're dismissed.

Jacob's Name Changed To Israel

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about Jacob's name change to Israel?

How do we know God's grace changed Jacob's life?

Why is understanding Jacob's story important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

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Jacob's Name Changed To Israel

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about Jacob's name change to Israel?

How do we know God's grace changed Jacob's life?

Why is understanding Jacob's story important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Gabe Stalnaker

Comments

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