Genesis 32: 27-32: “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. 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? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. 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.”
Jacob finally had his name changed from “cheat” to “one who fought with God and men and prevailed”. This is an important issue in his life. The name Israel went on to be the name of the nation that descended from Jacob. Image a nation called “Jacob” rather than “Israel”? The name does signify the ability of this nation to survive despite opposition throughout the ages. They went down to Egypt and spent a few hundred years as slaves then they spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness but managed to survive as the nation Israel. Later, they were taken to Babylon for seventy years but managed to survive and return to their Land. Much later, the nation was destroyed by the Romans and all Jews were forced to leave the Land on pain of death but after many centuries, and a concerted attempt at genocide, Israel was again numbered among the nations of the world. This nation, more than any other, has struggled with men and prevailed. God knew what He was talking about all those years ago. This passage also reminds us of Luke 18: 1 (“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”). If we follow Jacob’s example and never give up then we will see God’s face.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
No comments:
Post a Comment