A New Name for a New Man (Genesis 32)

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In a sermon titled, “True Faith: Clinging to God”on Genesis 32 by Coty Pinckney, Desiring God Community Church, Charlotte, NC, 9/12/04:

God gives Jacob a new name, a new identity. Jacob has changed fundamentally – and his name will reflect that change. The name Jacob has stood for heel grasper, cheater, supplanter. And that has been an apt name for Jacob until now.

What does “Israel” mean? Here there is some difference of opinion. Most will say it means, “He prevails with God,” because of what God says in verse 28: “You have striven with God and men, and have prevailed.”

But James Montgomery Boice notes that in other names with similar constructions, ALWAYS “God” is the subject of the verb, not the object:

  • Daniel is not translated, “He judges God,” but “God judges.”
  • Samuel is not translated, “He hears God,” but “God hears.”

Furthermore, think about Jacob’s life. Has he struggled with men and prevailed?

No! He’s a huge failure!

  • He lost his relationship with his mother;
  • He blew his relationship with his father;
  • He blew his relationship with his brother, who now, it seems, is on his way to kill him;
  • Instead of ruling over Esau, he now is prepared to bow before him;
  • He was tricked by Laban into taking a wife he didn’t want;
  • He is rich, but he now knows and understands that he deserves nothing that he owns, that all his attempts improve his position have accomplished nothing. Only God’s grace has made him wealthy.

So Jacob has not prevailed with men. What about with God? Did he prevail with God?

No! God just tapped his thigh – BOOM, contest over.

So the name is more properly translated “God prevails” – not “He prevails with God.”

Why then does God say in verse 28: “You have striven with God and men and have prevailed”?

I agree with Boice that this statement is ironic:

In his battle with God, Jacob suffers a reversal of his fortunes, which is actually his victory. He loses his wrestling match with God; God touches his hip and he is permanently wounded. But in the divine logic, which is beyond our full comprehension, this loss is Jacob’s victory. For at last Jacob surrenders himself. He wins by losing and is now able to go on in new strength as God’s man.

Jacob was striving all his life with men – and lost. He spent all night resisting God – and lost. But as Jacob realizes all this, as he sees the bankruptcy of all his efforts to fight with men and to resist God, he at long last sees that the true treasure is God Himself. And seeing God as his treasure – he, the loser, wins. He has saved his life by losing it. And so this loss is Jacob’s – Israel’s – victory.

And the last image we have of Jacob is seeing him limping forward to meet Esau as the sun is rising. He has lost his great physical power; he has lost all he used to depend on. But now Jacob is a man of God. Jacob is saved. Jacob values God above all else.

A new man. A new creation. No longer then old, deceiving, conniving Jacob. Now Israel – the one who knows that God prevails.

This sermon was preached at Desiring God Community Church in Charlotte, NC on 9/12/04. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ two sermons on this passage preached in 1947 are outstanding, and helped shape my thoughts. They are found in Old Testament Evangelistic Sermons (Banner of Truth, 1995). Commentaries by Bruce Waltke (Genesis: A Commentary, Zondervan, 2001), and James Montgomery Boice (Genesis: An Expositional Commentary: Volume 2, Genesis 12-36, Baker, 1985, 1998) also were especially helpful in the preparation of this sermon. The Boice quote is found on page 820.
Copyright © 2004, Thomas C. Pinckney. This data file is the sole property of Thomas C. Pinckney. Please feel free to copy it in written form, but only in its entirety for circulation freely without charge. All copies of this data file must contain the above copyright notice.
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