What is your name?

Of all the encounters that men had with God in the Bible, Jacob’s encounter where he wrestled with God is my favorite.

What names did Jacob earn in his lifetime?

When Jacob stole the blessing of the first-born from Esau, what name would he have earned?

When Jacob robbed Esau of his blessing from his father, what name would he have earned?

When Jacob loved Rachel more than he loved Leah, what name would Leah ( who yearned for her husbands love) have given him?

When Jacob loved the sons of Rachel more than all his other sons, what name would his other sons ( who hungered for their father’s love,) have given him?

Whatever names they might have given him. One thing is for sure. None of these names would have been pleasant nor brought about a blessing in his life!!!

When God asked Jacob what his name was, it wasn’t because he didn’t know his name. Then, the question lingers. Why did he ask Jacob what his name was, before he blessed him? I believe he wanted Jacob to have a glimpse of his own wretchedness and his absolute inability/ unworthiness to receive any blessing from God. In other words, he was 100 percent 💯 unworthy!

Note carefully, that the wrestling went on for a long time. Jacob wrestled and wrestled and was begging God to bless him. For at least 3-5 hours he kept pounding on heavens doors to bless him. What was the result? Nothing changed in God’s disposition.

The day was beginning to break and Jacob was still relentlessly pounding on heavens doors. That is when God drops the key to mercy: “What is your name?”

What is your name?

In Hebrew “the name” is directly equivalent to character. So wherever we read “in the name of the Lord”, it directly implies “in the character of the Lord”. You cannot separate the name from the character.

Example: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower and the righteous shall run into it and they shall be safe.” Proverbs 18:10

We could rephrase it as “The character of the Lord is a strong tower, and the righteous shall run into it and they shall be safe.”

So wherever I see the phrase “name of the Lord” it gives a greater depth of meaning when I read it as “the character of the Lord”.

Coming back to Jacob..

When God asked Jacob, “What is your name”, he was probing an important question in Jacob’s mind. Who are you? What is your character? God wanted him to see his wretchedness/ unworthiness.

And Jacob helplessly confesses: “Jacob”. There’s more to it than meets the eye!! Perhaps all his wretchedness must have come before his mind’s eye when he was asked, what is your name?” I almost imagine Jacob weeping before the Lord as he says his name. Because different people had given him different names. And he sums it all up… My name/ My character is Jacob/ Supplanter/ Deceiver. Now he perhaps knew, he can’t ask God for the blessing…. because such was his character.

…. to which God responds, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel.” Genesis 32:28

This is key. Unless we come to complete humility to accept our faults/sins, there can be no mercy/redemption/blessing.

That’s the moment when God releases the blessing. Our blessing does not come because we are “good Christians”. Our blessing does not come because people think of us as “Holy”. But it surely comes when we are on our knees crying out to him, “Lord, I’m a sinner, Have mercy on me.”

Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
Hear my humble cry,
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.

Savior, Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.

Let me at thy throne of mercy
Find a sweet relief;
Kneeling there in deep contrition,
Help my unbelief.