The Man Who Became Israel

An important lesson from one who proved his love for God.
 

The patriarch Jacob is one of the most prominent personalities mentioned in Scripture. His name appears more often than his father Isaac—even more than his grandfather Abraham, the father of the faithful.

Jacob may not be referenced as frequently as King David, who is mentioned more than any other personality in the Bible except Jesus. But when you consider Jacob’s other biblical name, what a towering figure this man becomes!

The Bible is essentially a book about Israel—physical and spiritual. And Israel is the name God gave to Jacob at the point of his conversion.

Deception and Lies

Even before he was born, Jacob was a scrappy little fellow. Scripture relates that he and his older twin Esau were struggling while they were still in Rebekah’s womb (Genesis 25:22). He was actually born while grabbing hold of Esau’s heel on the way out, earning him the name Jacob, meaning tosupplant.

The Adam Clarke Commentary says the meaning of Jacob’s name foreshadowed the way he would go about obtaining the birthright—in a deceitful, fraudulent way.

Prior to his conversion, Jacob convinced his brother to sell his birthright for a bowl of soup. Later, when Isaac was prepared to give his blessing, Jacob colluded with his mother, Rebekah, to deceive Isaac into thinking he was Esau.

Rebekah already knew Jacob was destined to be greater than Esau (Genesis 25:23). But she didn’t have the faith to let God work things out His way. Jacob also lacked proper faith in God, trusting instead in the deceitful workings of his mother.

After they tricked Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing, a fuming Esau devised a plot to kill his own brother (Genesis 27:41). When Rebekah was made aware of this, she arranged for Jacob to flee to Haran.

In Genesis 29, we learn that Jacob settled down with his uncle Laban and eventually asked to marry his daughter, Rachel, in exchange for seven years’ labor (verse 18). The principles Jacob exhibited here of service and sacrifice—of working hard to achieve his goals—sharply contrast with those of his brother Esau, who was so quick to sell off his future for the here and now.

And yet, for as hard as he worked, at the end of those seven years, Jacob was tricked into marrying Laban’s other daughter, Leah (verse 25). Talk about the tables being turned—here the “supplanter” was himself a victim of a deceitful ploy. Just as he stole the birthright from Esau by unfair means and received Isaac’s blessing by a lying deception, so his father-in-law, Laban, deceived him. So Jacob agreed to put in another seven years for Rachel (verse 27).

Think of the lessons God must have driven home during that time about Jacob’s own problem with being deceitful and humanly reasoning his way around God’s purposes.

Jacob’s Conversion

In Genesis 32, Jacob left Laban to go his own way. Even after all these years, Jacob was still concerned that Esau might be after his life, so he sent messengers ahead of his caravan to try to contact Esau in advance. When the messengers returned, Jacob learned that Esau was on his way to meet him—along with 400 of his men (verse 6). Afraid for his family’s well-being, Jacob turned to God for a way out (verses 9-11).

It was the right decision.

After beseeching God, Jacob picked 550 of the choicest cattle, goats, sheep, burros and camels. Then he divided each kind of stock into groups, and each group was sent out at a different time to approach Esau as one of several gifts (verses 13-18).

One of the lessons here is that when we get into trouble, we must immediately go to God first—and then, do what we can to work our way out of it. We can’t just wait around to see what happens—we must be proactive, both spiritually and physically.

It was during these busy preparations that Jacob had another confrontation that ended up being the greatturning point of his life. Notice verse 24: “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.”

In the middle of the night, the one who became Jesus Christ (Hosea 12:3-5) actually seized Jacob and held him down as though trying to prevent him from completing his trip to Canaan. Before long, Jacob and his “attacker” were engaged in an intense wrestling match.

God, here, was testing Jacob to see if he would give up as easily as his brother Esau had. He wanted to see how highly Jacob esteemed the birthright blessings.

The account continues in verse 25: “And when he [the one who became Christ] saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.”

“Touched” there means to strike with force. When Jesus Christ saw that He could not prevail against Jacob, He jolted Jacob’s thighbone right out of its socket! What a perfect opportunity for Jacob to finally give up and let go.

But notice what happened in verse 26: “And he [Christ] said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he [Jacob] said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.”

I will not let go! What a warrior Jacob had become!

Now notice—it was immediately after this that Christ proclaimed, “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” (verses 27-28).

Jacob, in other words, had to qualify for a family name as great as Israel, which means a warrior or soldier of God—or a champion for God.

Previously, his name meant he would supplant others by nipping at their heels—by taking advantage of people unfairly. Israel, on the other hand, means one who prevails or overcomes!

What a beautiful type all of this was! As Paul wrote in Galatians 6:16, true Christians today are called the Israel of Godwe are spiritual Israelites. In that context, think about your own spiritual wrestling match—your commitment to God and His commandments; your willingness to earnestly pray and study every day—to put God’s way of life into diligent practice.

Now think of the remarkable change that takes place in the life of one who truly converts to God’s way of thinking and living. Doesn’t Jacob’s own example demonstrate how dramatic the change is in someone who becomes converted?

God is testing all of us to see if we will stubbornly hold on to Christ and demand our blessing—or if we will casually give it all up for a bowl of soup, as so many thousands of people have done in this end time.

Jacob may well have gone limping for the rest of his life after that life-changing moment. He was most certainly sore the next day (verses 31-32). God wanted him to remember that divine blessings do not come without a great deal of difficulty and hardship. The Christian life, after all, is not the smooth and easygoing way!

We must fight and struggle to live God’s way—just like the man who became Israel.

The Bible Story, printed by Herbert W. Armstrong years ago, sums up the lesson beautifully: “[Jacob] proved by his physical wrestling that he had the strength of character to overcome his spiritual problems. The wrestling match was a test of character! … God wouldn’t give His blessing and a birthright to a man who had taken them from a weaker brother unfairly. Therefore He appeared as a man to give Jacob the chance to prove himself with one who appeared as his equal.”