May the mumbling commence!
Sometimes we need a reminder about who we are… and whose
we are. After rededicating himself and
his family to the Lord, Jacob got such a reminder… Or should I say Israel? Read from Peterson’s The Message:
God revealed
himself once again to Jacob, after he had come back
from Paddan Aram and blessed him: “Your name is Jacob (Heel);
but that’s your
name no longer. From now on your name
is Israel
(God-Wrestler).”
God continued.
I am The
Strong God.
Have
children! Flourish!
A nation – a whole
company of nations! –
will
come from you.
Kings will come from your loins;
the
land I gave Abraham and Isaac
I now
give to you,
and pass it on to
your descendants.
And then
God was gone, ascended from the place where he had spoken
with him.
Jacob set up a stone pillar on the spot where God had
spoken with him. He poured a drink
offering on it and anointed it with oil. Jacob dedicated the place where God had spoken
with him, Bethel (God’s-House). (Genesis 35:9-15)
Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:
After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared
to him again and blessed him. God said to him,
"Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer
be called Jacob; your
name will
be Israel." So he named him Israel.
And God said to him, "I am
God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in
number. A nation and a community of nations will
come from you, and kings will come from your body. The land I gave
to Abraham and Isaac
I also give
to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after
you." Then God went up from him
at the place where he had talked with him.
Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had
talked with him,
and he poured out a
drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. Jacob called the place where God
had talked with
him Bethel. (Genesis 35:9-15)
Though there are differences, most of them have no
change on the heart and spirit of the passage, in my opinion. There is one type, though, that gives me a
cause to pause. It’s about the timing of
the name change and the extension of the covenant with Jacob to his descendants.
The NIV has God speaking about what will happen to Jacob’s name.
You will no longer be called
Jacob. Your name will be Israel.
God invites Jacob to take on a new life and
attitude. God invites Jacob to leave
behind the deceiver in him. (Jacob means
both heel and deceiver.) God invites
Jacob to wrestle with God’s purpose for his life. That’s why Jacob’s name will be Israel. It will be when Israel embraces the purpose
the Lord has for him.
Israel no longer needs to fight and scrap and deceive to
get the covenantal promise first given to his grandfather Abraham. It’s his by the grace of God. And God will
give this covenantal promise to Jacob’s descendants. There’s no “passing on the covenant”. Israel is called to embrace that covenant and
what it means for his life.
You and I have the same call. Will we embrace it? What new name will we receive? Will it be Christian? Will it be Christ-follower? Only God knows.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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