Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Genesis 35:9-12

"Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him, saying, 'Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on your name will be Israel.' So God renamed him Israel.
 "Then God said, 'I am El-Shaddai—"God Almighty." Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants! And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.'"
 
When Jacob obeyed God and was in the place God had told him to go, he again appeared to Jacob and blessed him. Integral to the blessings was a name change signifying an identity change. He was no longer defined by his own character (Jacob means "deceiver"), but by his relationship to God ("one who struggles with God"). We cannot be blessed apart from our relationship with God. And it is in that relationship that we find our true identity.

No comments:

Post a Comment