Hello again everyone! I pray that all is going well and everyone is blessed. I was going to write about the significance of names last week, but the Lord had me write a little more then I was expecting to write, so I decided to split it up! Last week I wrote about Jacob wrestling with the Lord and how we need to fight for our blessings, whether it be looking after the Lord, or taking it from circumstances in your life or from the devil himself. This week, I'm going to focus more on how Jacob's name was changed to Israel.
The first verses I would like to highlight is Genesis 25:24-26 which deals with the birth of Jacob and his brother Esau. "24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. 26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob." Jacob literally means "he grasps his heel". Imagine a man on the floor and he's grabbing your heels. When you try to walk, what happens? Either he is dragged around with you wherever you walk, draining your energy or you fall down. That's why Jacob "he grasps his heels" figuratively means "he deceives."
If you continue to read the story found in Genesis about Jacob, you find that the character of Jacob is a deceiving one. First of all, he steals the birthright of his brother as the firstborn twice! Then he works 21 years for his father-in-law, Laban. In the last seven years of working for his father-in-law, he promised to take the spot and speckled livestock (in other words, the blemished ones) as payment for his work. While working for him, he began to tend all of Laban's livestock, and, with some tricky maneuvers, steals the good livestock and gives Laban the weak livestock. Then he flees from Laban, taking his wife and children with him, and his livestock (at least he left Laban's livestock) without giving word to Laban. Finally, he reaches that river where he must cross and meet his brother, Esau, who wasn't the happiest with him, and he wrestles with God. That is where the Lord changes his name to Israel. The meaning of the name Israel means "wrestles with God."
Why would the Lord care to change the name of Jacob? It's just a name. Let's put it in literal terms. Hey, deceiver! It's time for lunch. Hello, my name is deceiver. I bless you, deceiver, in the name of the Lord. It's not just a name. To an extent, it's who you are.
Now lets look at the history of Israel. I don't know how much of the Bible everyone knows, but the Bible is not just some book that Christians swing around. It's a history book, the history of the nation of Israel. All throughout the history of Israel, you see Israel struggling to stay in the will of the Lord. First, under the command of Moses in Exodus to Deuteronomy. Then with trying to conquer the region of Canaan in Joshua. Then we see in the book of Judges the people of Israel constantly serve God until the death of the standing judge, then they fall into idol worship, back into the hands of God when the next judge comes into power, and then back to idol worship. We see the same problems when they asked the judge Samuel for a king in the books of Samuel. Then the same thing when they're ruled by the kings in the books of Chronicles and Kings, and in the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah and the other prophets. And finally, we see their rebellion when they stumble over their own law and execute the Christ, the very man who came to save them. And even to this day they stand and continue to wrestle with God.
What about God? What about His names? He has hundreds and hundreds of names. You can tell me if each of these names describe who He is. Jehovah Jireh, the provider. Jehovah Nissi, the Lord is my banner. Jehovah Shalom, prince of peace. Jehovah Rapha, our Healer. Immanuel, God with us. Might Savior, our Horn of Strength, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our councellor, our Heavenly Father, Awesome God, our Rock, our Fortress, the Lamb, the Messiah, the Christ, OUR EVERYTHING! "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:14) He is all you need. Who else is like our God? There is no one like Him. There is no god like Him, there is no one like my Rock and my Salvation.
What about you? What is your name? My name is James Alexander Hood. If you look up the meaning of my names, James is English for "He who supplants" and is ironically derived from the name Jacob. To supplant means to replace. The name Alexander means "defender of man, warrior." So I am the replacement defender of man in the Hood! All jokes aside though, every name has a meaning, and people often do not really seem to mind calling their children some interesting things. In First Chronicles 4:9, a boy was called Jabez, which is Hebrew for pain. Isn't that nice?
I believe that God gives us new names. Jesus changed the name of Simon (to hear, or to be heard) to Peter (rock) in Matthew 16:17-18. In doing so, He changed Peter's life and his purpose, and he became one of the greatest leaders of the early church. Your name today on this earth, the one your mother may have given you, is not the name the Lord has given you. I believe I have a different name. I am not a replacement defender of man, but I am a conqueror of man, a shepherd, and a worshipper in spirit and in truth. Most importantly of all, I am a servant of Christ. Now I pose to you a question. What is your name? What do you think God has given you as a name? Before you rush and post a comment with what you think your name is, I want you to go before the Lord and ask Him to reveal to you what name He has given you. I can assure you, something will come up that will tell you what your name is. Once you've done that, go ahead and comment and let us know =) God bless everyone, and may He keep you safe in the shadow of His wings.
Showing posts with label Wrestles with God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wrestles with God. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Jacob Wrestles with God
Hello everyone!
It’s been quite some time since I’ve written something, however, the Lord revealed something to me that I am going to post here. It’s actually something that is widely preached in churches across the globe, including a preaching by my old pastor. However, I’m going to point out two different things in the story. The first is to fight for your blessing, even if you think it’s a losing fight. The second, the significance of names. You can find the story in Genesis 32:22-32.
The Bible speaks of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Earlier in history, Abraham was promised by God that his children would be ‘…as the dust of the of the earth..’ (Gen 13:15) Jacob is the heir to this blessing, and God often times would speak to him and constantly remind him of this blessing. Ah yes, a side-note. The meaning of the name “Jacob” is ‘he who grabs his heel’ figuratively meaning ‘he deceives.’ Jacob was fleeing from his father-in-law, Laban, because the Lord had ordered Jacob to return to the house of his father, Isaac, and his brother, Esau (who, earlier in Genesis, he deceived and took his birthright as the firstborn, and with it the inheritance of his father, which was the blessing given to Abraham) Esau wasn’t happy about this. Imagine that your father willed all of his property, all of his power and authority to you because you were meant to received the blessing as the firstborn. Imagine that your younger brother were to go into your fathers room the night before his death and changed his will to his name. That was the story of Esau and Jacob in simpler terms. Jacob was in utter terror of the wrath of his brother, who was waiting across the river, and he split his possessions and his family into two groups and sent them across the river to camp for the night. In the night, a man came out of nowhere and began to wrestle with Jacob. The battle was so fierce that they wrestled together until the breaking of dawn! Jacob was lifting those weights at home alright! Now who would like to be as strong as Jacob?! Just kidding.
Finally, the man dislocated Jacob’s hip, but Jacob still refused to let go. Finally, the man asked Jacob to let him go, and Jacob refused to let him go until he blessed him! Jacob obviously knew that this random man who had come from nowhere and started wrestling him was someone from the Lord. Do you know who this random someone from the Lord is? Some think it was an angel. I strongly believe it was Jesus. The first thing you need to do is identify who, what, or why you’re fighting someone. The minute Jacob locked into battle with this man, he knew who he was, he knew what he wanted, and he was fighting for this reason. The Lord chose to fight against him to test Jacob and his determination to follow Him. Do you know what the Lord asked Jacob? “What is your name?” That’s a silly question to ask. “Jacob.” Then the man said “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” From that day forward, the people of God, God’s chosen people, were now called Israel. Israel literally means ‘wrestles with God.’ Jacob then asks for the name of the man, who tells him “Why is it that you ask my name?” and then he blessed him. Why would Jacob need to ask the name of the man when he knew who he was going against? Jacob called the place “Peniel” which means “Face of God,” and then crossed over the river limping because the Lord has dislocated his hip.
Something about the hip that my old pastor told the congregation that I found was interesting is that when one has their hip dislocated where Jacob did, the person is forced to drag the leg which was dislocated. When Jacob walked, he had to drag his leg behind him, leaving a trail where he walked. When you fight for and with the Lord to gain your blessing, no matter what you’re fighting to gain in life, you leave a trail. You may leave several trails. Perhaps one for others to follow in your footsteps, perhaps one on the hearts of people’s lives, perhaps in a place, or perhaps in the entire course of history. Regardless of where you leave your trail, no matter how small it was, from cleaning a single stroller for a child to enjoy their day in Walt Disney World, or something as large as leading a congregation of people to Christ, your legacy will be one that will forever mark peoples’ lives here on earth, and wage war in the spiritual realm against spirits of dark forces for the Glory of His name. I encourage all of you to do everything that you do in excellence, as if you were to be doing it for the Lord. Always remember that “from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12) You have to fight for the blessing the Lord has for you, no matter what it is. You have to be violent! In the spiritual realm, the demons will not move out of your way if you say “Mr. Demon, can you please move out of my way.” You have to fight him! Jacob did not rest until he was blessed, and although he was wrestling with the Lord, he was forceful to take his blessing. In the same way, we have put aside our fears and trust in the Lord, our Rock and our Salvation. In Him you will find victory, not matter how difficult the battle.
It’s ironic that recently I have been studying American history, because this quote just entered my mind. “The summer soilder and the sunshine patriot will shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” Thomas Paine – The Crisis. People will rise against you, your faith, you’re actions; but God is more powerful than anything that can stand against you. And as long as you are walking in Christ, He will open doors for you that you thought were walls. He’ll level a mountain if you cry out to Him with the faith and ask. The gates of hell can open up outside your very home, and when they try to seize everything you have, will they find a worshipper in spirit and a warrior who takes the Kingdom of Heaven by force? I’d like to have everyone listen to a song..
With Everything – Hillsong United
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUsLF0305UM
The funny thing about that song is that it’s live. It’s amazing how the singers, the crew, the audience, everyone was all in perfect unison. Do you know how difficult it is to get twenty people to sing in unison? It’s bordering impossible. Do you know how many people were there? Twenty thousand people were at that gathering. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20) I think I’ll save the significance of names for next week. I have to do a little more research for it, and it’s going to take some time to go over the story of Jacob and the story of other men of the Lord that I’m going to find. I’m going to try to post something at least once a week, and I would like it if everyone tries to post something weekly as well. Remember, as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Also remember, do everything that you do for the glory of Christ’s name. Not for James, not for Billy, not for Pablo the Penguin, but for our Lord and savior. God bless =)
It’s been quite some time since I’ve written something, however, the Lord revealed something to me that I am going to post here. It’s actually something that is widely preached in churches across the globe, including a preaching by my old pastor. However, I’m going to point out two different things in the story. The first is to fight for your blessing, even if you think it’s a losing fight. The second, the significance of names. You can find the story in Genesis 32:22-32.
The Bible speaks of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Earlier in history, Abraham was promised by God that his children would be ‘…as the dust of the of the earth..’ (Gen 13:15) Jacob is the heir to this blessing, and God often times would speak to him and constantly remind him of this blessing. Ah yes, a side-note. The meaning of the name “Jacob” is ‘he who grabs his heel’ figuratively meaning ‘he deceives.’ Jacob was fleeing from his father-in-law, Laban, because the Lord had ordered Jacob to return to the house of his father, Isaac, and his brother, Esau (who, earlier in Genesis, he deceived and took his birthright as the firstborn, and with it the inheritance of his father, which was the blessing given to Abraham) Esau wasn’t happy about this. Imagine that your father willed all of his property, all of his power and authority to you because you were meant to received the blessing as the firstborn. Imagine that your younger brother were to go into your fathers room the night before his death and changed his will to his name. That was the story of Esau and Jacob in simpler terms. Jacob was in utter terror of the wrath of his brother, who was waiting across the river, and he split his possessions and his family into two groups and sent them across the river to camp for the night. In the night, a man came out of nowhere and began to wrestle with Jacob. The battle was so fierce that they wrestled together until the breaking of dawn! Jacob was lifting those weights at home alright! Now who would like to be as strong as Jacob?! Just kidding.
Finally, the man dislocated Jacob’s hip, but Jacob still refused to let go. Finally, the man asked Jacob to let him go, and Jacob refused to let him go until he blessed him! Jacob obviously knew that this random man who had come from nowhere and started wrestling him was someone from the Lord. Do you know who this random someone from the Lord is? Some think it was an angel. I strongly believe it was Jesus. The first thing you need to do is identify who, what, or why you’re fighting someone. The minute Jacob locked into battle with this man, he knew who he was, he knew what he wanted, and he was fighting for this reason. The Lord chose to fight against him to test Jacob and his determination to follow Him. Do you know what the Lord asked Jacob? “What is your name?” That’s a silly question to ask. “Jacob.” Then the man said “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” From that day forward, the people of God, God’s chosen people, were now called Israel. Israel literally means ‘wrestles with God.’ Jacob then asks for the name of the man, who tells him “Why is it that you ask my name?” and then he blessed him. Why would Jacob need to ask the name of the man when he knew who he was going against? Jacob called the place “Peniel” which means “Face of God,” and then crossed over the river limping because the Lord has dislocated his hip.
Something about the hip that my old pastor told the congregation that I found was interesting is that when one has their hip dislocated where Jacob did, the person is forced to drag the leg which was dislocated. When Jacob walked, he had to drag his leg behind him, leaving a trail where he walked. When you fight for and with the Lord to gain your blessing, no matter what you’re fighting to gain in life, you leave a trail. You may leave several trails. Perhaps one for others to follow in your footsteps, perhaps one on the hearts of people’s lives, perhaps in a place, or perhaps in the entire course of history. Regardless of where you leave your trail, no matter how small it was, from cleaning a single stroller for a child to enjoy their day in Walt Disney World, or something as large as leading a congregation of people to Christ, your legacy will be one that will forever mark peoples’ lives here on earth, and wage war in the spiritual realm against spirits of dark forces for the Glory of His name. I encourage all of you to do everything that you do in excellence, as if you were to be doing it for the Lord. Always remember that “from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12) You have to fight for the blessing the Lord has for you, no matter what it is. You have to be violent! In the spiritual realm, the demons will not move out of your way if you say “Mr. Demon, can you please move out of my way.” You have to fight him! Jacob did not rest until he was blessed, and although he was wrestling with the Lord, he was forceful to take his blessing. In the same way, we have put aside our fears and trust in the Lord, our Rock and our Salvation. In Him you will find victory, not matter how difficult the battle.
It’s ironic that recently I have been studying American history, because this quote just entered my mind. “The summer soilder and the sunshine patriot will shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” Thomas Paine – The Crisis. People will rise against you, your faith, you’re actions; but God is more powerful than anything that can stand against you. And as long as you are walking in Christ, He will open doors for you that you thought were walls. He’ll level a mountain if you cry out to Him with the faith and ask. The gates of hell can open up outside your very home, and when they try to seize everything you have, will they find a worshipper in spirit and a warrior who takes the Kingdom of Heaven by force? I’d like to have everyone listen to a song..
With Everything – Hillsong United
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUsLF0305UM
The funny thing about that song is that it’s live. It’s amazing how the singers, the crew, the audience, everyone was all in perfect unison. Do you know how difficult it is to get twenty people to sing in unison? It’s bordering impossible. Do you know how many people were there? Twenty thousand people were at that gathering. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20) I think I’ll save the significance of names for next week. I have to do a little more research for it, and it’s going to take some time to go over the story of Jacob and the story of other men of the Lord that I’m going to find. I’m going to try to post something at least once a week, and I would like it if everyone tries to post something weekly as well. Remember, as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Also remember, do everything that you do for the glory of Christ’s name. Not for James, not for Billy, not for Pablo the Penguin, but for our Lord and savior. God bless =)
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