20/05/2026
La Parole Éternelle—English Congregation | Sunday 17th May 2026
Theme: “Theophany: When God Changes Your Name—Jacob Wrestles with God” (Genesis” 32:22-32)
Speaker: Pastor Bill Shaw
“22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, ‘Let me go, for it is daybreak.’ But Jacob replied, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’ 27 The man asked him, ‘What is your name?’ ‘Jacob,’ he answered. 28 Then the man said, ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.’ 29 Jacob said, ‘Please tell me your name.’ But he replied, ‘Why do you ask my name?’ Then he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.’ 31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip” (Genesis 32:22–29, NIV).
Jacob’s past life was catching up with him. By the change in name to “Israel,” the passage announces that Jacob’s moral character was about to change.
Jacob needed to admit and confess the kind of person he was and the kind of life he had led up to this point. God wanted to change the direction of Jacob’s life.
The revelation of God’s glory is not meant to change our circumstances; it is meant to change our character.
The change of his name marked the shift from an outcast and thieving trickster to the heir of the covenant and the chosen leader of God’s people.
Changing someone’s name also indicates having authority over that individual. When a Middle Eastern king appointed a subordinate prince to occupy a regional throne, he sometimes gave him a new name, demonstrating his power over that prince.
This encounter marked a profound transformation. However, for Jacob the most important aspect of the encounter was this: “I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was rescued.”
Those of you who have experienced the miracle of finding a job or a spouse have seen the glory of God, and he has chosen you to pursue his special destiny for you. There is no such thing as a blessing without a heavenly purpose. There is no such thing as a blessing without God’s hand guiding you to a destiny that he has designed specifically for you.
Even after giving him a new name, Jacob kept using his old name. Some experts suggest that the name Jacob represents his old nature and Israel his new. He was called “Jacob” when functioning in his carnal old nature, but “Israel” when acting out of his new nature.
In Genesis 42, Jacob ws called by his old name five times but never by his new name, because even after God changed his name to Israel, he still acted like the old Jacob, being weak in faith.
By contrast, in Genesis 43, he was called Israel three times and never Jacob, because he was finally acting worthy of his new name Israel.
How could this all-night struggle indicate Jacob “won” the wrestling match?
First, Jacob fought until he persuaded “the man” to bless him. This blessing empowered the promises to Abraham with which Jacob had ended his prayer found earlier in this chapter.
“9 Then Jacob prayed, ‘O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, LORD, you who said to me, “Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,” 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps. 11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. 12 But you have said, “I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted”’” (Genesis 32:9–12, NIV).
What he had taken from his father by deceit was now his by honorable struggle. If these promises were true, Esau was powerless to harm his family, since Jacob’s seed held that promise.
Second, Jacob persisted in fighting until the man changed his name from one that implied a negative character trait to a glorious name with spiritual overtones.
Third, Jacob saw God face to face (v. 30). Out of that meeting he gained the confidence to face Esau. When Esau arrived, Jacob met him first rather than last as he had planned. By settling accounts with God Jacob won reconciliation with Esau. Jacob learned that his real struggle was with God, not with his brother.
The meaning of the name “Israel” is a bit complicated. Most scholars agree it means “He wrestles with God” Yisra-El (Elohim, El Shaddai).
What does it mean for us to wrestle with God?
• To have an all-consuming desire and strong motivation to find yourself in submission to what God desires for you.
• To live idealistically, not practically. When difficulties confront you and you must make a decision, you ask “Why not?” instead of “How can this even be possible?”
• To act without compromise regardless of the consequences.
• To have a constant sensitivity to the effect my own decisions, attitudes, and actions have on the people around me—my family, my friends, my colleagues, and anyone else in my circle of influence.
• To demonstrate my faith in God’s provision by choosing to demonstrate generosity toward his work and toward others. The whole idea behind the tithe is not a legal issue (a requirement laid down by God that you must give 10% of your income to the Lord). It is an opportunity to demonstrate your faith in God’s provision and your choice to demonstrate your generosity.
