God gives a new name to those who love Him

10 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. 11 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. 12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”

Genesis 35:10-12

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There are many other names around the world that could make us laugh. I’m sure you can think of a few right now. You might even have a funny or interesting name yourself. However, even people with funny names can be seriously worried about changing their name to a new one. This is because each name has a specific meaning, and every name usually creates preconceptions or predictions about a person who holds that name.

What about you? Do you need a new name that suits you better?

In fact, God has a new name for you already. What new name will God give you?

And when you get a new name, what changes will happen in your life?

In today’s passage from Genesis 35, God gave Jacob the new name, Israel. The name “Jacob” means “grasping the heel,” which was a Hebrew idiom for “deceiver.” Jacob was originally given his name for how he was born. 

When he came out of his mother’s womb, his twin brother Esau was born first. But Jacob came out holding onto Esau’s heel as if to drag him down. In fact, in Jacob’s earlier life, the name Jacob reflected his personality rather well. He was a deceiver. He deceived both his father and his brother Esau in order to get the eldest son’s blessing. And he also tricked his brother Esau into selling his birthright for a bowl of stew. This essentially dragged Esau down in life status. 

The new name “Israel” on the other hand, which God has now given Jacob, means “he who wrestles with God.” Actually, this name was first given to Jacob in Genesis 32:28 just before he met Esau again for the first time in 20 years. The night before they met, Jacob was restless and couldn’t sleep well, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. Let’s read the rest of the story to remember it:

Genesis 32:25-28

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.”

Now here in Genesis 35, God once again reaffirms Jacob’s new name. At the same time, he also reaffirms his covenant to Jacob’s grandfather Abraham, to multiply his descendants into a great nation, and to bless them in the land he has given them. Jacob’s new name “Israel” is still now used to refer to his descendants, the Jews, and is a constant reminder of God’s promise and covenant with Abraham, and the religious heritage of his chosen people.

Now, let us consider more carefully what changes will happen to a person when God gives them a new name.

First, we will remove our idols

Genesis 35:1-4

1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. 3 Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem.

When God gives you a new name, the first change that happens is that you begin to remove your old idols.

God has decided to give Jacob a new name and he came to Jacob and ordered him to build an altar. In other words, God invited Jacob into the place of worship.

However, Jacob needed some preparation before he could stand before God. He first needed to purify himself and remove his idols. So Jacob gathered all the idols from his wives, his servants, and maidservants and buried them in the ground.

People around us may sometimes say: 

‘Going to church is meaningless. You should study, or make money, or have some free time for yourself instead of wasting your time at church,’

But we know who our master is. So we rely on God, not on the idols that other people pursue – the values of the world. This is the first step for people who get new names from God.

And what happens to people who remove their idols?

Genesis 35:5

5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.

Jacob was afraid that his sons would be retaliated against by the surrounding peoples because they had killed Shechem and his tribe in Genesis 34 after the rape of their sister Dinah. But when Jacob removed the idols from his house, he was removing the values of the world. Then he was able to properly go before God in worship, and the surrounding people became greatly afraid of Jacob’s tribe.

When Jacob gave up the values of the world, the world became afraid of him.

When Jacob abandoned his idols and relied on God, no enemy in the world could beat him.

Second, we will cherish worship

Genesis 35:6-7

6 Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 7 There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel, because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.

When God gives you a new name, the second change that happens is that we begin to cherish worship to God.

True worship to God includes a determination to rely on God only. It also means that we are determined to remove our idols. The purpose of worship is to remember and honor God, our master. God called Jacob to the place of worship to make him remember that his master was God. And God gave Jacob a new name when he became a true worshiper.

Genesis 35:9-12

9 After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. 10 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. 11 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. 12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”

Remember Abraham, Jacob’s grandfather? In Genesis 17, Abraham honored God through circumcision. At that time, God also reaffirmed his covenant with Abraham and replaced his original name, Abram, (which means “exalted father”) with his new name, Abraham, (which means “father of many nations”).

Likewise, Jacob honored God through worship. And when God reaffirmed his covenant to Abraham with Jacob, he also gave him the new name, Israel.

God blessed those who honored him, and he blessed their descendants by making them flourish and prosper in the land.

Now we should take note of Jacob’s attitude toward worship

Genesis 35:13-15

13 Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him. 14 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. 15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.

Jacob praised God and gave his offering at Bethel, which means “House of God.” Remember, this was the location where he had first encountered God in a vision of a stairway to heaven. At that time, he was fleeing his home and on his way to his uncle Laban’s house. God appeared to him in a dream and again reaffirmed his covenant to Abraham that would be continued through Jacob.

Now, Jacob has become a man who is in total awe of God.

Jacob honored the place of worship where God had first appeared to him. This attitude of Jacob is a good example of the type of worshiper we should strive to be.

Worship can be an emotional experience for us, and sometimes people are comforted and gain new strength through worship. This isn’t a bad thing.

But if the purpose of worship is not first and foremost to honor and serve God, but rather to gain personal benefits or relieve our stress, then this is not the right attitude of worship. If you become the master of worship, then you become your own idol.

Remember, we can only worship God because God first invited us to the place of worship. We must not forget this fact.

The purpose of worship is to remember that God is our master and honor and serve him. At the same time, we confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord and savior.

Worship should be maintained as a holy and most precious thing in your life. Cherish the worship that God invited you to. This is the right attitude of the worshiper who adores God above all other things.

Third, we will take a perspective of faith

Genesis 35:16-18

16 Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. 17 And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, “Don`t be afraid, for you have another son.” 18 As she breathed her last — for she was dying — she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin.

When God gives you a new name, the third change that happens is to Take a perspective of faith.

God’s acknowledgement of Jacob’s faith is a joyful event on his faith journey, and God gave him a new name as evidence of his faith.

But in Jacob’s life, there was still darkness.

First, Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died. Then, his son Reuben went in and slept with his concubine, Bilhah. After that, his father, Isaac, died. But worst of all, his beloved wife, Rachel died in childbirth when she was giving birth to his youngest son, Benjamin.

So what exactly has changed in Jacob’s life, after he received a new name from God? Jacob, now Israel, is starting to observe the world from a perspective of faith. This change is revealed in Israel’s attitude before his wife dies.

From a human perspective, it is a tragic event whenever a mother dies in childbirth. So Rachel, knowing she was dying, expressed her sorrow at this tragic event by naming her son “Ben-Oni” which means “the son of my pain.”

However, faced with the same situation, her husband Israel, named his son ‘Benjamin’ instead. ‘Benjamin’ means “son of my right hand” or also “son of happiness”.

In this tragic situation, how was Israel able to look at the world from a perspective of faith? It is because he always remembered that God was his master through worship. Israel also recognized that his whole family also belonged to God.

Jacob, the deceiver, now had faith and inner strength to match his new name. Israel, he who wrestles with God, no longer felt frustrated or resentful about the problems in his life.

He worshiped God every time there was a problem and fully relied on God, his master.

The new name God gives us

In the Bible, God changed various people’s names for important reasons to signify some important change in their lives and relationship with him. 

• He changed ‘Abram’ (exalted father) to ‘Abraham’ (father of many nations).
• He changed ‘Sarai’ (princess) to ‘Sarah’ (noblewoman, or she who strives).
• He changed ‘Jacob’ (deceiver) to ‘Israel’ (wrestles with God).

What was the significance behind God changing their names?

Even today, but especially during Bible times, a name was more than just a title. It reflected the personality and life of the person, and furthermore, was also thought to play a role in predicting or prophesying the future.

God determined Abram would be the father of many nations, not just a respected father. So, he called him Abraham with his covenantal promise.

Likewise, God changed Jacob’s name to Israel because the promise of the Messiah is implied by the new name ‘Israel’.

Then what is the new name God gives us?

2 Corinthians 5:17

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

When we believe in Jesus Christ as our savior, God changes our names to ‘Christian’, which means “follower or disciple of Christ.”

Christians become true worshipers of God when we repent of our sins and old idols. We cherish the worship of God by honoring God through Jesus Christ. And we look at the world from the perspective of faith, praising God for his salvation and hope even in the most desperate situation.

Christians try to live as disciples of Jesus. As God continues his work of sanctification in us and we grow in maturity in Christ, the fruit of the Spirit, and the life of the gospel will grow within us through the sovereignty of God.

The Christian who has received a new name from God will become a person the world fears. The Christian who fought against the values ​​of the world and won will be honored by God before everyone. This is the powerful good influence of Christians who have received a new name from God.

• Do you want a new name from God?
• Do you want to fight the values of the world and win?
• Do you want to work for the glory of God?
  • Then, remove your idols!
  • Cherish worship!
  • Take a perspective of faith!
  • And Confess Jesus Christ as your savior!!

[ For Sharing time ]

Q.) What is at least one good aspect of you because you are Christian? What is the power of Christian?