There are things in scripture that we miss if we don’t know the back-story, and much of that story is told in the Old Testament.
The gospel of John records something that Jesus said when he was calling his disciples and it is very easy to miss. When Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed (or a ‘true Israelite), in whom there is no deceit!” John 1:47
I don’t recall Jesus ever saying anything like that about anyone else. It took a lot to impress Jesus. There are only 2 places in the New Testament that say, that Jesus was amazed, and this one is perhaps the third, even though we are not told that he was amazed.
But Jesus was saying something like…’wow’. An Israelite – a true Israelite…a man so unlike his ancestor. Despite his heritage, he is without guile.
Jesus was saying…that Nathaniel is a straight shooter. He is a man who tells it like it is. He doesn’t talk out of both sides of his mouth at once. You’ll never get a half-truth out of Nathaniel. He doesn’t massage the truth to his own advantage and is so unlike his father Jacob, that it’s hard to believe that he’s for real.
So what is in a name? What did the name Israel mean? Where did it come from? And what connotation had attached itself to that name so that it was hard to hear it and not remember?
And of course a related question is…what heritage are you and I passing on? What do people think when our name is spoken? How will it be remembered, once we pass on? And what lasting impression or characteristic have we given our children, that will either bless them or send them away from God?
Guile is deceit, and in the history of Abraham’s family, it was practiced from one generation to the next. Abraham lied about Sarah, first to Pharaoh and then to Abimelech. The deception was a half-truth – but spoken to deceive. Abraham did not quite trust God to protect him, so he turned to deception while his family listened and learned. Isaac, Jacob’s father, did the same thing…and it appears that Jacob was an apt student. Jacob took deceit to a new level when he turned it inward toward his own family.
Now God had revealed to his mother Rebekah, that he would receive the blessing. The younger son would rule over the elder. You’ll recall that Esau and Jacob were twins….paternal twins.
Esau was born first. He was reddish in colour and needed a shave. They named him Red. Jacob came out, holding onto his brother’s heel– so they called him ‘heel snatcher’, or, the one who supplants.
Esau was his father’s favourite. Isaac loved Esau more than Jacob. Esau was an outdoor man…a hairy rascal who loved to hunt. He shopped at Cabelas, watched Duck Dynasty, and read Field and Stream. And when he got home, he brought the outdoors with him.
Jacob was his mother’s favourite. Rebekah loved Jacob, more than Esau. He was an indoor guy…who hardly ever needed to shave. He swapped recipes with the girls, read ‘Better Homes and Gardens and watched HGTV
But apart from the obvious differences there was one that really counted. Jacob was a man of faith. He valued the blessing from God and wanted to be the one through whom that blessing was be passed on.
Esau was a godless man. He wanted his father’s blessing because it would make him rich…not because he was a believer in God.
Jacob was a schemer. One day, he was cooking stew and Esau arrived home…famished. There were no Nachos to snack on and Jacob’s food smelled fantastic. Taking advantage of his brother’s impatience and low blood sugar, Jacob bought his brother’s birthright – (the double portion) – for a bowl of stew. And after eating, Esau despised his birthright.
That left the blessing – still intact.
Now Isaac had to know what God revealed to Rebekah, that it was God’s will for him to bless Jacob….despite his love for Esau. But he decided to do things his way instead.
So he sent Esau to hunt game and prepare a meal…after which he would bless him. He did this, knowing that – once spoken, his words could not be taken back. It was going to happen in private…sort of under the table, and it would be a ‘done deal’. And Isaac didn’t want any push-back…so these two men kept it to themselves.
But Rebekah heard the plan and launched one of her own. She did not confront Isaac and remind him of God’s revelation. And Jacob did not do the manly thing – and challenge his father to do God’s will. He didn’t have a face to face…with his dad. Instead he blindsided his blind father…taking advantage of his disability and advanced years.
It appears that neither Rebekah nor Jacob believed that God’s will would prevail. So they plotted and planned to get the blessing – through deceit. They were helping God out…and, living on the edge. And Jacob in particular was hoping against hope that Isaac would not clue in and curse Jacob instead.
Well you know what happened. When the time came…Isaac had his doubts…for he was blind. It was that voice – it was the voice of Jacob. Something was off. But the clothes – they smelled like Esau and the hairy arms sealed the deal. Isaac was deceived
So he poured out his love for Esau…but it was Jacob who heard. Jacob knew that his father would never love him – like he did Esau. He heard words intended for another and it must have broken his heart as it did his father’s, once it was discovered.
But, once spoken, the blessing was bestowed. God heard and would make it so, which is what Isaac said to Esau. He explained, that while Esau was gone, “Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing”
Esau vowed to kill Jacob…his threats were public. Jacob ran for his life. The cover story was that he was going to find a wife – but he was just trying to save his own skin.
Skipping ahead – Jacob came to Haran and to his mother’s family. He went to the household of Laban…where he met his first cousin Rachel, and fell head over heels for her. He volunteered to work 7 years – as a bride price. And the text says that those years passed like days…because of how much he loved her.
7 years later… the day came. There was a wedding feast and their first night together. Only it wasn’t Rachel. Her father has substituted Rachel’s sister Leah, and it was not until the next morning, that Jacob found out.
The tables had been turned. It was to Leah, that Jacob poured out his love. And Leah heard and knew that her husband was not really talking to her at all. She experienced what it was like to be loved and tried for the rest of her life to have another night like it.
It was de ja vu, all over again. It was Jacob’s eyes that were deceived and his words sealed the deal. And like his father, Jacob, could not take back….a single word. It was Leah who would be blessed, for God heard, and made it so
All of this sparked a competition between Rachel and Leah that lasted a lifetime. Jealousy and deceit – was a wrecking ball in their marriage. It pitted sister against sister and ate them up, from the inside out
Every step of that struggle was carried around in the names of their sons. And every time a name sang out, it was a goad in the side and a pain in the heart. The record of that comes from Genesis 29
Leah was first to have children.
- When Reuben was born, she said: “Behold, a son” – I have a son…so there.
- Simeon: “God hears” or “One who hears” – God has heard me. That makes two
- Levi: “Joined” or “Attached” – Surely now my husband will love me.
- Judah: “Let him be praised” or “Praise the Lord” – Thank God, another son.
Rachel despaired of having children, so she gave her handmaid Bilhah to Jacob as a wife. Bilhad had two sons.
- When Dan was born, Rachel said God has judged in my favour. Dan means “Judge” or “He has judged”
- Naphtali: “My wrestling” or “My struggle” – I have wrestled with my sister and I am now winning.
Leah imitated Rachel, giving her handmaid Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.
- Gad: “Good fortune”. God has blessed me with good fortune
- Asher: “Happy” or “Happy one” – Happy days are here again
And then Leah had two more sons:
- Issachar: “Man of hire” or “Reward” – This boy is my reward from God.
- Zebulun: “Dwelling” or “Honor” – Now my husband will dwell with me.
And then Rachel’s Sons
- Joseph: “May God add” – I want one more.
- Benoni: Son or my sorrow – Rachel died in childbirth
- But Jacob renamed him Benjamin meaning “Son of the right hand” or “Son of righteousness”
Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin and was buried alongside of the road. Leah was buried in the family tomb along with Jacob. She had six sons to Rachel’s 2. Moses the law-giver and Aaron the high priest were sons of Leah through Levi. The legitimate monarch of Israel belonged to her son Judah, and through him, the messiah came into the world.
Jacob played favourites…and his sons hated each other because of it. They sold Joseph into slavery and broke their father’s heart. They lied to him and covered it up, until in Egypt, it came back to bite them…and they had to tell Jacob.
There was so much lying, so much deception…so much animosity – tempered by so little love. For all of those reasons, an Israelite without guile…seemed a contradiction in terms.
But was what Nathaniel was and Jesus told the world. He was a true Israelite the kind of man that God wanted Jacob to be. God had changed Jacob’s name, which meant “heel snatcher”, or ‘he who contends’…to Israel, which means “God contends”. With that new name came the promise that from now on, God would be fighting Jacob’s battles…but God needed him to believe it.
It was time to trust God and stop living a life of deceit. God did not need Jacob’s help. He needed a man of faith, willing to trust God with his life and the lives of his children.
Nathaniel was that man. He was the kind of man that God was willing to fight for. He had already become what his father Jacob never did.And because of that, Jesus promised that he would see the fulfillment of what Jacob once saw in a vision. He would see and know the true staircase up into heaven. And he would see Jesus ascend into heaven with the promise that he would return in just the same way
What’s in a name? What’s in your name and mine? Let us trust God and leave a legacy of speaking the truth in love.
Barrie ON