LESSON 6: Jacob Becomes Israel

Everyone has a name. Sometimes, the meaning of a name doesn’t match a person’s personality. But all names have meanings! People can have different names, like a nickname at home, a school name, and a Christian name. Some people may not like their name and may even choose a new one.

Today, we’ll talk about Jacob. The name Jacob means “cunning” (which means clever in a tricky way). Do you think this name fits Jacob? Let’s see. God gave Jacob another name after something important happened.

Jacob worked for a man named Laban, taking care of Laban’s sheep. He became very good at making his own wealth grow, but this made Laban’s children angry. God told Jacob, “Go back to your family’s land, and I will be with you.” So, Jacob left Laban and took his wives, servants, and animals to go home, to a place called Canaan, where he had once run away from his brother Esau.

Jacob was scared, though, because he thought his brother Esau would still be angry with him. Jacob thought Esau might hurt him and his family. So, Jacob had an idea. He sent lots of gifts like sheep, cattle, camels, and donkeys ahead of him to give to Esau. Jacob hoped that these gifts would make Esau forgive him. Was that a good idea?

When Esau heard about the gifts, he went to meet Jacob with 400 people. Jacob was scared, so he stayed alone by a river called Jabok, while everyone else crossed the river. Jacob prayed to God for help because he knew that no matter how many gifts he sent, he needed God’s blessing to be safe.

As Jacob prayed, a man appeared and started wrestling with him. Jacob realized that this man was a messenger from God, so he didn’t let him go, even though the man hurt Jacob’s hip. The wrestling continued for a long time, and the man said, “Let me go, it’s almost morning.” But Jacob said, “I won’t let you go unless you bless me.”

The man then asked, “What is your name?” Jacob replied, “Jacob.” The man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob. You have struggled with God and won, so your new name will be Israel.” The name Israel means “God’s soldier” or “God’s knight.” After this, Jacob was blessed. Even though Jacob was scared and hurt, God answered his prayer and blessed him. Jacob’s children, the Israelites, became a great people. Israel even has their own country today.