August 3

One will say, ‘I belong to the LORD,’ another will call himself by the name of Jacob, and still another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’ and will take the name of Israel. — Isa 44:5 BSB

“Another shall call himself by the name of Jacob.” Jacob was a wrestler—he wrestled all night with the angel and won the blessing. Right now, you may be a wrestling Jacob, still unsure if you’ve become a prevailing Israel. You might still feel guilt and struggle in your conscience, doubting whether you truly have the root of the matter in you because you can’t confidently say, “I am the Lord’s.” But you may still be a wrestling Jacob. God may have given you his Spirit, enabling you to wrestle with Him for the blessing, even if you don’t yet have the faith to fully believe that He is yours.

Consider how Jacob was filled with doubt and fear when his life, along with the lives of his wife and children, was in the hands of his brother Esau. Yet it was that very fear that drove him to wrestle harder and cry out more earnestly, “I won’t let you go unless you bless me.” Can you not say, “I’m seeking such a blessing with all my heart; I’m wrestling with God in prayer, and nothing less than this will satisfy me?” If this describes your experience, then you can “call yourself by the name of Jacob.”

“And shall surname himself by the name of Israel.” While Jacob represents the struggling believer in the grace of God, Israel represents the one who has received the blessing. When a wrestling Jacob prevails, he can take on the name of Israel. He can say, “I have wrestled with God for His promised blessing, and I have received it. I cried out to the Lord, and He answered me.” Many saints, both past and present, have wrestled and prevailed like this—Hannah, David, Hezekiah, and many others.