The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered.
{Genesis 32:27} (NIV 1984)
Jacob calls the man, God (vs30), which means that God showed Himself to Jacob! The Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Beginning and the End, the Ancient of Days, the Holy One, the High and Exalted God came down and allowed Jacob to grab a hold of Him and wrestle with Him! Not only to wrestle with Him, but He allowed Jacob to overcome Him.
Who is this God? He is a God who seeks us out; who comes close to us in a humble way. If God had appeared in all His glory, Jacob would have never laid a hand on Him. But God comes to us in such a way that we are bold enough to lay a hold of Him and wrestle with Him. God asked him to say his name, grasper of heels (25:26), then God gave him a new name, struggles with God.
God loves us so. He comes to where we are in our distress. He humbles Himself, allows us to lay a hold of Him. He lets us struggle with Him, like a father allowing a toddler to wrestle with him and then overcome him. Like a father, He is our Father. He made us. He loves us and He names us! This is God; the Giver of new names! People give us names that won’t last, but the name that God gives us lasts forever.
There’s a new name written down in glory,
And it’s mine, O yes, it’s mine!
And the white robed angels sing the story,
“A sinner has come home.”
For there’s a new name written down in glory,
And it’s mine, O yes, it’s mine!
With my sins forgiven I am bound for Heaven,
Never more to roam.
("There's a New Name in Glory", Charles Austin Miles, 1905)
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