7-6-25 A New Name

What’s Your Name Mean?

I have a complicated name.

David Charles Prantner.

That’s what my birth certificate says, but it’s got a story.

May parents couldn’t really agree on a name.

My mom wanted me to be named John David, but my dad had a son named John from a previous marriage.

So, after some discussion they agreed on David Thomas. Now, 1981, as I was told, was around the time they started letting dad’s in the delivery room, but for some reason or another, my dad didn’t show.

So, instead of David Thomas, I got David Charles Prantner. Which is a good name,

It means Beloved Freeman who owns a burnt field.

When I learned all this I decided to add the other names in, just for fun, but not legally.

I referred to myself as David Charles Thomas John Prantner.

This went through college where people started giving me more middle names. Long story short, by the end of college I was

David Charles Thomas John Dan Mike Brett Stan Prantner.

Our name is the first gift we are given at our birth from our parents. It’s a gift I treasure. And in our study today we are going to learn about names and the meanings of names.

Does anyone know what their name means?

Many names in the Bible have very specific meaning to their life. For Example, Adam means man or humanity, Ruth means friendship and Elijah means the Lord he is God.

We are going to have an encounter today with a man who has a name that fit him well, but gets a new one.

This is our last week in Genesis in looking for Jesus in the Old Testament. I really could spend much more time in Genesis, but we really must move on.

Today is the last day, also in looking at the Trinity in the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Abraham was a picture of the Father, Isaac, a picture of the Son and today we see Jacob as being a picture of the Holy Spirit.

This one may seem like a stretch to some of you and some may think it fits perfect. I’ll be honest when the idea first came to me I thought there was only a small connection. Like the pictures we did a few weeks, a photo is a near exact image of the picture I took.

My initial though comparing Jacob to the Holy spirit was if I had a good long look at the Holy Spirit and then drew a picture of what I saw with three crayons. That’s what I thought, not where I arrived though.

But for a basis on the Holy spirit, could you all tell me some bullet point on who the Holy Spirit is?

Great, let’s see how many we hit:

The Holy Spirit

Now, if you look at this list, you wouldn’t say, yep, that looks just like Jacob. And you’d be right.

Jacob was not a good role model for anyone.

Jacob’s life starts in Genesis 25:19 -49:33

That’s more than either Abraham or Isaac, almost half the Book of Genesis contains life of Jacob, and he’s not a passive character like his father Isaac. He is involved in much of the narrative and closer you read he has the most change in life an circumstance than anyone else in the book.

There are three passages today that I want us to go through to really understand Jacob, his relationship to the Holy Spirit and him meeting Jesus, face to face.

But I am going to start with a sum up.

Jacob was a twin to his brother Esau. Esau was the older of the two and culturally first in like for the greater share of the family inheritance. However, Rebekah was told by God that the older would serve the young. This caused a rift because Jacob became Mom’s favorite and Esau became Isaac’s favorite.

As the years went by it became known that the brother’s didn’t get along. Jacob was a home body and Esau was a work horse. Jacob was at home making dinner when Esau came in for the day hungry. Said he was starving to the point of death and Jacob sold him soup for his birthright, which was the greater share of the inheritance.

A few years later, Jacob further tricked his father, with the help of his mother to steal the blessing from Esau by pretending to be Esau in front of his blind father.

He ran off and got married and had opportunity to trick his father-in-law several times as well.

The name Jacob fit him well; it means supplanter, or deceiver.

Jacob was setting up to be a great con artist. In today’s culture we might think of him a scammer. One who tries to take something you value and make it his.

Imagine getting a scam call on your phone.

What do we do?

1.Hang up

2. Yell at them or waste their time

3. Engage with them/ pray for them

Scammers are not easy to love, but I encourage you to, next time you get a call, just start speaking Jesus. Chances are, they’ll hang up fast, but it might be what they need.

Jacob was a scammer and God still loved him.

In fact, let’s talk about when Jacob first meats God and the name of something changes from one thing to another.

Genesis 28:10–22 ESV

10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” 18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”

A great deal of underlining here, but just a few observations. This is Jacob talking to God in a dream. God gives Jacob the promise that started with Abraham, passed to Isaac and Now to Jacob.

Jacob wakes up, takes the rock he used a a pillow and calls the place he slept, God’s house or Bethel. But the place already had a name, LUZ, which means to turn or depart.

Luz - depart Bethel - House of God

And this means more than our western English speaking minds can get on a plain reading. God is promising Jacob to never leave him. So, in honor of that promise, Jacob renames the place that means to leave, to the name that means House of God.

Jacob takes this name change seriously. He wants a serious reflection of when people come to Bethel. This place used to be called “Get out of here” now it’s called “God’s House”, where would you rather stay.

There are a lot of reasons for name changes. Businesses do it often to reflect new ownership, or rebranding, or refocusing.

Albertson’s in Klamath Falls just became a Safeway.

A few years ago the Washington Redskins became the Washington Commanders.

ANd in 2019, The Christian and Missionary Alliance Chapel of Bly changed it’s name to Standing Stone Church.

I bring this up because Genesis 28:22 is our verse.

Genesis 28:22 ESV

22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house.

Now, I can’t say why Albertson’s changed to Safeway, I can only guess why the Redskins changed their name, but Standing Stone is easy.

Years ago I thought the name of the Church seemed a little generic and lacked identity to this community. I understand that it’s been here for 85 year this year, but it’s name always seemed to me to be a visitor.

Something that is here today and gone tomorrow. And that is the last thing I wanted with our Church building. So the church board thought long and hard and came up with Standing Stone Church (of the Christian and Missionary Alliance) Go forward, but don’t forget where you’ve been.

We changed our name to reflect this towns ownership of the Alliances presence here. Our history, our service, everything. We are not going anywhere, we are a Standing Stone.

Jacob was doing the same thing here. He took a place that meant leave and made it welcome.

The Pillar was a Standing Stone

And that has always been my goal at Standing Stone. I’m not always great at it, making people feel welcome. I’ve made people upset. And I won’t get into that, but I will say this. My heart is for this town. And I hope I reflect that.

This first passage seems to have nothing to do with Jacob as a picture of the Holy Spirit, but more to do with the everyday humans relation to Jacob. We are flawed, some even deceive to get their way. But when it comes down to it. Jacob wanted to be in relationship with the Lord and I hope we do too.

So, we’re going to skip a few years, 21 to be exact. Jacob has taken 4 wives. For those keeping score, that’s 3 too many. And have 11 sons at this point. He’s returning home and he’s about to run into his brother Esau and freaks out. He hasn’t seen the guy in more than 20 years and when he left Esau wanted to kill him. So Jacob prays to God for help runs into his brother Esau.

Then after the encounter he stays by himself and has a wrestling match with a seemingly random guy.

Genesis 32:22–28 ESV

22 The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. 24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

Jacob is now Israel. He is no longer a con artist, but one who strives for God. But the change doesn’t happen over night. He finally meets with Esau and has a problem. God has told him that everything will be just fine. God has blessed Israel and promised him safety.

But Israel freaks out and fears for his life, so he puts his least favorite wives and kids in front of his favorite of his favorite wife and kid, so if Esau does aim to kill the least favorites will die first. Also, in case you’re keeping track, not a good dad moment here. And a typical Jacob moment.

This is a great illustration though of Jacob as a picture of Holy Spirit.

Check out 1 Peter 1:2

1 Peter 1:2 ESV

2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Here’s a whole snap shot of the trinity, but a descriptor of the Holy Spirit as a sanctifier. For those not familiar with the term Sanctification, it’s not a hard term to understand

In Christianity, sanctification is the process of being made holy, set apart for God's purpose, and transformed into the likeness of Christ. It's a continuous journey of spiritual growth and transformation, not a one-time event. This process is initiated by God's grace and involves both divine action and human cooperation. 

Israel is not going to be perfect right away just because he’s following the Lord.

We have too many people in the world today teaching that if you follower God then you’ll just be practically perfect in everyway. Just like Mary Poppins. And that’s true in the way God see’s you, but there is a work that is going on in you that takes your whole life.

How many times have we heard the sentence, “I’ll go back to church when I get my life back together.” or “I’m too messed up for God to save me.”

Those are lies told by the enemy and our own broken souls to steer us away from forgiveness. Israel is brand new at this point and doesn’t know yet that he doesn’t need to be Jacob anymore.

In Fact, years later he has to be reminded, but God’s been working on him. Up to chapter 35 Jacob has been allowing God to change him. God calls him back to Bethel and on the way he takes the idols in his camp that belong to his family and toss them away. He gets to Bethel and is reminded of his name.

Genesis 35:9–12 ESV

9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. 11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.”

As Christian’s we have the Holy spirit living in us. His name is in us and that is who we are. Israel is the name of a nation of people who God blessed through Abraham Isaac and Israel. That name is on every one of God’s people.

If you are a follower of Jesus, there is work to do. And we have to let him work. Remember when Jacob wrestled with God and won. It’s not that God is weak, but he let’s us decide how much of him we want. You want God to make you holy, then let him in more. You want to live your own life and only let him in a little, that’s your choice, but many of us know from experience that is not the best choice.

Abraham is a picture of the Father because Abraham Fathered many nations and we are the children of the Father, and Christian’s come from many nations.

Isaac is a picture of the Son, Jesus. Both offered themselves as a sacrifice, but only one was accepted and taken, that is Jesus. He is the Savior of the world.

And Jacob had his name changed to Israel. From deceiver to One who Strives for God. His name is on the hearts of the people who call themselves Israelis or Jews. We have a name stamped on our hearts as well, but it’s not just one name, not really. It’s a lot of them.

Before we met Jesus we had names on our hearts. Names like loser, failure, and other names that we allowed to define us. I’m going to close with a video of a woman who wants you to know your name. And believe me, if you’ve ever felt that you’ve done too much wrong for God to love you any more, this video will change you mind.

VIDEO

Let’s Pray