The Grammar of Grace: A New Name and an Old Promise Text: Genesis 35:9-15
Introduction: The Divine Interruption
We live in an age of radical self-definition. Modern man believes that he is the master of his own identity. He thinks he can name himself, define himself, and create his own reality by the sheer force of his will and the vehemence of his pronouns. He is, in short, attempting to be his own god, to speak his own world into existence. But this is nothing more than the ancient lie of the serpent, repackaged for a generation that has forgotten what a serpent is. It is the folly of Babel all over again, men trying to make a name for themselves, building their towers of rebellion against the heavens.
Into this clamor of self-assertion, the Word of God cuts with the clean, sharp lines of objective reality. In the Scriptures, a name is not something you invent for yourself; it is something that is bestowed upon you. It reveals your nature, your destiny, and your relationship to the one who has the authority to name you. Adam was given dominion by naming the animals. But God retains the ultimate naming rights over all His creation, and particularly over His covenant people. To be named by God is to be known by God. To be renamed by God is to be remade by God.
This is precisely what we find here in our text. Jacob, the trickster, the heel-grabber, the man who has spent his life striving, wrestling, and scheming, is met by God once more. This is not his first encounter, but it is a formalizing, a ratifying, a solemn confirmation of all that has gone before. After the messy business at Shechem, after the necessary but brutal housecleaning of idolatry, God calls Jacob back to the beginning, back to Bethel, the house of God. It is here that God interrupts Jacob's story with a divine declaration. He does not ask Jacob who he wants to be. He tells him who he is, and who he will become. This passage is a dense concentration of covenant theology. It is about a new identity, an ancient promise, and the almighty power of the God who brings His Word to pass.
The Text
Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him. And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, But Israel shall be your name." Thus He called his name Israel. God also said to him, "I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and an assembly of nations shall come from you, And kings shall come forth from your loins. And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, And I will give the land to your seed after you." Then God went up from him in the place where He had spoken with him. And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. So Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel.
(Genesis 35:9-15 LSB)
The Gracious Confrontation (v. 9-10)
We begin with God taking the initiative, as He always does.
"Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him. And God said to him, 'Your name is Jacob; Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, But Israel shall be your name.' Thus He called his name Israel." (Genesis 35:9-10)
Notice the word "again." God's grace is not a one-time event; it is a relentless pursuit. Jacob is now back in the promised land, but his journey has been anything but smooth. Yet God appears. God's appearances are always intrusions of grace into the mess of our lives. And what is the first thing He does? He blessed him. The entire encounter is framed by blessing.
Then God gets to the heart of the matter: Jacob's identity. He starts with the old reality: "Your name is Jacob." This is a statement of fact. Jacob means "supplanter," or "heel-grabber." It describes his character perfectly up to this point, a man who lives by his wits and his grip. God does not soft-pedal the truth. But then comes the divine transformation: "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, But Israel shall be your name."
This is a confirmation of what happened at the Jabbok brook in chapter 32. There, after wrestling with the angel of the Lord, he was first given this name. But here, at Bethel, the house of God, it is formally and solemnly ratified. The name Israel means "he strives with God," or "God strives." This is a radical shift. His identity is no longer defined by his horizontal striving with men (like Esau and Laban), but by his vertical encounter with God. He is no longer the schemer; he is the one who has wrestled with God and has been prevailed over by grace. His limp is a permanent reminder of this gracious defeat. God conquered him, and in that conquest, gave him a new name and a new destiny. This is a pure act of sovereign grace. God does not give him this name because he has finally cleaned up his act. God gives him this name in order to empower him to live according to his new identity.
The Covenant Reaffirmed (v. 11-12)
With the new name established, God proceeds to reaffirm the old, eternal promise. And He does so by revealing His own name.
"God also said to him, 'I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and an assembly of nations shall come from you, And kings shall come forth from your loins. And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, And I will give the land to your seed after you.'" (Genesis 35:11-12 LSB)
First, God identifies Himself: "I am God Almighty." This is the Hebrew El Shaddai. This is the name God used when He first established the covenant of circumcision with Abram in Genesis 17, right before He promised a son to a ninety-nine-year-old man and his barren wife. El Shaddai is the God of overwhelming power, the God who is all-sufficient, the God who does the impossible. When God says "I am El Shaddai," He is essentially saying, "Pay very close attention to what I am about to say, because I have the raw power to bring it to pass, regardless of the circumstances."
And what does El Shaddai promise? First, fruitfulness. "Be fruitful and multiply." This is not just good advice. It is a covenant command backed by the creative power of the Almighty. It echoes the original creation mandate in Genesis 1, but here it is focused on the covenant line. Jacob, one man with a dysfunctional family, will become "a nation and an assembly of nations." This is staggering. The word for assembly is qahal, which is later translated in the Greek Old Testament as ekklesia. This is a direct prophecy of the Church, the great assembly of God's people gathered from all nations. From this one man's loins will come kings, a promise that finds its ultimate fulfillment in the King of kings, Jesus Christ.
Second, God promises land. "And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you." This is the bedrock of covenantal continuity. God is not making up a new plan for Jacob. He is fitting Jacob into the ancient, established plan He made with his fathers. The promise is unwavering. It is a tangible, physical, historical promise. God's redemption is not an ethereal, Gnostic escape from the physical world; it is the redemption of the physical world. This land, this dirt, is holy because God has promised it. The promise extends beyond Jacob to his "seed after" him. This is the great hope of inheritance that runs through the entire Bible.
The Proper Response (v. 13-15)
After the divine word comes the human response. God's speech is never for mere information; it is for transformation and worship.
"Then God went up from him in the place where He had spoken with him. And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. So Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel." (Genesis 35:13-15 LSB)
God's presence is real, and His departure is real. "God went up from him." This is not a dream or a vision; it is a true theophany. And how does Jacob respond to this encounter with the living God? He worships. He doesn't just have a warm feeling. He does something. He sets up a pillar of stone as a memorial, a witness to this great transaction. This is the second time he has done this at Bethel (cf. Genesis 28:18).
But this time, his worship is more mature. He consecrates the pillar with a drink offering and with oil. This is a liturgical act. The drink offering is an act of thanksgiving and devotion, pouring out something precious to God. The oil is an act of setting apart, of marking this place as holy, as belonging to God. Worship is our response to God's revelation. When God truly speaks, our only proper response is to set up a memorial in our lives and consecrate ourselves to Him.
Finally, Jacob re-names the place. "So Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel." He confirms the name he gave it years before. It is the "House of God." This is where God dwells. This is where God speaks. This is where God makes His promises. Jacob's journey has come full circle. He fled from the land as Jacob, the supplanter. He returns to Bethel as Israel, the prince with God, and re-establishes the place as the House of God. It is a story of repentance, restoration, and renewed worship.
The Gospel of the New Name
This entire episode is a glorious picture of the gospel. We, like Jacob, are born supplanters and schemers. Our natural identity is defined by our sin, our rebellion, and our striving against God and man. We are born "Jacobs." We are spiritually homeless, exiles from the house of God.
But then God appears. He takes the initiative. He intrudes into our lives not because we are worthy, but because He is gracious. He appears to us in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And in Christ, He gives us a new name. He no longer calls us sinners, but saints. He no longer calls us orphans, but sons. He no longer calls us enemies, but friends. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
This new identity is bestowed upon us because of the true Israel, Jesus Christ. He is the one who truly wrestled with God and man and prevailed. He wrestled in the wilderness, He wrestled in Gethsemane, and He wrestled on the cross. He is the fulfillment of all the promises. He is the seed who brings forth the great assembly of nations, the Church. He is the King who comes from Jacob's loins. And He has secured for us an eternal inheritance, a heavenly country, a land of promise.
And who gives us this promise? It is El Shaddai, God Almighty. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the power that is at work in us, making us fruitful, multiplying His church, and guaranteeing our inheritance. The gospel is not a suggestion; it is a declaration of what the Almighty God has done and will do.
Our response, then, must be the same as Jacob's. We are to set up pillars in our lives, memorials of His grace. Our baptism is such a pillar. The Lord's Supper is such a pillar. Our weekly gathering for worship is a re-naming of this place, this time, as Bethel, the house of God. We pour out our lives as a drink offering, a sacrifice of praise, and we are anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit, set apart as holy to the Lord. We were Jacob, but by His sovereign, interrupting grace, we are now Israel, the people of God. And that is a name worth more than all the self-made identities this world has to offer.