Blessings Passed on to Israel
Genesis 32:28
And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
Listen to the "Verse by Verse" episode covering this scripture.
Abraham’s blessings were passed down to his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob.
In one of the most unexpected appearances of God in the Old Testament, God tested Jacob’s perseverance in an all-night wrestling match. Jacob tenaciously wrestled with the One who became Jesus Christ, after which God renamed Jacob “Israel.”
Thus Jacob, the “supplanter,” became Israel, “a prince with God” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Genesis 32).
For more about God’s choice of Israel and his descendants, see “Why Did God Choose Israel?”
