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.
God says the same thing to Jacob twice in this story — once through a wrestling match, and now again, plainly, in daylight: "your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name." Some truths, apparently, need to be repeated before they actually settle in.
That repetition is worth noticing. Jacob had already been renamed once, but the old name kept getting used — by others, maybe by himself. So God says it again, confirms it, makes sure the new identity actually sticks rather than fading back into the familiar, more comfortable label of who he used to be.
If you've ever had a moment of real change and then slowly slipped back into old ways of seeing yourself, this story is oddly relatable. Sometimes becoming who you're meant to be isn't a single event. It's a name that has to be spoken over you more than once before you actually believe it's yours.
What old name for yourself are you still answering to, even after God has already called you something new?
A short video on this is coming soon — for now, read on.