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In Genesis 15:5, God establishes His covenant with Abram, saying “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them… Your offspring will be that numerous.” 

Years later, God changes the name of Abram to Abraham. Abraham’s wife Sarah delivers a baby boy and names him Isaac. Now let’s fast-forward. Sarah has died, but Abraham is still kicking. He wants to make sure Isaac has a wife before he dies, and he sends his servant to find him one. 

Through a providential encounter, Abraham’s servant finds the woman God has chosen to be Isaac’s bride. Isaac is instantly smitten with Rebekah, and she is great comfort to him as he mourns the death of his mother. Eventually Rebekah becomes pregnant with twins. 

Esau is born first. His brother is born right after him, but it seems that wasn’t the order he was hoping for. Jacob is delivered with his hand holding Esau’s heel, as if he was trying to hold him back. 

Incidentally, names always have meaning in Scripture, and Jacob’s means, “heel-grabber.” It also means “deceiver,” which he’ll grow into by and by. 

After cheating Esau out of his father’s blessing, he flees before his angry brother has a chance to kill him. While on the run, Jacob has a dream, recorded in Genesis 28:10-15. 

Here we have a man who has manipulated those around him (literally) since the day he was born. Now in a dream, God promises all these amazing things are going to come from him. Does this strike you as odd? Remember, God made a covenant with Abraham, and He intends to see it through.

Jacob leaves town with his family, and as they travel he receives word that Esau is headed his way. Jacob is terrified. He tells his wives and children to go on ahead of him, and this is where we find a famously intriguing encounter that will forever change Jacob.

In Genesis 32:22-32, God Himself wrestles with Jacob, the heel-grabbing manipulator. Only God didn’t leave him the way He found him, did He? God changed Jacob’s name to Israel and left him with a permanent limp to remember this night.

Israel—the one who contended with God and prevailed.

God is still in this business you know. He loves to take the broken and weak things of the world and make them beautiful for His glory.