NAMED!

That’s a 1-month-old calf at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. And seeing the little one (over 200 lbs!) was the highlight of my visit to that animal assemblage this summer.

The Zoo set up a competition to name the baby. Out of over 30,000 entries, the keepers went with “Luk Chai.” You see, the entire herd of elephants in Taronga hails from Thailand, so it was appropriate to give the latest arrival a Thai name. Protective Mama, the other pachyderm in the picture, is Thong Dee (“Golden”); proud Papa is Gung (“Prawn”).

“Luk Chai” means “son,” and that’s right and proper, for he is the only other male in the entire herd besides father Gung.

The other day, I preached on a dude in the Bible who, too, was given an appropriate name—twice!

This guy’s story began even before he was born. For the first time in biblical history, a woman had conceived twins! Uh-oh! Who’s gonna be firstborn and thus get the patriarchal blessing? Apparently the kids in utero were aware of this dilemma.

But the children
struggled together within her ….
Genesis 25:22

This was no brotherly tussle. The word connotes a serious street fight, brass knuckles, knives, and all. They’d already begun fighting for the blessing. Anyhow, Esau is born first.

Afterward his brother came forth
with his hand holding on to Esau's heel.
Genesis 25:26

The younger guy came out fighting. Chasing his older brother, Esau. Fighting to be the firstborn. Chasing the blessing. So they find the perfect name for him.

His name was called Jacob.
Genesis 25:26

“Yakov” = “heel.” From the outset Jacob is a heel-grabber. Fighting. Running. Chasing. Chasing in the womb. Chasing coming from the womb. And for the next 10-odd chapters in Genesis, chasing outside the womb. Chasing for blessing. Chasing for recognition. Chasing for significance. Life was one loooong chase for the heel-grabber.

To cut a long story short, years later, the heel-grabber comes to his senses and returns home, risking life and limb at the hands of his older brother, Esau, whom he had cheated long time ago. Desperate and fearful, the night before he meets his brother, he encounters God Himself.

He [Jacob] said,
“I will not let you go
unless you bless me.”
Genesis 32:26

I won’t let you go unless you bless me. Finally, finally, the heel-grabber realizes who can really bless him. Finally, he realizes the folly of his deceiving, and defrauding, and duping. Now he realizes that only one person can bless him—God.

And he [God] blessed him there.
Genesis 32:29

From heel-grabbing to God-grabbing! And at last, Jacob had found blessing at its true source, its only source.

Have you come to that recognition? Have we reached the point of realizing that only God, only God, can bless us? Nothing else will satisfy. Nothing else will fulfill. Nothing else will delight. Only God. God alone! God alone can bless us. And to Him we must cling!

And, BTW, Yakov gets named … again.

He [God] said,
“Your name
shall no longer be Jacob,
but Israel.”
Genesis 32:28

No more the grabbing of heels, snatching of dreams, clutching at straws, chasing of wind. No more Yakov. No more chasing. Henceforth “Israel.” Yisra-El = God fights. No more will you grab heels. No more will you need to grab heels. Because God fights for you.

You don’t have to fight any more. You don’t have to chase anything anymore. You don’t have to run after anything anymore.

“Israel”—God fights. He does! For us too. Grab Him!