R.C. Sproul

Because he showed his subordination, his obedience to God.

And so that's the kind of thing that's going on in this wrestling match between Jacob and the angel.

And so when Jacob asked for the blessing, the angel says, tell me your name.

What's your name?

Now, we have something like that, and when we had wrestling matches when we were kids, you know, one of the ways that we would end the wrestling match would be one of the contenders would yield, would give up.

And I can remember as a boy, we'd be in a wrestling match, you'd have somebody in a headlock, and you'd say, do you give?

Do you give?

Do you give up?

And you wouldn't let them go until they'd say, I give up, I give up.

But we had another way of doing it.

Do you remember what it was?

We would say, say uncle.

I don't know where that came from, why we say uncle, but we made the other person say uncle, or we had to say uncle in order for the match to be over.

Well, that's kind of what the angel is saying to Jacob when he says, tell me your name, Jacob.

He's saying, say uncle, because this match is not over until you give up.

until you acquiesce and surrender to my power and to my authority.

And the way you're going to show that is by telling me your name.

And Jacob says, my name is Jacob.

And he says, thank you, but not anymore.

I'm going to give you a new name because God has the right to give a new name.