The Biblical Patriarch Jacob was renamed Israel in Gen 32. The story tells us the meaning of his namesake. Jacob was a deceiver or "supplanter," from birth up until this point, but rather than clinging to the heal of his human-given identity, here Jacob wrestles with God to give him a new identity.
The story goes that God renamed the Deceiver as Israel, and it defines it for us: "One who strives (sara) with God" (and men and prevails). The word strive also has a synonym in 32:24 (abaq) that is translated as "wrestle," or literally, "get dusty," and scholars will often point out that this is a physical fight because Jacob literally "got dusty" with God.
The significance of Jacob "getting dusty" with God does not stop at a physical fight. It has much more of a deeper magic that can only been seen when reading it in context with the rest of the epic narrative. In Genesis 1:26-28 we read that God made humanity in the Image of God, and in Genesis 2:7 we read that humanity was created out of the dust of the Earth. In Genesis 3 humanity redefined itself not as God's image but rather under the authority of the "whispering deceiver" (nachash, often translated "serpent").
The renaming of Jacob as one who wrestles with God fits into a redemptive and re-creative Type of undoing what was done in Genesis 3. Jacob sheds his serpent-given identity of a deceiver and instead assumes the identity of one who chooses to define himself as one who joins in God's efforts by "getting dusty." Joining God in the vocation of re-creation is not enough though, and Jacob decides he will not let go of God until God redefines his identity. God obliges, redefining Jacob as Israel, one who strives with God, in the authority of God, on behalf of men. Jacob prevails, and thus Israel is born.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
About "The Deeper Magic"
Welcome to "The Deeper Magic," a public blog by a MA-II seminary student from Asbury Theological Seminary.
This blog is designed to be scholarly, written towards those who have an open mind to what the Bible might have originally said to its original Hebrew audience and how that might apply to us today. I intend to write semi-frequently and to write towards those with a first-year undergraduate college education or higher. If I am writing with vocabulary that is difficult to comprehend, please comment and ask how I am using particular words rather than assuming I understand the difficulty. It is easy for me to get trapped in my personal seminary vocabulary (which is not always the same as other students or teachers), and I often forget that I don't always speak "the same language" as my audience.
As the title implies, I seek not the face-value of what the Bible has to say, but I don't deny the face-value either. My goal is not to prove or disprove anything historically but rather to find a deeper meaning within the inspired Scripture that can apply to us today. The term "The Deeper Magic" comes from C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, where Aslan the Lion (a Type for God) is the source of the deeper magic that can't outwit the evil queen's murderous plot but in the end proves to be her undoing. My role as the author of this blog is to be a disciple, learning and sharing, and thus I sign my posts as "The Deeper Magician's Apprentice."
While the blog is open for comments at this time, it is not intended for debate. I do not have the time to invest to respond to every challenge. If you need clarification, please ask. If you disagree, please note that I will attempt to respectfully decline to justify my position due to lack of time to invest. Sometimes what is good must be sacrificed for what is best. Please comment accordingly.
Please feel free to subscribe to the blog and befriend me on Facebook: facebook.com/jkgarrett17. It is my honour to serve via study, and I hope my passion for the truth within the pages of the Bible will ignite in you a desire to find these tidbits of magical treasure for yourself.
This blog is designed to be scholarly, written towards those who have an open mind to what the Bible might have originally said to its original Hebrew audience and how that might apply to us today. I intend to write semi-frequently and to write towards those with a first-year undergraduate college education or higher. If I am writing with vocabulary that is difficult to comprehend, please comment and ask how I am using particular words rather than assuming I understand the difficulty. It is easy for me to get trapped in my personal seminary vocabulary (which is not always the same as other students or teachers), and I often forget that I don't always speak "the same language" as my audience.
As the title implies, I seek not the face-value of what the Bible has to say, but I don't deny the face-value either. My goal is not to prove or disprove anything historically but rather to find a deeper meaning within the inspired Scripture that can apply to us today. The term "The Deeper Magic" comes from C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, where Aslan the Lion (a Type for God) is the source of the deeper magic that can't outwit the evil queen's murderous plot but in the end proves to be her undoing. My role as the author of this blog is to be a disciple, learning and sharing, and thus I sign my posts as "The Deeper Magician's Apprentice."
While the blog is open for comments at this time, it is not intended for debate. I do not have the time to invest to respond to every challenge. If you need clarification, please ask. If you disagree, please note that I will attempt to respectfully decline to justify my position due to lack of time to invest. Sometimes what is good must be sacrificed for what is best. Please comment accordingly.
Please feel free to subscribe to the blog and befriend me on Facebook: facebook.com/jkgarrett17. It is my honour to serve via study, and I hope my passion for the truth within the pages of the Bible will ignite in you a desire to find these tidbits of magical treasure for yourself.
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