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Is it good to strive?

Jacob was born striving. His name, Yaaqob (יַעֲקֹב), means literally “the heel-catcher,” or by metaphor, the supplanter, the one struggling from behind. When his brother Esau later complains, “He hath supplanted me these two times” (Genesis 27:36), he is recognizing Jacob’s personality in his name.

Jacob continues to act like the disadvantaged underdog as he pursues goals in the household of his father-in-law, Laban. His wives, Rachel and Leah, also engage in a similar pattern of trickery as each tries to gain the advantage over the other (Genesis 29, 30). He angers Laban when he tries to sneak away without formally announcing his family’s departure (Genesis 31).

Then, something changes. As he prepares apprehensively for a reunion with his estranged brother, Jacob wrestles all night, “until the break of day” (Genesis 32:24). Like Enos in the Book of Mormon (whose father was also named Jacob), he desperately sought blessings from God and was willing to dedicate significant time and effort. (See Enos 1:1-4.)

What happened next is hard to understand. The Bible describes the event in physical terms, likely metaphorical. Jacob refuses to let go of this man he is wrestling with until he receives a blessing. The man incapacitates him, making it clear that he cannot prevail. The man then changes his name to Israel, refuses to disclose his own name, and blesses him. Jacob recognizes that the man he has been wrestling with is God, and he names the place Peniel, meaning “the face of God” (Genesis 32:25-30)

The name Israel—Yisrael (יִשְׂרָאֵל) in Hebrew — encapsulates all of the wonderful complexity of the story. It consists of two Hebrew roots: sarah (שָׂרָה), meaning “to strive” or “to wrestle,” and El (אֵל), meaning God. The ambiguity comes from uncertainty about the relationship between those words. Does it mean “he who strives with God” or “he with whom God strives?” Perhaps the answer is both. Jacob reached out to God, and God in turn reached out to Jacob.

But the name carries a deeper meaning which represents the ultimate irony of the story. Jacob thought he could control the outcome of his wrestling match by simply refusing to let go. God demonstrated otherwise by knocking his hip out of joint with a light touch. Then, God blessed him anyway, telling him that he had prevailed. The irony is that, in the end, Jacob prevailed by letting God prevail. As President Russell M. Nelson taught, “The very name of Israel refers to a person who is willing to let God prevail in his or her life” (“Let God Prevail,” October 2020 general conference).

Jacob’s reunion with Esau underscored his new insight. After presenting his brother with numerous gifts and calling himself “thy servant,” Jacob was shocked to hear him say, “I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself” (Genesis 33:9). Looking into his brother’s eyes, Jacob thought he saw the face of God (Genesis 33:10). After striving his entire life to pull ahead of his slightly older brother, he discovered that their relationship worked if they could set aside the rivalry and accommodate one another in gratitude and contentment. As he learned to trust God more fully, Jacob also learned to live peaceably with others. (See Moroni 7:3-5).

As we study Genesis 24-33 this week, let’s focus on Jacob’s journey to becoming Israel, a person who is willing to let God prevail in his life.