What is Your Name?

My Grandad was known for naming his sons, then giving them a nickname. He did the same for our family, as he lived on the farm with us for a while. My sisters were Darlin' and Cookie. My brother was Corky. Grandad told me that he had a special name for me, but I had to earn it.

"A champeen cowboy is called a jughead. So if you work real hard, maybe you can get to be a real Jughead one day," he encouraged. I may have noticed sly smiles when people heard about that, but I just assumed that they was tickled that such a little guy could be a champeen.

When we were together, I would continually ask, "Am I a real Jughead, yet, Grandad?" More smiles.

"Not yet, just keep working at it." Then one day I did something that irritated him. "You jughead!" he thundered. And the jig was up. I had been the butt of one of Grandad's jokes.

He called one of my uncles, "Fluff" because he looked a little "fluffy" according to Grandad. The ironic thing is that this uncle would lift one end of a Model A while his brothers changed a tire.

As they say, "My Mommie din't raise no dummy." And I went back to my given name.

As we read both the Old and New Testaments, we encounter individuals who have had their name changed. Names back then held a meaning, as opposed to now where they are merely "license plates." Names now just identify us as opposed to revealing something about our character. So the change of names is a significant event in peoples' lives.

We will look at some names and their meaning. Then we will revisit the idea again and peruse the changes. Jesus' disciple, Thomas, was also called Didymus, the twin. Names have meanings and it is fascinating to see how this played out in history. It is not clear if the names were prophetic, or coincidental. One quick story that comes to mind is a guy who David met. Nabal, in 1 Samuel 25, was a hot-headed, self-indulgent fool. His name meant foolish.

Another is the twin brothers, Jacob and Esau. Esau, the older was covered with red hair when he was born (Genesis 25) and was named Esau, which means "red." Jacob, born second, gripped the heel of his brother as their births followed very quickly. His name means "supplanter," deceiver, trickster, or several other unflattering things.

Jacob lived up to his name and that has been extensively explored. But let's turn to one of Jacob's sons. Judah was identified as the one through whom the Messiah, the "Seed" of Genesis 3:15, would come. Judah had three sons, and after a sordid and convoluted string of events finally had the one who would continue his line. (Genesis 38)

There were twins in the story again and the subterfuge happened in a prenatal context. As the mother was beginning to give birth, one twin stuck his hand out of the womb. A quick thinking midwife tied a ribbon around the wrist and he "retreated." His brother was born first and the midwife exclaimed, "What a breach you have made." He was named Perez, meaning "breach."

As a young reader, I assumed the "breach" was that one child had begun to emerge, then somehow was replaced by the other, a "breach of protocol" if you please. He "jumped the line." And this could be a legitimate interpretation. Another idea suggested, that Perez was born in the breach position, or as some have described it, "hind parts, foremost."

Either could be correct, it seems. But Perez was the "first born" because he was the "first one out." His brother, Zerah, had broken the plane first, but lost the race. Too bad they did not have Olympic rules back then. The first runner to break the plane is the winner. That is why you see some athletes dive to the finish line, touching it first, even though the rest of their body trails others in the complete crossing. But I digress.

Maybe the second should be called breach, because he tried to get ahead and was defeated. The name, Perez stuck with him all of his life and he even ended up in the line of the Messiah. Everything has a purpose. Maybe you could say I was a "Perez" of my Grandad's joke.

Now turn back the pages to Judah. Genesis 32 tells of Jacob returning home to meet Esau. The night before the confrontation Jacob has an encounter with the Angel of the Lord. This was probably a pre-incarnation appearance of Jesus. Jacob separated himself from his party and spent the night "wrestling" with this Angel. As daylight approached, the Angel asked what Jacob wanted.

"Bless me." (V. 26) Is this the same old Jacob? He stole the birthright and the blessing from Esau. Which, incidentally, was why he feared returning home. Jacob also had gotten rich at the expense of his uncle Laban. Now, returning home a wealthy man, he is not satisfied. He wanted more blessing.

But a change was occurring, and Jacob, of all people, needed to see and recognize it. The Angel asked him what his name was. Recall that twice his father had asked this, and Jacob lied, telling his blind father that he was Esau in order to deceive Isaac and get the blessing.

How will Jacob answer? "I am Jacob, the deceiver." He recognized his fault and confessed it This is when the Lord gave him a new name, Israel, as one who strives with God and man. That is not just a meaningless confrontation for the sake of fighting. He was purposely focused on success in his life. Not for a selfish motive, but to be useful and fruitful. He was not perfect after that, but neither was he so deliberately devious.

To be honest, there were probably times when I was a jughead. I just got an early chance to confess it. And we all come to that place with the Lord. The only way He can help us, is if we, like Jacob, confess our name, "Sinner."

Only then can He give us a new name: Children of God. (John 1:12) What is your name?