Moments of sincere quests are moments of truth and clarity. Mr. Jacob Isaac had a rough brush with some undesirable events as a youth because he exercised himself in the disciplines of manipulative acquisition of gain. These disciplines seem innocent and enjoyable but unintended consequences attend to such vice.
We engage this vice when we have a penchant for talking people into doing things that they are not supposed to do so we can gain from the process or outcome.
We engage this vice when we cash out on people’s ignorance by making them buy products or services that will do them little or no good or when we sell defective goods or services to people.
We engage this vice when we have a way of making people do our bidding or we can get people to support or fund our selfish ambition, programmes, or projects at will.
In the case of Jacob, he swindled his older brother, Esau, twice. On the second occasion, he passed as Esau. When his father, Isaac, asked who he was, he said he was Esau. And he was able to take his brother’s place in the spiritual scheme of things.
Fast forward to several years later, he was on his way back from the exile that resulted from this manipulative event when an angel met him. As he interacted with the angel, he was determined to not let go of him until some sort of blessing was bestowed on him. At one point, the angel asked a question that is similar to the one posed by Isaac several years earlier: ‘What is your name’? At his first attempt, several years earlier, he lied. He lied to Isaac. At this second attempt, he couldn’t lie to the angel. He came clean. ‘Jacob’, he said. That sincerity attracted the blessing that he sought.
What is your name? This is not about names. This is about being sincere with yourself. Deception or manipulative skills cannot advance spiritual matters of eternal concern. Come clean for once. Are you born again? Have you been saved from your sins? Do you have the genuine, unmistakable assurance that if you dropped dead now, you will make it to glory? Don’t deceive yourself, except if you have decided to leave your eternal destiny to chance or you have decided for eternal damnation. Own up to the truth and do the right thing like Jacob did.