“But now listen, Jacob, my servant, Israel, whom I have chosen.
This is what the Lord says— he who made you, who formed you in the womb,
and who will help you: Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant,
Jeshurun,[a] whom I have chosen.Isaiah

Isa 44:1-6

“But now listen, Jacob, my servant,
Israel, whom I have chosen.
2 This is what the Lord says—
he who made you, who formed you in the womb,
and who will help you:
Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant,
Jeshurun,[a] whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.
4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
like poplar trees by flowing streams.
5 Some will say, ‘I belong to the Lord’;
others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
and will take the name Israel.

“This is what the Lord says—
Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty:
6 I am the first and I am the last;
apart from me there is no God.

I have a Biblical name. It is Jacob. I don’t use it very often. It’s not even a legal name. I used the name when I published a book. But that’s the biblical name that I have chosen as mine from a long time ago. Among the Old Testament biblical figures, I want to be like David. But I know that I am more like Jacob. Jacob was a sinful man. He cheated on his brother and his father and many others. He was a greedy and ambitious man who even wrestled with God. There’s nothing much commendable in his human nature. But he was a man chosen by God. And God was with him always from birth to death. To me, the main human character of the book of Genesis is Jacob, neither Adam nor Abraham. More pages of the book of Genesis was devoted to Jacob than to any other.
Why did God choose him? No one knows but God. It seems like a bad choice for human eyes. But God's sovereignly chose him, loved him and blessed him and his descendants. That’s why I have chosen the name, Jacob. Being Jacob seems to be the best deal that any human can get from God. We have a glimpse of the mysterious love of God toward Jacob in today’s passage. God says to Jacob, “I have made you. I have chosen you. I pour out all my blessings upon you. I will bless your sons and daughters.” In short, God who is the king of kings, the first and last pours out the greatest love and blessings to Jacob. What could Jacob do in return? Nothing! It is impossible to return God’s favor. But if there’s anything, Jacob can boldly witness what God has done to him and who God is to the world. Indeed that’s what Jacob did at the last phase of his life. I am Jacob. I believe you are Jacob too whether you like the name or not. And it’s the most wonderful thing to be Jacob in God’s eyes. Let’s keep it that way for us and for our descendants from generation to generation.