followHIM - What is this about new names? : followHIM Favorites

Episode Date: March 1, 2022

Hank Smith and John Bytheway answer a question from Genesis 28-33.Show Notes (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese): https://followhim.co/episodesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/followhimpodcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FollowHimOfficialChannelThanks to the followHIM team:Steve & Shannon Sorensen: Executive Producers/SponsorsDavid & Verla Sorensen: SponsorsDr. Hank Smith: Co-hostJohn Bytheway: Co-hostDavid Perry: ProducerKyle Nelson: MarketingLisa Spice: Client Relations, Show Notes/TranscriptsJamie Neilson: Social Media, Graphic DesignWill Stoughton: Rough Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Transcripts/Language Team/French TranscriptsAriel Cuadra: Spanish TranscriptsIgor Willians: Portuguese Transcripts"Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com/products/let-zion-in-her-beauty-rise-pianoPlease rate and review the podcast.

Hello, everyone. Welcome to this week's Follow Him Favorites. This year, we're in the Old Testament, and every week we take a question that we've been asked by one of our listeners, something that maybe draws from the lesson itself. And this week, we're in Genesis, and the question comes from chapter 32 of Genesis, where Jacob gets a new name. This happened earlier to Abram. He got a new name, Abraham. But this one's totally different. Jacob is renamed by the Lord, Israel.

And John, I've had students ask me before, especially when I was a seminary teacher, my younger students would say, I hear that in the temple, you get a new name. What's that all about? Right? So what would you say if someone came up to you and said, why would Jacob get renamed? And what is this about new names? What would you say? There's a lot of places where that happens.

And it's like a new start. When I was born, my parents gave me a name. They were very clever. They came up with John. But when I'm born again, when I'm baptized, I take upon me the name of Christ. We looked at Abram and Sarai getting new names, kind of a new start, a new commission. And I love that idea. I remember hearing a basketball post-game show once where the coach said, my team lost

today because they played for the name on the back of their jersey instead of the name on the front. And I like the idea of a new name gives us a new purpose, commission, or reminds us of that or something like that. And so I kind of like the idea because it tells me the Lord's giving me a new start, a new direction. I like that. You mentioned baptism. And most of us know that baptism is a symbol of being buried and resurrected, but it's also a symbol of being reborn. I've had students say, wait, the baptismal font's like a womb? And I'll be like, yeah, the church has lots of wombs.

It has a Relief Society womb, and it has a primary womb. But thanks for laughing at my joke. But the idea that if you're being reborn, then your parent is going to give you a new name. And remember King Benjamin called his followers, he said, you're going to get a new name, the children of Christ. Of Christ. So Christ, the father of your salvation now can give you a new name. And I like what you said there about it's a fresh start. You've made a new covenant. We're going to forget the past and we're going to move forward on this fresh start. So I can see Jacob getting a fresh start here. And his name is even a reminder of who he is, right? God will prevail. Let God prevail. And even in the New Testament, when Saul becomes Paul and just gets a clean slate and a new start, and it's not only the Old Testament where it happens, but New Testament happens

to us. Yeah. And when you go to the temple, you get a symbolic new name because you're getting a fresh start. And isn't that all about what we've been talking about in Follow Him over and over and over is the idea of repentance, a renewal, a fresh start. Thankfully. I mean, I'm so glad. What is it? Elder Holland says that repentance is the-

The most hopeful and encouraging word in the Christian vocabulary. Yeah. Thankfully. And the Lord wants us to see that. Even in the sacrament prayer, right? Willing to take upon them the name of thy son. Name of thy son. So when we see this in scripture, let's think of repentance, starting over, God giving us yet another chance to make better choices.

Who was it that called him the God of second chances? Was that also Elder Holland? Yeah, I think so. Maybe it was VeggieTales. I think so. I wouldn't necessarily say that, hey, you're getting a new name because this is some sort of secret into the premortal world about what your name is. I just think we could see it as a symbol of, man, the Lord gives me all these new chances

to start over. Absolutely. We hope that you'll join us on the full podcast. It's called Follow Him. You can get it wherever you get your podcasts, but if not, join us next week right here for another Follow Him Favorites.