Eventually, Jacob received the blessing instead of his older brother, Esau. Why? Again, because that’s the way God chose it to be. Before either man had the capacity to choose right or wrong, the Lord elected Jacob, who was, by the way, an incredibly undeserving man. The very name Jacob means “one who displaces” or “one who usurps.” He was a shameless schemer and deceiver who left a number of angry enemies in his wake. Eventually, though, the Lord broke him of his old ways and gave him a new name: Israel, “strives with God.”